JANUARY 2024
Jasper's Blog
Jasper McCutcheon, undergraduate student
1 January 2024
Happy Holidays!
I hope everyone is having a restful break. I went home to Ellensburg, Washington to celebrate Christmas with my family. It was nice to be back in my hometown and to see my old friends for the first time in a while.
Before I went home, I finished up my last Fall quarter as a WWU student. With only two quarters left till graduation, my excitement (and fear) is building exponentially. I am looking forward to beginning the next chapter in my story, but all the unknowns are a bit terrifying.
Before I graduate, I have a lot of work to do for my independent research project. At the end of Fall quarter, I added seal behavior to the list of data to be collected during observations. This will allow me to answer more specific behavior related questions, which I am excited about. It also means I need to design a new data sheet for the information from observations to be entered. This is on my to-do list to have done before Winter quarter begins.
Also on my list, is looking into data analysis more. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I need to start analyzing the data we have so far collected. Before I can begin that in earnest, I first must understand how to actually do it. This means I need to read up on the modeling techniques I am planning to use. I hope to do this over break to give myself a jump start into winter quarter. Ideally, by my next blog I will better understand these modeling techniques.
Until then,
Jasper
Isabel's Blog
Isabel Shier, undergraduate student
1 January 2024
Hi everyone!
So fall quarter is officially over! The first half of December was mainly finals and wrapping up classes, and the second half has been winter break, so sorry if this post is a bit short!
In very good news Maya and I got the second grant we applied for! Seeing as we have both grants, we’ll be able to sequence all of the samples. We’re going to be starting on lab work for our project once winter quarter starts up.
I’m stoked to be getting started on the lab work side of this project! I’ve had a relaxing winter break, which was much needed, and I’m excited to get going on the project again with renewed energy!
Well, that's it for now,
More to com soon!
Isabel
Maya's Blog
Maya Mijares, undergraduate student
1 January 2024
Hi folks!
First of all, I hope everyone had a fun and restful holiday break! I spent the past few weeks in Colorado visiting my family, where I hiked with my dogs, spent lots of quality time with my parents and little sister (including helping her decide on which colleges to apply to!), and finally had some time to catch up on some reading!
With the new year fast approaching, I have taken some time to reflect on the things that I have been grateful for in the past year. The thing that stands out the most is how thankful I am to be a part of this lab. Not only am I extremely grateful for the different projects that I have gotten to be a part of, but the relationships I have built with undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors alike are something that I greatly appreciate. I am looking forward to more collaboration and learning experiences in the year to come!
Since December brought the end of the salmon run at the creek, and I have been in Colorado for half of December, there isn’t much to report on the Whatcom Creek front except for a change in management. I am sad to see my fellow manager, Kameran, go but I know that she has big things in store for her after graduation! Additionally, I am very excited to begin working with Jack Mezzone (my new co-manager) and a few new observation leads for the remainder of this school year.
Since the Whatcom Creek project was winding down towards the end of the quarter, I had some extra time to spend on the mtDNA project. Isabel and I began working with Alex to input the locations of all the samples we have access to and made a preliminary map of the samples with known locations. Through this, we learned that we have a decent spread of samples throughout the coast that includes both pups and adults. Additionally, I got to help Alex complete two rounds of DNA extractions on the samples for this project. HUGE thanks to Alex for taking the time to train me on the protocols for DNA extractions and letting me help out - it was a blast!
The mtDNA team also got some exciting news right before we all left for break: we were awarded $625 from the RSP grant! This means that we officially have enough funding to sequence ALL of our samples!
All in all, December was an exciting month filled with lots of school and lab work, and restful time with my family! I am looking forward to the start of winter quarter, and the new year!
Maya Mijares
Kameran's Blog
Kameran Rodriguez, undergraduate student
1 January 2024
Hi everyone!
