By Pemba Sherpa Over the course of eight weeks, I had the opportunity to work with Veronica, a Ph.D. student at UCD, to learn about mussel shells, and look at their growth pattern over time. Her study mainly focused on the species, Mytilus californianus, also known as California mussels. Prior to this internship, I had some knowledge about mussel shells from my Zoology class. However, I did not know that they could be used as environmental recorders. It was interesting to learn how they can hold information about their environments in their shell growth bands.
The main purpose of this project was to see changes in growth band patterns of California mussels in response to environmental parameters such as temperature, upwelling values, and rainfall records. We acquired a decade long data from the BOON (Bodega Ocean Observing Node) website on all these parameters. The weekly data averages were then compiled into spreadsheets and were downloaded into Rstudio to make graph plots. We also looked at the cross-section of modern mussel shells to identify the dark and light patterns. Veronica helped me differentiate between different layers of the shell cross-section. The Aragonite layer is mostly made up of calcium carbonate, it is the main layer of protection. I was also able to calibrate and use grayscale format on images and measure the inner calcite layer to estimate the growth of the shells using ImageJ. I am very thankful to all the mentors, organizers, and who made this internship possible. I was able to familiarize myself with research and get an idea of how research is done. This opportunity helped me to learn about data analysis and data management using different tools such as RStudio, Excel, and ImageJ. I also learned how to plot graphs by coding in RStudio. It has also given me a chance to learn more about marine science and how we can use different structural changes to learn about how the environment has been changing over the years. Although this internship was remotely held, I was still able to learn a lot. I would like to thank my mentor Veronica who was very patient and helpful during this whole process. This experience has also helped me with professional growth, as it opened a lot of networking opportunities and also was a great research experience. Pemba Sherpa was an intern for SRJC-BML 2020 program. She will be transferring to UC Davis for Fall 2020 to pursue a degree in Biochemistry. This summer, she worked with Veronica Padilla Vriesman in the Ocean Climate Lab.
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By Sonali Langlois As a rising third year student at SRJC, I spent my spring semester hoping against hope that I would get an internship despite the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s why I was beyond thrilled to discover that I had been accepted as an intern at BML! This internship was my very first research experience and it taught me so much even though I never set foot in a lab once. My mentor Hannah Palmer, was amazing-she helped me design an experiment I could carry out from my own home and offered me different opportunities along every step of the way to practice a new skill or meet another scientist. The experiment Hannah and I created involved measuring the shells of two species of foraminifera, Bolivina spissa, and Quinqueloculina to see how their sizes changed in the Tanner Basin off the coast of Southern California over the past 5,000 years and how those changes might be related to climate and oceanographic change. I started off by learning about how ocean environments are changing due human activity and pollution and about how foraminifera record their environment by building their shells differently based on the habitat they are in. I chose to focus on forams because I had learned about them a little in school and I was curious to learn more when I found out that they are able to teach us about how our choices as a species are impacting their world at the bottom of the ocean. Then I got to begin with data collection using ImageJ and interpretation through graphs that I made using R. In the end, I learned that B. spissa changed much more over time than Quinqueloculina, and that forams from the open ocean are much smaller than those from the coast. Over the course of the process, Hannah encouraged me to apply to present my project at the SACNAS diversity in STEM conference and helped me draft an abstract to submit as part of the application. She and the other internship coordinator, Ashley Smart, also arranged a weekly meeting for all the interns where we got to meet researchers and PhD candidates who shared their work and their stories with us. Many of these were particularly inspiring to me because they also came from community college backgrounds and showed so much passion for the animals and ecosystems they studied. I am extremely honored and grateful to have been a part of this internship. Marine biology was always interesting to me, but my experience at BML helped spark that interest into an ambition and curiosity to learn more and do more in the world of research and marine life. Thank you for expanding my view of the world and the possibilities for my future. Sonali Langlois is third year Biology Major at Santa Rosa Junior College. She was an intern in the 2020 SRJC-BML Summer Internship Program working with Hannah Palmer. By Kelsi Hope Kelp forests are integral to marine ecosystems along our coast because they provide habitat and food for numerous