Oh wow, this REU program has been a blast! I can not believe we are already finishing up week 6. This week I had the opportunity to help out one of the South Slough REU's collect their crab traps at 3 sites along the estuary. I was so excited to get into some dirty field work, it was my first time wearing waders. They remind me of a baggy wetsuit that keeps you dry. After we collected the crab traps at each site I would walk around the water or mud just for fun. Jordan always talks about how annoying the crabs can be and I finally got to experience it myself. They grab onto the crab traps so tightly, making it difficult to pry them out. Over the weekend, Maite, MaKenzie, Jordan, and I went to Portland! I drove through the city last summer during a road trip, but this summer I was able to experience the city. We first stopped to eat at Dave's Hot Chicken which was so delicious! I will be visiting their other location in Tarzana when I get back to SoCal. We spent a lot of time thrift shopping, but I did not end up buying anything. Portland prices are higher than I expected! The rose garden was such a nice and peaceful place to visit. Basking in the sun with the roses felt so nice, the sun does not feel the same in Charleston. Of course we had to make a stop at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) while we were in town. They had a nice dinosaur exhibit, they also outlined the types of marine creatures that were living in each period (see slideshow). Next time I visit Portland, I would like to try more restaurants. There was such a wide variety of cuisines and cultures being represented as we walked around the city. Upon returning to Charleston, Maite and I met up with Aaron at Bastendorff beach to surf and boogie board. This was my first time surfing since last summer, I was so stoked to get in the water. The waves were weak so Maite and I had a hard time getting any good waves, but we still made the most of it. I hope to get back out there next week! Later in the week, most of the REUs met at Bastendorff and had a nice bonfire. This was one of the first times since the first week that I have been able to actually see the sun set; it is always so beautiful. Back in the lab, I have been continuing to sieve through urchin poop and further filter that poop down onto filter paper. This week, Reyn set me up with a dissection scope with his microscope camera attachment so I can begin to analyze the number of microplastics on each piece of filter paper. The task may be simple, but it makes me feel very sciency. I really like wearing a lab coat, I feel so professional in it. I do not know when I will be wearing one after the summer is over, so I am getting a lot of lab coat time in while I am here. When I am not wearing the coat, I have been working on my poster. I have never made one before, so I am nervous and excited to see what I will come up with. I've been spending time picking colors and the layout, I think this will be the longest and most difficult part of the process. I am excited to see the progress I will make next week in both my lab work and my poster. Come back next week for another update of my time here at OIMB!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Annika SullivanHello blog visitors! My name is Annika Sullivan. I am from Agoura Hills, CA and have been studying at Santa Barbara City College for the last 3 years. This fall I will be attending UC Santa Barbara as an Aquatic Biology major. I have always dreamed of living in Oregon, and now I get to do so while conducting marine research at OIMB under Dr. Aaron Galloway and Dr. Reyn Yoshioka in the CTELab! Archives
August 2021
Categories |
Proudly powered by Weebly