Field research turned out to be some of the most satisfying work I've done. It's careful, hands-on work: checking your equipment, writing things down, and repeating a step until you can trust the number you got.
I led pathogen monitoring for SEWA International. That meant collecting water samples, calibrating our pH and temperature instruments before each round, and running statistical analysis on what we found. A probe that's off by a little throws off everything after it, so calibration became a habit I took seriously.
What I took from it
I expected the results to be the exciting part. The care behind them turned out to be just as rewarding. Data only means something when it was collected consistently and honestly.
Before this project, public health felt like a big idea. Afterward it felt like something I could measure, one sample at a time. It's a big reason public health is on my list of majors.
I'm proud that the work earned a commendation. I also like that careful notes mean someone else could repeat what we did.