species. The Pacific Purple Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, will mow down the kelp forests if their populations are not controlled. In northern California, the sunflower sea star, Pycnopodia helianthoides, is a major predator of urchins. The sunflower sea star plays an essential role in maintaining the harmonious balance between the kelp forests and the urchins who walk among them. Sea star populations rapidly declined due to sea star wasting disease, which is now recognized as one of the largest die-offs of wild marine species. I recall noticing the effects of the disease during childhood when I would tag along with my dad to go crabbing. We would reel in crab pots to find sea stars that appeared to be dissolving before our eyes. As a child, I was dumbfounded by these melting sea stars. It wasn’t until my biology classes in college that I learned what was actually happening to them. As sea stars have continued disappearing, urchins have had more freedom to dominate large areas of the ocean floor. Hungry urchins have extensively reduced the kelp forests along the California coast. What remains after the decimation of a kelp forest is a barren wasteland, which cannot support the rich marine life who once lived there. Over the summer, I had the pleasure of working with Kristen Elsmore, a PhD candidate at UC Davis and a first-time mentor with the Santa Rosa Junior College-Bodega Marine Lab Internship Program. The aim of our research was to gain insights regarding developmental differences between purple urchins in areas where kelp was abundant vs. areas where kelp was scarce (a.k.a. “urchin barrens”). To do so we measured the jaws of the urchins and compared them based on their origin, kelp forest or urchin barren. The comparisons were made to determine if urchins, like many other organisms, allocate their nutrients in a particular manner to maximize their fitness as environmental conditions shift. If we had observed that the urchins had larger jaws in areas where food was scarce and smaller jaws in areas where food was abundant, it would suggest that an adaptive response had been stimulated by the limited food availability. Organisms usually follow a developmental pattern that is shaped by their environment. With that in mind, urchins would presumably respond to food scarcity by allocating nutrients to their jaw development to increase their ability to collect food. I went into this project thinking that we would find evidence for a plastic response, a shift in resource allocation, in the purple urchins. I was humbled when I analyzed the data and found that there was incredibly high similarity between urchins from kelp forests and those from urchin barrens. Based upon the analysis, we would infer that the relationship between urchins sizes, tooth lengths and tooth weights is the same across all habitat types. There were little to no differences between the sizes of urchins in kelp forests and those in barrens. Although this isn’t the most exciting news to report, it is valuable information for those who will study urchin development in the future. The results didn’t turn out as we had expected, but that’s SCIENCE! The 2020 BML summer internship experience was vastly different from the previous years due to the occurrence of COVID-19, which meant we were required to do everything virtually. Field work was eliminated completely. We were tasked with navigating a new style of research that relies on computer skills, which might become increasingly common in the future. Instead of taking measurements by hand, I learned how to use image processing programs that allowed me to take measurements virtually. I also got familiar with using a coding language to create meaningful graphs and diagrams from our data. Had this internship not been virtual, I might not have shifted my focus towards these technical skills. I tend to gravitate towards a more hands-on style of work, but I'm grateful that the circumstances guided me to pursue a new set of skills. Although we weren’t able to meet in person, there was a profound show of support from the Bodega Marine Lab coordinators and mentors. They managed to create a unified atmosphere despite our separation. I was pleasantly surprised by their ability to balance professionalism and altruism. Thank you to all of the esteemed individuals who made this experience possible. I would like to give a special thanks to my mentor, Kristen Elsmore, for showing nothing but patience and support as I navigated my way through this virtual internship. Kelsi Hope plans to transfer to UC Santa Barbara in 2021 to pursue a degree in marine biology. Over the summer, she worked with Kristen Elsmore, a PhD candidate from the Gaylord Lab at BML. By Lena Ballard Like many, I spent this summer trying to define a “new normal”. In contrast to last summer--which included hands-on work with marine life, knee deep in tidepools--the SRJC internship instead introduced me to new methods to research marine science, virtually. We faced a unique set of challenges, like developing online communications and learning how to stay engaged with onscreen tasks and information, which required flexibility to evolve and quickly adapt. Failure became common, even welcomed, as I tried my hand at new skills and experiences. Although difficult, I am thankful for this experience, as it not only strengthened my ability to adapt to sudden change, but also to take things in stride and truly embrace the unknown.