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a happy holiday. I have officially graduated which was a surreal feeling. I'm torn between excited but also have an uneasy feeling about the future ahead. But on a happy note, I was able to see Vic, Alex and Bri come to my graduation ceremony and felt very loved by having them come and meet my family. My family knows how much I look up to be them in the future so they were just as excited to meet them.
I'm currently taking a well needed break but will be back to looking for job positions soon. As of now I'm not looking for anything long term as I hope to go to grad school here in the next year or two but would love to gain as much insight and experience as I can.
I'm still working on my independent project, and I feel really motivated to get that done especially now that I do not have my other studies on top of it and can really get lots of work done!
I'm going to miss working in the MMEL lab, but I plan on staying here in Bellingham and will be at the creek as often as I can to check out how the seals are doing. This lab has made my WWU experience the best and I met so many amazing people in the lab and I can't wait to hear about what they accomplish in the future.
Signing off,
Kameran
Alexandra's Blog
Alexandrea Otto, graduate student
1 January 2024
Happy 2024!
It’s the calm before the storm. The much-needed holiday break has been a great time of calm productivity to slowly prepare myself for what the next few months has in store. There comes a time in every second-year master's student’s life where the instinct to buckle down for the climb to graduation sets in, and I believe beginning to write your thesis is that key initiator!
Miraculously, I survived the Bio204 grading once again, and now I've been catching up on all the other thesis tasks at hand. In better news, congratulations to Isabel for being granted an undergraduate RSP award for the mtDNA project with Maya! Now, both Maya and Isabel have been funded through their own applications/grants, which means there's no limit to the number of samples they can sequence. We all ended dead and finals week again by getting in some more extraction rounds before the break. There's a certain bond created when we realize we're finishing extractions long after 5 pm on the Friday of finals week in the Biology building empty with the echoes of everyone having left for the holidays already!
I'll keep this month's post short in the season of rest! The holidays and graduation brought Victoria and me together with past MMEL undergraduates, Bri and Holland, and graduate students Kathleen and Zoë! It was heartwarming to see everyone and catch up on how great things have been for all of them post-graduation. They all help inspire the rest of us to get to the finish line! I cannot forget to congratulate all the MMEL undergraduates who graduated this quarter or are graduating soon after, including one of our Whatcom Creek leads, Emily L.! Emily's joyous, friendly presence in the lab will be missed by all. She is one stellar researcher who excites others with her overflowing enthusiasm for wildlife ecology. Enjoy the time abroad, Emily, and thank you for all your hard work in the lab!
Till next month,
Alexandrea
Victoria's Blog
Victoria Vinecke, graduate student
1 January 2024
Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe fall quarter is already finished! December was yet again a sprint to the finish line with wrapping up my field season, submitting grades, and sailing through lab work. With the “sealing” of the quarter I had the pleasure of watching the MMEL undergraduates walk in graduation and give them best wishes on their future endeavors. It is always hard to say goodbyes, but I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for our brilliant undergraduate researchers!
With winter break in full swing, I have had more time to focus on lab work which is paying off. I sent samples off to be sequenced and am currently in the process of analyzing the data! With the extra time, I also had the opportunity to travel back to Boise, Idaho, to spend time with family and loved ones. It is always a joyous time being surrounded by warmth and laughter during the holidays.
Speaking of warmth and laughter, Dr. Dietmar Schwarz hosted a Schwarz/Acevedo-Gutiérrez lab holiday get together where past graduate students and lab members attended. It was wonderful spending time with past students and bonding over funny research stories told by professors. The MMEL and Schwarz lab curate such a welcoming environment and I am quite thankful to be part of such an open and welcoming lab.
Lastly, I wanted to say thank you to Kameran for all the hard work she put into the MMEL lab and also my project. Throughout the summer and this quarter Kameran was my right-hand woman, and I will forever be grateful. To our research lead, Emily L. heading off to study abroad, I wish you luck in your future and will miss seeing you around the lab. You always brought such positive energy to the lab that will be missed! Thank you for all your help in the field Emily and good luck on your future research!
Until next time,
Victoria