From Hypothesis to Reality: My Group 4 Project Experience

From Hypothesis to Reality: My Group 4 Project Experience

By: Keira Annabelle Budiman – Gr 11 student

As part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Stella Maris School Gading Serpong, we participated in the Group 4 Project, a collaborative research experience that brings Biology, Chemistry, and Physics students together. Unlike typical lab experiments, this project challenges us to design our own investigation, collect data in the field, and analyze our findings, just like real scientists.

This year, we travelled to Bogor for our Group 4 Project, where each group was assigned different areas, such as the forest or river, to research. My group was assigned to investigate the river, and we decided to study how water depth affects different environmental factors. However, we quickly realized that the river was much drier than expected because it hadn’t rained for two days. This unexpected challenge basically forced us to adjust our independent variables and rethink parts of our experiment.

Initially, my personal focus was on ammonia concentration, but after multiple tests, I found nothing. It was honestly a shocker, as it meant that no one had been using this river as a public restroom, and the water was just too clean (at least in terms of ammonia levels).

Since my original plan didn’t work out, I shifted my focus to measuring CO₂ levels at different water depths instead. This led to an interesting discussion within my group, as we combined our individual findings to form a group conclusion about how depth influences factors like alkalinity, aquatic life, temperature, and gas exchange.

The experience was tiring but rewarding. More importantly, however, it was a breath of fresh air from our usual school routine. Instead of sitting in a classroom, we got to explore nature, conduct a first-hand research, and apply what we’ve learned or watched in a real-world setting.

Conducting research out in the open meant that we had to constantly adapt, work efficiently, and problem-solve on the spot. It wasn’t just about collecting data, it was also about learning how to structure and write a scientific research paper, which is great preparation for university.

In the end, even though our expectations didn’t entirely match reality, the Group 4 Project showed us that science is all about curiosity, flexibility, and teamwork. This project not only deepened my scientific understanding but also taught me the importance of adaptability in research, and in life. When things don’t go as planned, you will have to act quick and adapt from it. These lessons would definitely be something I carry with me into my future studies. 

Even though the river wasn’t what I expected, it still gave us valuable insights. And if there’s one thing I learned, at least now I know that no matter how clean a river looks, we should never drink it!