Over the past three semesters that I’ve spent as a student in SGC, I've learned a lot about the nature of science that I wouldn’t have fully understood otherwise. I came into the program thinking I understood the scientific method, but SGC has helped me gain experience in a wide range of topics that I hadn’t even considered looking into previously. Some of the most useful lessons focused on how misinformation spreads within the scientific community and to the public, and understanding both the mechanisms and consequences of this. This knowledge is extremely important today, especially because scientific discourse often intersects with public policy and opinion. The program also taught me more about the best ways to approach scientific discourse, specifically focusing on the importance of critical thinking, peer review, and effective communication. To explore these ideas more deeply, we studied some of the more common and historical mistakes scientists have made, learning from these errors to avoid repeating them ourselves. These past semesters of SGC have not only been enjoyable, but also provided me with skills that I’ve used in my real life. For example, learning about the hypothetico-deductive method in-depth helped me conduct research more rigorously and validate my results to a higher degree than I was capable of before. One of the key experiences where I applied the hypothetico-deductive method was during my research project at the University of Sheffield. The project revolved around using and fine-tuning large multimodal models (LMMs) for zero-shot visual species classification, which involved evaluating how well LMMs integrate textual descriptions of visual characteristics with actual images that may or may not include those characteristics. This project often required me to hypothesize that LMMs could accurately classify species based solely on textual descriptions, deduce that the model should perform correctly even when trained only on text, and design experiments to test this hypothesis while avoiding overlaps between images and descriptions. In order to properly validate our results, we had to more rigorously apply the hypothetico-deductive method by performing different sets of experiments and accounting for external variables. My time in SGC prepared me well for this approach by teaching me about a history of scientific missteps that helped me craft rigorous experimental procedures rather than jumping the gun in ways that I may have without SGC. Being in SGC has also provided me with skills that will not only be useful for my major but also throughout my life. One of the most impactful topics in the SGC colloquium was the study of logical fallacies and scientific (or general) misinformation. Understanding how to logically construct an argument and properly evaluate the validity of an argument is something that will be helpful in nearly every aspect of my life. Additionally, knowing how to identify and assess misinformation will allow me to make better decisions not only in an academic and professional context but also in my personal life and choices. On top of all of the skills SGC has provided me with, living with people from my classes has been an incredible experience, fostering strong connections and creating a vibrant, supportive community. SGC has been the most interactive program I've experienced throughout college, with an emphasis on group work and interactive learning that helped me build and maintain close friendships that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Working with fellow SGC Scholars on long-term projects, excursions, and in-class discussions/activities has not only enhanced my learning but also put me in contact with a network of peers who share similar but also diverse academic interests and goals. It’s allowed me to experience a sense of community that I haven’t experienced with any other academic program so far in my undergraduate studies.