Current Research Blogs
Rachels' Blog
Rachel Ager, undergraduate student
1 September 2026
Hi everyone
Happy September! I kind of can’t believe fall quarter is starting this month, August went by quickly.
Summer observations are wrapping up, and I wanted to shout out the volunteers that have worked with unusual summer schedules to keep up data collection. I am looking forward to getting started with observations this fall, especially with the incoming arrival of the salmon! I had a good time last year observing the seals hunt and eat. It will be interesting to help organize this busier season in the lab, but we should have some exciting observations.
My internship at Parks and Wildlife is getting closer to ending, but it has been an awesome experience. Last month, I got to help with a creek reclamation project, working to restore a section of water for native cutthroat trout in Colorado. I was able to feed some of these trout at our local fish hatchery, which will later get stocked in streams like the one I helped work on. It was cool to be able to interact with multiple steps of this process, and everyone is optimistic that this year's project will succeed! They will later use eDNA to determine what species of fish are present in the stream, and whether the native trout were able to establish and maintain a population following the reclamation.
I am going to be driving up to Washington this year, and leaving Colorado soon! It will be good to be back in Bellingham, and I am looking forward to returning to campus and Whatcom Creek.
Best
Rachel
Tallis' Blog
Tallis Kent, undergraduate student
1 September 2026
The summer is beginning to come to an end as we wrap up week 10 of summer log pond observations! I am still out of town, but the log pond observers are doing great. I have begun inputting the field data into our long-term data sheet. I don't have much to report other than that I have been organizing data and answering emails, but I am excited to come back in the fall and get more observations going! Until next time!
Tallis
Dawson's Blog
Dawson Little, graduate student
1 September 2026
Hi y'all,
August has been a challenging month for the project, with an unexpected setback on the molecular side of the research. After spending much of the summer awaiting metabarcoding results, we learned that the new methodology being used to process our samples has not performed as anticipated. Considerable time and effort went into developing and troubleshooting this approach, so reaching this point without the results we had hoped for has understandably been discouraging.
At this stage, it remains uncertain whether the metabarcoding work under the current approach can be completed successfully. We are now reassessing our options, including the possibility of returning to our original plan of using more traditional metabarcoding methods. Before determining the best path forward, we need to carefully consider the additional costs, anticipated timeline, and what is feasible given the continued delays to the project. I'll be discussing these options with my thesis committee in September as we determine how best to move forward.
In the meantime, I've continued making progress with the components of the project that are already complete. I've been working through some of the morphological hard-part data from the 2023 and 2024 samples and incorporating the completed molecular sex identification results from the 2025 samples. These datasets contain a substantial amount of information on their own, and continuing these analyses has allowed me to keep moving the project forward while the future of the molecular component is being determined.
August has also brought a significant adjustment outside of the research. I've been back home in Virginia with my family and helping care for my father. Having the opportunity to be home and spend this time with my family has been very meaningful, although balancing that transition with the recent challenges surrounding the thesis has certainly made for a stressful month.
One of the more difficult parts of research is accepting that a tremendous amount of time and effort does not always result in the data or outcome you originally envisioned. While the setbacks with the metabarcoding work have been frustrating, I'm trying to view them as part of the broader research experience. This project has given me valuable experience in molecular ecology, troubleshooting, project management, collaboration, and adapting research plans when methods do not work as expected. Regardless of what ultimately happens with the metabarcoding component, those lessons will remain an important part of what I've gained from this project.
September will hopefully bring greater clarity. I'll be meeting with my thesis committee to evaluate our remaining options for the molecular work and determine a realistic path toward completing the thesis. The final project may not be as comprehensive as I initially envisioned, but my priority is to produce a scientifically sound and cohesive thesis that makes the best use of the data we've collected and accurately reflects what we have learned throughout the project. After several years of work, I want to bring these different pieces together in a way that does the research justice, while also being thoughtful and realistic about what can still be accomplished.
For now, I'm continuing to work with the data I have while we determine the best path forward for the remaining molecular work. Although August did not bring the progress I had hoped to report, I'm looking forward to having a clearer direction in the coming weeks and continuing to move the project toward completion.
Best,
Dawson
Mallory's Blog
Mallory Stonier, undergraduate student
1 September 2026
Hi all,
I hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer and looking forward to the fall quarter beginning this month! I have been working hard with my internship and am now in the last two weeks. It has been a lot of fun, hard work, and learning, and while it is bittersweet to finish, I will be back to continue volunteering and practicing my animal husbandry skills. I have even been able to practice subcutaneous injections, which I can honestly say I never thought I would be able to do at this point in my life. I am immensely proud of what I have learned and improved in my time here in Bellingham, especially spending most of that time learning not just scientific skills but social skills and self-discipline from MMEL. I am excited to tackle another year this fall and see what is in store. In the meantime, I wrapped up my WEH lab work for the summer and near future, which was also a hard goodbye. I have learned a lot from Vic and Erin and am grateful for all the time spent in the lab. We even went out to see the bioluminescence with the summer lab team, which was as beautiful and amazing to see as last year. Summer observations have been operating smoothly and are wrapping up in the next couple of weeks. I have even been lucky enough to go out on a few Log Pond observations. There is something special about the view of Bellingham Bay at Log Pond, so I am glad to be out there. I am also wrapping up this spring's Smolt Project data entry and preparing for classes to start this month so while I have been busy, there is little to report.
This month, I cannot wait to get back to classes and see everyone from the lab. I hope to learn about what they have been up to this summer and prepare for the salmon run at Whatcom Creek in the coming months. Before classes begin, I will be visiting family and taking another trip to the North Cascades to take a breather before things start moving fast again.
Seal you next month,
Mallory