Broadly, the aim of our team was to explore the impact of changing ocean carbonate chemistry on calcification responses in marine organisms through an in depth analysis of published primary literature. Using a similar approach, individually I explored how changing seawater chemistry influences an organism's ability to produce and transport neurotransmitters within the body and how this relates to visualized behaviors. As I have a special interest in biochemistry, physiology, and behavioral studies, it was a treat to explore literature that intersected my group’s interests and my own. While working as a team with two grad students (Alisha Saley and Aaron Ninokawa) and two other interns (Inder and Katarina), I found a place to ask questions, consider further exploration of ideas, and propose explanations unique to my interests. This environment pushed me to grow as a scientist, especially in my ability to explore and ask questions. Additionally, having my input value as an equal contributor significantly reinforced my confidence in participating in collaboration. Originally, my goal with this internship revolved around the opportunity to interact with a scientific mentor. However, through this program I have gained a deeper appreciation for making connections and having scientific support. In addition to the nuanced work we did as a smaller team, I greatly benefitted from the larger intern cohort meeting experiences as well. Specifically, our professional development meetings were consistently well crafted, thoughtful, and meaningful--despite having to be held remotely. Gaining an understanding of states of ‘flow’ and how to utilize them, learning to embrace and redefine failure, and knowing how to get ‘unstuck’ are development skills that will resonate with me moving forward as a scientist. In addition I was able to work on developing networking and communication skills, and learn about transferring to university and the process of entering into a graduate program. It is this, in combination with the hands-on research experience as a collaborator, that makes the SRJC internship program professionally inclusive. I found my people! The BML internship experience is one that will stay with me for a lifetime. These people have supported me, valued my contributions and encouraged me to pursue my goals. I have been provided with a foundation for success and given the tools to tackle challenges as they come. I am endlessly thankful for the opportunity I had to work with, learn from, and get to know the phenomenal humans at the Bodega Marine Lab. Lena Ballard is a biochemistry undergraduate at SRJC. This is her second year participating in the SRJC-BML internship program. She was mentored by PhD students Alisha Saley and Aaron Ninokawa of the Gaylord lab. By Katarina Rivinius For most of my high school and early college experience, marine biology was something that greatly sparked my interest. I went into college pursuing a major in marine biology. However, overtime I found a passion for chemistry and molecular biology, which later drove me to change my major to cell and molecular biology. Though I made this change, my admiration for marine science remains. In this internship, I got to channel my passion for molecular biology and channel it towards thinking about ocean acidification and its effects on energy allocation in the cells of calcifying organisms.
Working alongside my lab mentors, Aaron Ninokawa and Alisha Saley, and two other interns, Lena and Inder, we collaborated on remote research (reading scientific papers, data extraction, etc.) on ocean acidification (OA) and seawater freshening, and how this has shifted the ocean’s carbonate system, and in turn physiologically affected calcifying organisms such as mussels, oysters, and snails. Back in February, I was working with Aaron Ninowaka and Kristen Elsmore at the Bodega Marine Lab, assisting them with some of their lab experiments and side projects. Other than that, I had never done any kind of official internship work before. This internship has granted me new skills and has turned my weaknesses into strengths. I learned how to perform data extraction for meta-analysis, I am a stronger scientific thinker and reader, and I feel more confident in my early position as a scientist. I can thank that to the research itself, as well as the weekly professional development meetings in which we were offered advice on navigating the journey through the scientific world. This internship was different than it would have been if we weren’t experiencing these crazy coronavirus times. I am forever grateful to the graduate students and workers of the Bodega Marine Lab who worked hard to make the program proceed. Katarina Rivinius took part in the 2020 SRJC-BML summer internship. She is a student at the SRJC and has plans for transfer in Fall 2022, pursuing a major in Cell and Molecular biology. In the long term, she hopes to go to graduate school and pursue a career in academia. By Inder Bhangoo
