Hello, thank you for showing interest in my blog! My name is Dominic Eastburn, and I am an oceanography major at the University of Washington. I grew up along the Northern California coast and only a few hours away from OIMB. Throughout most of my summers, I spent my time in Shelter Cove, CA, where I collected fond memories of the ocean. Unfortunately, as I completed high school, I did not have a solid heading on where I wanted to go with my life, so I joined the Air Force. For five years, I spent my time in the Air Force working as a weather forecaster. My experience of gaining knowledge relative to atmospheric science led me to obtain my AAS in Meteorology and reignited my interest in academia. Returning to college has been more difficult than I expected. Classes in calculus and physics were initially daunting, but with lots of preparation, I eventually overcame them. I was lucky enough to hear about this research undergrad program from my geology professor, Professor Hoppe. The concept of an REU was initially foreign to me, and I wasn't sure I was even qualified. After some encouragement, I eventually applied. Now I am here at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology writing my first blog post. (: Over the next eight weeks, I’ll be interning in Dr. Kelly Sutherland’s lab. My research will focus on two hydromedusae species, Halimedusa typus, and Polyorchis penicillatus. Polyorchis functions primarily as a benthic feeder during the day. Halimedusa spends most of its time near the surface, and not much is known about its photoresponse and vertical distribution within the water column. I hope to compare the photoresponse of Halimedusa typus and Polyorchis penicillatus. Before this opportunity, I had never conducted my own research outside of a classroom setting before. Considering that classes were mostly online over the course of the last year, I am very excited to apply the practical application of laboratory and research methods I had only read about in class. Halimedusa munching on copepods Plankton tow so I can feed my jellies The first two weeks of my experience have been packed with adventures and learning so far. Other REUs and I have plenty of opportunities to explore after dinner and on our weekends. There is a fairly large elephant seal population at the Cape Arago research reserve, but you may need a good set of binoculars to observe them. My time in the lab has mostly been devoted to developing skills so that I’m comfortable doing research. I did not know much about videography and video editing, so Professor Sutherland’s graduate student Joanna Lyle has been immensely helpful over these first few weeks. I also need to practice using ImageJ, which is an image analysis software that allows me to quantify data. Gathering an ample amount of Halimedusa has proved quite challenging. I have been going to the dock multiple times a day in search of them, but they are smaller than Polyorchis and have a much shorter manubrium so spotting them has been difficult. Despite my struggles early on, I don’t think there is any other place I want to be. Everyone is thrilled to dive into their project, and being around others who nerd out about marine science makes it hard not to smile.
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AuthorHello everyone! My name is Dominic Eastburn. I grew up in Fortuna, California. For the past two years, I have attended Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington. This fall, I am transferring to the University of Washington to pursue a BS in Oceanography. I am excited and grateful to be participating in Professor Kelly R. Sutherland's lab that focuses on the form, function, and flow of gelatinous zooplankton. Over the next nine weeks, I hope to develop valuable skills to prepare me for university and graduate school. Archives
August 2021
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