A Paper a Day by Alex Paramo Its all nonsense.

I read through the paragraphs, somehow finding myself at the end of my first paper. I looked up at the ceiling, catching a quick glance of the ventilation ducts in a desperate attempt to capture some sense as I exhaled in dissatisfaction. I went back to the start of the paper and began the gruesome task of dissecting each sentence. In every line I was able to fish out a handful of words to look up sporophyte, megasporangium I had no idea what any of it meant. I looked over towards my lab partner, anticipating the same expression of defeat that I certainly must have posed. We were in the conference room now, Marisol and I, patiently waiting on Adam to join us for our daily 9 oclock meeting. At around 9:20, Adam, who holds a Ph.D. in biophysics, walked in and began giving us a lecture on the hierarchy of knowledge. Good, hopefully he wont ask us about the paper. ...And this is where I live, said Adam as he drew a crude stick figure atop of the staircase he created on the board representing the hierarchy. As he reached the conclusion of his lecture, Adam said, Now, since we have some time, lets discuss the Mulcahy paper. Do you have any questions? Adam directed this to the both of us. No, not really I responded. This was a lie. I definitely had questions about the paper, but how would it look if I asked too simple a question? I had never read a primary research paper before, but I did not want to give the impression that I was incapable of understanding the scientific material. The truth was, however, that the literature was difficult to understand, at least for me. Marisol, on the other hand, had already participated in the Young Scientist Training Program as a junior working under the same mentor. I convinced myself that she must have had a stronger understanding of the material than I did. Ok, well, this paper is essential in the understanding of our observational study. Mulcahy lays out the mechanisms for which natural selection gave rise to the angiosperms and how these same mechanisms intensify pollen tube competition between pollen grains. I simply nodded in agreement. Adam continued, If you dont have a solid understanding of this material, you wont understand all of the processes and the significance of what we are studying. The look of defeat I expected to see in Marisol was not there; instead, she seemed as confident as ever, conjuring an inverse effect within myself. I realized then that my success this summer would not be resolved with the knowledge I held, rather, my success would be determined through the knowledge I could capture. I was confident enough in my ability as a worker in the lab, but the thought of synthesizing my work into a publishable media startled me. I had little to no experience in this area, and I would certainly need to work hard to reach the

pace and proficiency necessary to finish a research paper of my own. As Adam handed us more and more papers to read, my ability to understand each paper rose, as well as my confidence. My familiarity with the subject increased, aiding in my level of comprehension. Before, I thought every author seemed to have only one goal in mind: write the most unnecessarily confusing paper possible. However, I realized each author, through their papers, demonstrates the mastery of their subject. It is the readers duty to fully digest the concepts and terminology stitched within the paper. There was nothing wrong with not knowing or understanding every aspect of the paper as its purpose was to inform the reader of a scientific breakthrough. There was not a single paper that I could point out and say, that is the one, rather, my comprehension rose steadily throughout the summer. When our group meetings occurred with Adam, he no longer led the entire discussion.

Instead, there was an exchange of ideas, a constant flow of information from one to the other. Gone were the times when Adam lived alone a top of the hierarchy of knowledge, as I was slowly, but surely, making my way up.