Your dissertation topic when you become a Pokémon researcher

[GymLeaderMisty]

In the Pokémon world, you have grew up and you are now in a Poké.D. program with a prominent Pokémon professor as your advisor. You choose to be a Poké.D. instead of a trainer because you originally went on a journey to collect the requiste gym badges to compete at a regional conference, and quit because you got defeated and were "only" best 16.

So now you are in a prominent lab and your advisor was the senior author in papers published in PokéNAS, PokéNature, and PokéScience. So you are now writing your dissertation, and hoping you'll live as a post-doc working in someone else's lab afterwards.

So what you would write your dissertation on?

 

[roacherman]

What thell is a dissertation topic?

 

[Spearow]

Sexual dimorphism in the Ralts/Gardevoir/Gallade family, OR how niche differentiation led to the separate evolutions of the Bidoof and Eevee species from a common ancestor.

What thell is a dissertation topic?

Something you research/write to get a Ph.D, to put it very simply.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

I plan to collect data from Pokemon battles to determine whether the current "accuracy" ratings given to attacks are still valid. This will involve much data collection, analysis, and compilation of the results obtained, but it will help trainers make more informed decisions about what moves to use.

 

[XxDawnfanxX]

I would research more detail into pokemon's nature and how it is very different in the wild, compared to when it is owned by a trainer. Also observe the pokemon and it's trainer's personalities and gather more evidence if it is true that a pokemon adapts it's trainers personality traits. Anything just to get out in the field really.

 

[Rabbit]

Mm something to do with sociology...how cultural norms shape human-Pokemon relationships. OR research into the ancient pagan Pokemon-centered religions/mythologies of the different regions. What kind of messed-up culture chooses a Pokemon as their almighty God and creator?

 

[GymLeaderMisty]

I guess I'll do mine on the activity of signal transduction pathways during the stone-induced metamorphosis of Gloom to Vileplume.

The pathways are bound to cause one to have a headache like a Psyduck.

 

[Niprop]

Why, there's many interesting topics I could tap, such as:


"Mime Jr. and Ralts: The Missing Link?"

"Porygon and how to make the perfect Pokémon"

"Explosion: How Electrode doesn't kill itself"

"Shedinja: Proof that Spirits Exist?"

"Skitlord: Fact or Fiction?"

"The Mudkip Society"


And that's to name just a few.

 

[drunk ¬_¬]

Why, there's many interesting topics I could tap, such as:
"Skitlord: Fact or Fiction?"

would you seriously be able to research THAT!!! 8X

...not my thang ¬¬

EDIT: i'd write a paper involving the symbiotic relationship between diglett and onix (and their evolutions), and hope to sell the first-ever picture of digglet's underground body :pirate:

 

[Eliminator Jr.]

I'd have to go with Niprop here and research something interesting, like how Pokémon that explode or self-destruct still manage to remain alive after the attack. Or something to do with evolution - exactly how it happens and how a Pokémon can change form so rapidly without having changed their appearance for ages.

 

[Lopnis]

Hmm this is an intresting question I would research pokeballs and how instant trust is seemed to form when a pokemon is caught or how if pokemon created the universe why we are their masters or how the bages the gym leaders give out give the trainers have a somewhat magical property that effects pokemon in diffrent ways.

 

[Eliminator Jr.]

or how the bages the gym leaders give out give the trainers have a somewhat magical property that effects pokemon in diffrent ways.

From what I remember I don't think the gym badges have any controlling power over Pokémon at all, it's just that after you get gym badges traded Pokémon respect you more and are more likely to do your bidding. As for how HM moves are, I always thought that was stupid that a Pokémon can't swim until its trainer has a gym badge.

More ideas, I'd probably research a lot on fossils and why the Pokémon found had died out. Also, I'd take a closer look at Mt. Moon and the idea that Clefairy (let alone all Pokémon) came from the moon, or outer space.

 

[Charmageddon]

I love this topic.