Climate change is a pressing issue that is and will continue to affect all life on earth. Throughout these past 10 weeks, I have had the rare opportunity to study the effects of ocean acidification on the calcification of different marine animals, specifically in environments that these animals will naturally face within the next century. Before this internship, I did not have much knowledge regarding this topic, but after working with my peers and mentors, I realized the importance of this work and have found this to be both an eye opening as well as an enriching experience. Due to the unfortunate events we have been facing, the internship was structured differently this year, making this a unique process for everyone. As opposed to a traditional lab setting, my mentors (Aaron Ninokawa and Alisha Saley), my peers, and I focused on analyzing similar research previously conducted by others under the lens of our topic. We extracted data from a multitude of papers and compiled that data, which allowed us to see patterns and gain a deeper understanding about how ocean acidification affects calcification. We were also given the chance to pursue individual projects related to our central topic. I chose to study how ocean acidification specifically affects the proteins that are responsible for calcification. I independently sought out papers that would be beneficial, and used them to learn more about the biochemistry associated with calcification. I discovered that pH and temperature are the driving factors that down regulate these proteins. This research is important, we must be able to predict the future conditions of our oceans and use that information to protect the animals that call it home. Being able to take part in this internship was truly an amazing experience. I learned so much about the process of research and the incredible work that is being done at the Bodega Marine Lab. I am thankful to everyone who has helped me through these past few months; the skills and connections I have made have greatly assisted me in building my career as a future scientist. Inder Bhangoo is a recent SRJC graduate who will be transferring to UC Davis in the fall. He worked with Aaron Ninokawa and Alisha Saley as a part of the Gaylord lab at Bodega Marine lab. By Heran Arefaine With the unfortunate pandemic of COVID-19 still taking place around the world, it was very difficult to secure an internship and when I was informed of my acceptance to the SRJC-BML internship program, I did not hesitate to immediately confirm my position. This summer I had the pleasure of working and exploring alongside my mentor, Ph.D. Candidate Carina Fish, who is very passionate about the deep ocean and uncovering its past environmental conditions with the help of deep-sea corals.
The first step to uncovering past ocean conditions from corals is to quantitatively determine their age. Carina’s suite of deep sea corals were all retrieved from Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and classified within the bamboo coral family. Bamboo corals have been around since the Late Cretaceous epoch and they each can record up to 400 years of ocean history. Bamboo corals get their name because their segmented skeleton is similar in appearance to bamboo plants. Similar to tree rings, the radial growth of the calcite part of bamboo coral skeletons (composed of calcium carbonate, CaCO3) alternates light and dark bands. The banding is thought to be the result of seasonal changes in growth rate. Previously, Carina and her colleagues determined the approximate age of the bamboo coral samples using the organic node portion of the coral skeleton with methods such as bomb-spike radiocarbon chronology and layer counting. This summer, I sought to calculate the age of the bamboo corals using the calcite internode part of the skeleton with software programs Fiji/ImageJ and R to quantitatively identify and count the light and dark band pairs. My work showed that the number of light/dark couplets of a coral is much higher than what the organic node chronologies would suggest. This outcome could have several explanations such as the variability of seasonal growth being higher than previously thought (i.e. not two seasons of fast/slow growth, but event-scale growth with each pulse of food/marine snow) or the possibly inaccurate measurements by the software programs used. Although the age number determined using different methods (utilizing two different parts of the skeleton) did not agree, it was nonetheless very fascinating to apply a novel methodology to determine the age of bamboo corals. Some of my favorite highlights of this internship include working with R. I had never learned how to code before but my mentor did a great job breaking down the steps and with her help, I was able to write scripts for this independent project, and this experience has inspired me to continue improving my skills with coding. Another memorable learning experience was attending the weekly professional development meetings organized by the SRJC-BML internship co-directors. From these meetings, I was able to improve my science communications, get insights into different careers in science from a very diverse group of guest speakers, and got advice and guidance on college experiences from past transfer students. Overall, I am very grateful for the opportunity to intern during these difficult times. Although this internship was limited to being remote, I was still able to gain different types of skills with the help of my mentor and other staff. I was able to improve my research, observational, and communication skills. During my time in the internship, I was able to get a peek at the research that takes place in paleoceanography, such as how samples are collected and processed, how to obtain valuable data, and interpret it all through Carina’s study. And these new skills that I have gained throughout this internship will help me with any future opportunities I come across, which I credit and express deep gratitude to my mentor and all of SRJC-BML staff. Heran Arefaine was an intern in the 2020 SRJC-BML Summer Internship Program. She worked with her mentor, Carina Fish. Heran just finished her third year at Santa Rosa Junior College and will be transferring to UC Davis. |
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