Hello once more, readers! It was a laid-back week this week. This week's main task was done on Tuesday. We had to present our research project for 7 minutes, and then there was a 3-minute period for questions. This served as good preparation for our week nine poster presentation. We all received feedback on the presentation, so we all have an idea of what should be added to and left out of our poster. The day in the lab on Wednesday was also interesting. I had the opportunity to help Dr. Galloway open sea urchins and take the gonads out. Before being opened, the urchins were weighed and measured. The gonads were weighed after being opened, and a note was made about their color. Each urchin had two gonads removed; one was weighed, and the other was placed in a test tube for additional analysis. The project's primary objective is to compare how many calories the gonads produce. To measure the number of calories produced by each gonad, the test tube specimens were dried and put in a bomb calorimeter. Using the bomb calorimeter requires patience as it is a bit tedious. For the rest of the week, I’ve just been working on my research project.
Even though last week Saturday was a part of the previous week, I still felt the need to mention it this week. Sherlyn and I decided to watch Thor Love and Thunder at the theater in Coos Bay on Saturday. It was a good idea, but it came with its complications. Things were alright at first; we were merely strolling through the Ross and other stores in the Pony Village mall to look at merchandise. When it came time to leave for the movies, I discovered that I was unable to locate my wallet. I looked everywhere with Sherlyn, and we couldn't find it. Eventually, I had to relieve Sherlyn of her searching duties because I wanted her to enjoy the movie. I remained behind to search for the wallet, but I was still unsuccessful. We then called a cab, but it didn't arrive for over two hours. It turns out that our first taxi driver had to take the cab to the body shop after getting into a small collision. So even though the other days were laid back, Saturday was a little unusual. I figured I should merely relate the experience to demonstrate that despite the challenges we all encounter, life must go on.
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Friday 15th July, 2022 brings week 4 to an end. What better way to end it than going to Qochyax Island. We left pretty early to catch the low tide but it was well worth it. We had a slight hike to actually see the organisms from the low tide but it was amazing. I saw many echinoderms such as piaster sea stars and purple urchins. There were also many barnacles and green anemones. Listing all the organisms seen on the adventure would be very tedious but it was a great experience. Although Friday, was the most exciting day of the week, that doesn't mean the other days weren't fascinating too. On Monday I finished counting the sea stars in the still images for my research project. Before sending my proposal to my mentor, I also made the last adjustments. Dr. Galloway provided some excellent suggestions for the proposal. On Tuesday, we also had a meeting to discuss some of the suggestions made. I believe it was really beneficial and enabled me to provide Maya & Richard, who were evaluating the proposals, a better draft. Additionally, the REUs enjoyed their usual enjoyable weekly lunch with Maya and Nichole. Tuesday's professional development workshop was indeed the main high point of Tuesday. In this session, we learnt how to effectively create a strong presentation and a strong poster. As someone who has never made a poster before, this session was much needed. I've got a plan for my poster now that I've attended the poster session. Wednesday was a fascinating day as well. First, Dr. Jim Carlton, an evolutionary biogeographer and marine ecologist, joined us for lunch. I regret arriving late because I didn't get to hear everything he said. He spoke to us about invasive species and the opportunities he had as a marine ecologist. Later that day we day, OIMB had a public seminar which was presented by Dr. Jim Carlton. The seminar was entitled, “The Age of Invasions Meets the Age of Plastics: How Tsunamis, Storms, Megarafting, Coastal Development, and Climate Change May All be Related.” Dr. Carlton discussed the effects of the March 11, 2011, Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in the session. In the years that followed the tsunami, invasive species increased dramatically in the US and other pacific regions. Due to wind and ocean currents, tsunami debris made it all the way to the United States and contained a wide variety of species from Tokyo and other central pacific regions. It would take me many pages to disclose all the knowledge I gained from this session but just know I really enjoyed it. What better way to start the week off than with a picnic in honor of the Fourth of July? The cooks typically perform well, but on that particular day, they excelled. Shout out to everyone who had some involvement in putting together the picnic. It was well-planned and a lot of fun. OIMB's staff, instructors, and students all seem to be close knit and act as a family. I was surprised to see that they decided to congregate, even if it was only for a short while, on a holiday. Most individuals would prefer to spend that day with their family, but OIMB seems like a family, so it makes sense. Tuesday was even more enjoyable since I had the opportunity to help Professor Richard Emlet collect sand dollars aboard a boat not too far off shore. It was a highly fascinating encounter that provided new information about marine biology. I was given the chance to pilot the boat back to the docks after collecting the sand dollars. Even though I've taken several boat rides, I've never been in charge of the steering wheel. It was a wonderful event that I will never forget. The rush was unreal for me because I have aspirations of owning my own boat. Compared to the first two days of the week, the rest was very normal. Dr. Aaron Galloway attended lunch with the REUs on Wednesday. Everyone was quite intrigued about his experiences as a marine ecologist and was really interested in what he had to say. Being mentored by someone so fascinating made me incredibly proud. On Wednesday at 4 PM, we had a seminar as well. Dr. Susanne Brander, who led it, gave an excellent lecture on microplastics. Although I worked on projects involving microplastics, I was unaware of all the other factors involved. Microplastics are extremely hazardous, and if we can't find a way to stop them or at least lessen their effects, it could have negative implications in the future. Thursday was a fairly relaxed day, and I spent the majority of it in the library researching. I made the decision to visit the gym after spending so much time in the library. I had a wonderful workout, and I then played some basketball. Friday concluded week three and I spent most of the day in the lab. The week was both entertaining and productive. Greetings, readers! I was still counting sea urchins from last week's assignment when this week began, but I finished on Tuesday. Counting 600 still images of urchins is no easy task but I believe it was worthwhile. My ability to recognize those sea urchin species has significantly improved.
I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do for my research project. Initially, I had intentions to involve sea urchins in my research as they can be beneficial and harmful in certain ecosystems. However, the ecosystem I was planning to research the sea urchins was kelp forest I which they are very harmful. If there are no predators to keep their numbers in check, sea urchins, which consume macroalgae like giant kelp, might completely destroy kelp forests and stop them from expanding. An abundant kelp colony could consequently become an urchin barren, often known as an oceanic desert. I had planned to study sea urchin predators and how much they benefit the kelp forest, but after speaking with Dr. Galloway, we decided to take a different path due to the scarcity of footage of those predators. We discussed and I would be working with the sea stars in those kelp forest. I would be comparing sizes, counting species, and doing additional research on sea stars. Although not all the specifics are finalized, I believe it's a decent beginning. I began studying the various species and how to recognize them. A book by Dr. Galloway that aids in species identification was also given to me. In addition to my research project, we had a professional development session that was really beneficial because it showed us the advantages of having a strong CV and resume as well as how to create one. On Wednesday, we also had lunch with Katlyn Haven, an ODFW fish biologist. She talked to us about her experiences, her motivation for attending graduate school, and other things. Finally, on Friday, some of the REU interns went tide pooling; but, because I slept in too late, I was unable to accompany them. There are usually a lot of interesting things to view when tide pooling, so hopefully I get to go with them the next time. |
AuthorGreetings, blog readers! My name is J'mie Lawrence and I'm from the Caribbean island of Grenada. I've spent the last year at SWOCC (Southwestern Oregon Community College). My current objective is to earn a transfer degree so that I can enroll in a four-year university to study marine biology. Being able to do marine research with Dr. Aaron Galloway at OIMB is incredibly exciting for me because I've always had a passion for marine biology. Archives
August 2022
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