Hello again, readers. The first week at OIMB was really interesting. I drove to OIMB and tried to capitalize on that fact by carrying all the items I had in my dorm. The room was smaller than my prior accommodation, so that wasn't the best move. Fortunately, I managed to pack everything away, and despite the different sizes of the rooms, everything fit rather well. Even my mini-fridge and TV managed to fit well with all of my belongings. After move in day things just kept getting better and better. I got to meet the other REU interns and though we come from other places we just seem to click even at such an early stage.
We had a great time meeting our mentors during the potluck we had on Monday. Although we were meeting them officially on Tuesday, it was good to get to know them in a more casual setting. Dr. Aaron Galloway, who is my mentor, is fantastic. He began by assigning Catalina and I an activity that required us to acquire new abilities in order to complete it. We had to learn how to use ImageJ, an image-processing application that among other things lets you measure the size of creatures in pictures. This makes it much simpler to analyze still images from dive footage. Although we didn't use it this week to count the many types of sea urchins in dive video still images, it might be useful in the near future. While counting the sea urchins in the still pictures I learned about new species such as Red urchins (Mesocentrotus franciscanus), Green urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) and Purple urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). Even if their colors are the basis for their names, identifying them shouldn't just be based on color. It is important to consider the size of their test (body) as well as the shape, arrangement, and length of their spikes. It can be misleading at times when red urchins take on a purplish appearance, however the length and shape of the spikes give it a different appearance from true purple urchins. There are variations in green urchin color as well; some of them may appear to be white-ish. These factors, in my opinion, make these organisms fascinating, and I am eager to collaborate with Dr. Galloway again. I think that this internship will shine some light on the options I would have if I pursue a career in marine biology as I'm currently unsure of what I want to do.
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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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