I'd do something to do with Pokemon society - the effects of evolution on the social hierachy of Pokemon. Or maybe on Pokemon speech - how they can understand us and each other, yet only come out with complete gibberish using syllables from their name.

 

[Pokémon Ranger ✩ Moriarty]

I agree with Charmageddon, this is a great topic! :] Anyway, as someone who is halfway through writing a dissertation now (in England it is for a degree, not a PhD - a PhD essay is called a thesis /random knowledge) my creative juices are a bit dry, but the ones I can think of:

Biology
How Do Pokémon Make Eggs? Since nobody actually seems to know, despite the masses of Professors and Breeders the PokéWorld contains...
Zubat and Geodude: Population Control Needed? Despite Crobat and Golem, I still hate them all.

Literature
Pokémon Poetry. Hurr hurr Professor Oak I hear you like poems?

History
The Myths and Realities Surrounding Regirock, Regice, Registeel and Regigigas of Hoenn and Sinnoh. "Oh hai Brandon, I need to borrow your Pokémon for, uh, research purposes..." → This would be the one I would most likely do, though. :3

Psychology
How the Moves "Return" and "Frustration" Work. Paul teaches "Return" to Chimchar! Chimchar used Return! It's Not Very Effective...

EDIT Oh, duh, I just saw that the question was about Science. Well, I'm crap at Science, so my stance still stands XD

 

[GymLeaderMisty]

I agree with Charmageddon, this is a great topic! :] Anyway, as someone who is halfway through writing a dissertation now (in England it is for a degree, not a PhD - a PhD essay is called a thesis /random knowledge) my creative juices are a bit dry, but the ones I can think of:

Biology
How Do Pokémon Make Eggs? Since nobody actually seems to know, despite the masses of Professors and Breeders the PokéWorld contains...
Zubat and Geodude: Population Control Needed? Despite Crobat and Golem, I still hate them all.

Literature
Pokémon Poetry. Hurr hurr Professor Oak I hear you like poems?

History
The Myths and Realities Surrounding Regirock, Regice, Registeel and Regigigas of Hoenn and Sinnoh. "Oh hai Brandon, I need to borrow your Pokémon for, uh, research purposes..." → This would be the one I would most likely do, though. :3

Psychology
How the Moves "Return" and "Frustration" Work. Paul teaches "Return" to Chimchar! Chimchar used Return! It's Not Very Effective...

EDIT Oh, duh, I just saw that the question was about Science. Well, I'm crap at Science, so my stance still stands XD

A Ph.D. thesis is not an essay... it is a work of original research. In scientific fields, one must conduct original research by doing lab or field work. The wikipedia article states that a dissertation is normally applied to a doctorate. So, I used the term "dissertation" correctly.

Well, the original post implied it would be similar to becoming a scientist. Now imagine yourself being angry at an arrogant post-doc always being the lead author on papers, especially on that paper published in PokéNature.

 

[Redstar]

Whether or not humans can breed with their Pokemon, and if Happiness-levels are a contributing factor.

 

[ReiXMinako]

I would research the phenomenon of the Hax Frontier and later expose them for what they really are. bwahahaha

 

[The Bringer!]

Whether or not humans can breed with their Pokemon, and if Happiness-levels are a contributing factor.

o________O

If I had the writing/scientific skill, I'd want to write a paper on how evolutionary stones work, why they only effect certain pokemon, and how the pokemon evolved the need/capability to effectively use these stones in evolutionary proccess =P
Oh, and why lombre needs a water stone to evolve, when a leaf stone should theoretically work since it's also part grass type...

 

[Redstar]

o________O

Though it's more a question of whether or not humans can reproduce with their Pokemon rather than simply breed, which is a given.

 

[Daydream]

Good topic. (:
---

Given the intelligence of Alakazam how has it not developed a higher communication method?

What speicifc conditions about the forest/ice in Sinnoh, that are not present in other regions makes, Eevee able to evolve into Leafeon/Glaceon ?

Did the industrialisation of humanity encourage new types and adaptations in certain Pokemon?