MARCH 2024
Jasper's Blog
Jasper McCutcheon, undergraduate student
1 March 2024
Hi everyone,
What a whirlwind of a quarter it has been so far! Somehow, the days have been feeling like weeks and the weeks are feeling like days. It’s been very discombobulating, but none-the-less I’ve managed to survive (and I hope all you readers have too). While it has been an overall funky-feeling quarter, especially with my June graduation fast approaching, it has still been productive. In my animal behavior course, I am learning some very interesting concepts that are helping me explain behaviors that I observe while out in nature. My other class, cell and molecular biology, despite not being my normal jam has been teaching me about how dang complex cellular life is!
Research has also been progressing nicely. I’d like to give a quick shoutout to Kyra Bankhead for all the help and advice she has been giving me along the way. Through meetings with her and lots of googling, the ball that is data analysis has started rolling. I am currently working on coding and getting current velocity data to use as one of my predictor variables of seal behavior. While I have a long way to go, I hope I can keep this momentum and start getting some results soon.
Stay tuned and until next time,
Jasper
Maren's Blog
Maren Duffy, undergraduate student
1 March 2024
Hello!
The independent project in which Haley and I are working has been steadily coming along! We have been working on a lot of reading on harbor seal ecology, salmon runs, as well as various haul-out and behavioral research papers. We recently met with Alex to learn a bit about GIS, as we will need to be familiar with the program for the mapping aspect of the study. It is definitely daunting but having Alex show us around was a great chance to get familiar with the whole concept of the program. We have finished our outline for the project in collaboration with Alejandro, which has been sent out to our other professor collaborators, and also recently received sex and diet data from Dietmar to start applying the data to our ideas. Alongside the data, we are planning to put together a proposal poster to show to our lab peers, which will be nice to have a physical representation of our progress. While we are certainly still in the beginning stages, the information and plan is building up to be very exciting!
longside the haul-out project, we have been shifting gears in the WDFG harbor seal diet study project as we have finished homogenizing all the species. We now have the task of preparing all our subsamples of each species for the future extractions with Erin D’Agnese. She will be coming up to train us on extractions soon, but before that we have to get our subsamples going. Alex has helped us out in training us how to properly put together the subsamples, and it is exciting to continue getting new lab experience
Until next month,
Maya Mijares
Jack's Blog
Jack Mezzone, undergraduate student
1 March 2024
Hello again!
It’s nearly the end of the quarter already, how’d that happen so quick? My schedule has been full with duties in the lab, homework and exams, as well as some volunteering. Harbor seal activity at Whatcom Creek has been low this quarter with relatively few sightings compared to Fall which was expected. Due to less observation availability than prior quarters, folks have been focusing more on photo cropping and ID for lab hours which has been great for moving through prior years photos to become more up to date.
The application date for new lab members was February 29th and we had a huge influx of applications in the final couple of days. Myself and the other managers/grad students have been working through interview criteria and any updates/improvements we want over prior years. This has been a great process and will be even more so when we get to the actual interviews. We will be looking over applications, rating applications, and determining who to interview as of Monday 3/4. We’re super excited to meet and welcome some enthusiastic undergraduate research assistants for Spring and on!
Regarding the Smolt project, due to us having a few months until May when observations will start, aspects of the project that can be worked on have been or are in the process of being ironed out. Site permission and developing improved training strategies have been a couple of these items. More literature review has been occurring and will continue for the foreseeable future. Much more information to come as we get closer to starting data collection in May!
Until next time,
Jack
Haley's Blog
Haley Recob, undergraduate student
1 March 2024
Hello again!
It feels like the Winter Quarter has come and gone in a flash. I can’t believe finals are already around the corner! I’ve been working hard nonstop to keep up in classes and lab work. In my free time, I’ve been trying to get through some of the photo ID folders. I am hoping the new lab Whatcom Creek assistants will be interested in photo ID too! I’ve also been attempting to apply to some summer internships, including the SURP research position. I’m keeping my fingers crossed as I would love to continue researching with the lab over the summer.
Regarding our research project, Maren and I have been working hard and collaborating weekly to brainstorm new ideas. Our outline got approved and we now have some concrete predictions to work off of. A big part of our project involves looking at the location and surrounding area of harbor seal haul-out sites. For example, we’re thinking about mapping out the salmon runs near each haul-out site. To dive deeper into this, Maren and I have been trying to figure out ArcGIS which has proven to be more complicated than not. We are hoping to register for the Intro to GIS class offered by WWU Spring Quarter for more guidance. Maren and I also recently got some raw data from haul-out site scat samples collected from the sites in pervious years. This has a ton of information on harbor seal sex ratios, diets, and haul-out locations. Within the coming weeks, we are going to organize all the data and isolate the factors that will be beneficial towards our project.
I am looking forward to next month and the start of a new quarter! Maren and I are planning to make a poster for our project soon and get feedback from others in the lab. I am super hyped to hear what everyone thinks.
But until then,
Haley
Maya's Blog
Maya Mijares, undergraduate student
1 March 2024
Hello everybody!
February has absolutely flown by! I feel like the quarter just started, but we’re somehow on week 8 already. The month started off very fun, with my 22nd birthday on the fifth. The quarter took off after that and has been a whirlwind of observations, classes, lots of lab work, and recently, sorting through applications for new research assistants for spring quarter.
