Will Varela, who plans to graduate in December with a degree in aquatic biology, used previous experience with a failed research topic to guide his presentation on brook trout habitats.

Originally, Varela’s senior capstone research project involved bluegill, a species of sunfish, but that topic proved too broad and unapproachable.

“When asking a research question, there are a lot of logistics to be worked out,” he said. “Some of these logistics can be feasible, and some cannot. So having a narrow topic is important and determines how successfully one can complete research — and this took me a couple of months to figure out.”

Varela presented research he completed last fall at brook trout spawning locations in the Necktie River, near Grace and Midge lakes southeast of Bemidji. He identified spawning areas on the river and analyzed why trout selected those locations.

Sharing his findings with an audience increased both his confidence and his ability to communicate clearly, Varela said.

“You’re not only disseminating your findings,” he said, “but also putting your findings into words the general public can understand without confusing them.”