"In some forms of music, there's a small idea called a cell that is expanded on in different ways until it becomes a huge piece of music," said Emily, a biology major/music minor. "To understand it, you have to see the pieces and how they fit together. That is similar to what happens in a scientific experiment. Data are gathered and then analyzed as you look for patterns and draw conclusions."
Emily applies the same concept -- breaking down problems into small, more manageable components to see how they interrelate -- when working as a peer tutor in Hamilton's Writing Center.
"Sometimes when a student comes in with a draft, I push it aside, take out a clean sheet and start jotting down ideas and drawing arrows to show how they might be arranged," Emily said. "More than working on grammar or sentence structure, my role is often to help students get their arguments organized before putting words down on paper."
Emily follows her own advice, often having her fellow tutors review her papers, including the draft of her senior thesis, a study of the relationship between the distribution of certain plant species and herbivory.
"As a writer, you know what thought process you went through in forming your arguments, but that might not be clear when it is put into words," she said. "It's always helpful to get a fresh set of eyes to make sure what's down on paper actually makes sense."