The Whatcom Creek project has been quiet again this month, with very little seal activity. However, I have gotten to train several new photo croppers and a few people for photo ID, so we are getting lots of photo work done this quarter. Thank you to all the research assistants who have taken the initiative to get trained, you all are the best!
Speaking of awesome research assistants, we are currently in the middle of the hiring process for new undergraduate research assistants. Jack and I put out an application to the biology, marine and coastal science, and environment science programs a few weeks ago, and we have received a ton of applications. We are holding interviews during dead week, and will have a group of new research assistants for Whatcom Creek before the start of next quarter!
For the mtDNA project, our PCR to test the two different primers went very well! Both primers provided adequate sequencing data, but we decided to use Victoria’s newer primers as they had slightly longer DNA fragments, as well as cleaner bands during the gel electrophoresis run. We also ran a full PCR plate (96 samples!) and one large gel (32 samples) last weekend. Unfortunately, some of our PCR product evaporated, and we did not have all of the reagents to accurately run the gel, but it was good practice! I had never used a multichannel pipette before, and using it to transfer the PCR product to the gel can be a little tricky, but Isabel and I both did really well! We are planning to have all of our samples sent off for sequencing by spring break so that we will have all of the data at the beginning of next quarter.
And that’s a wrap for February! I’m looking forward to writing about how our PCR and sequencing go in my next blog, as well as having some new research assistants in the lab!
Maya Mijares
Isabel's Blog
Isabel Shier, undergraduate student
1 March 2024
Hi all!
Things have been going well! Maya, Alex, and I have been diving into a lot of lab work this month, which has been very busy but very cool! We did our test run for the PCR, and the gel came back looking great!
I was so proud of how it turned out! Especially since the first couple of gels I ran for my lab class didn’t come back looking too hot, it was really encouraging that this gel came back so nice! We got bright, neat bands, and almost all the results we expected (there was only one well that didn’t amplify as expected, but that was actually a good thing, because it helped us make a decision about which primers to use going forward!)
Alex also taught us some awesome tips and tricks for pipetting into an agarose gel (which has no right to be as difficult as it is). That was really rewarding, because it was something I was having difficulty with, but now, with Alex’s tips, I feel really confident at! (It’s also just weirdly pleasing to pipette into an agarose gel and have a perfect neat little square filled with colorful liquid, it makes my perfectionist brain go “brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”)
We then sent off our test round of PCR products for Sanger Sequencing and got the results back really quick! With help from professor Dietmar Schwarz we determined that our preliminary results are looking good! Now that data analysis is in the near future we’ve started having regular meetings with Dietmar, who’s going to help us with the process going forward.
Overall, a very lab heavy month!
Till next time,
Isabel
Olivia's Blog
Olivia Balaban, undergraduate student
1 March 2024
Hello everybody,
So far, I’ve had a busy February. I have really enjoyed trying to solve problems as they come up. A while ago Dr. Schwarz gave me an excel sheet with example calculations to help walk me through the steps I needed to perform in R. Originally, I thought I was going to have to write lots of repetitive code, but I was able to find ways to do it with only a line or two. I am currently stuck on the math step. I need to find a way to divide certain numbers, that I had R calculate, by numbers from the data I was given. I have all the numbers I need in lists or in CSV files. I need to figure out how to perform these calculations by calling these numbers only if they have a matching category. For example, I need to divide the juvenile biomass of Herring by the total biomass of Herring to find the proportion. I have these values on different lists. I need to be able to tell R to divide x (in juveniles) by y (in totals) if x and y are both equal to Herring. Once that is done all I have to do is expand certain categories to match the thesis, double check the numbers, and that should be all the code I need. I am looking forward to working through these last few steps.
Thank you all for reading!
Olivia
Alexandra's Blog
Alexandrea Otto, graduate student
1 March 2024
Hi,
Nothing could have prepared me for what the last month has been like. I feel as if today’s the first day for a few weeks now that I have been able to lift up my head for air! This past month has been one of the most productive yet busy times in thesis/graduate student world. All this to say though, being busy as a graduate student is one of the most fulfilling times as well!
We just got back last night from traveling to the 2nd Annual EPMOHC (Eastern Pacific Marine One Health Coalition) Workshop by the Columbia River near Stevenson, WA and the Oregon border! This may sound quite cheesy but words cannot describe the impact this workshop made on my motivation and perception into the marine wildlife field as a career. I have never witnessed and actively been part of such a gathering of scientists from all walks/paths of interdisciplinary sciences that moved me as the EPMOHC Workshop did. I met scientists that I have read papers from for years now and have “fan-girled” over to new scientists that found similar interest in the work I’m contributing to as part of my thesis project and shared conversations about exciting new ideas! On a personal note as well, I met with mentors from different times of my career as a researcher, student, and scientist also. Not only was it amazing to spend time with collaborators from WDFW and listen/learn from their field stories and defining moments in their careers, but I was able to reconnect with older mentors even from my undergraduate days in Nebraska. My old REU advisor was in virtual attendance and a One Health researcher that I meant with my freshmen/sophomore year of undergraduate to ask advice on which major best would set me up for a career in marine biology was in-person attendance. After meeting with this One Health researcher in particular, I changed my major from Animal Science to Fisheries and Wildlife, which was a defining and turning point in my life. In many ways, this workshop had many “full-circle” moments and “new beginnings/future opportunity” moments. I also was part of the working group for animal populations and movement in which I got to work with and collaborate with many respected researchers in the field across the West Coast from elephant seal researchers in California, to Navy researchers, to NOAA and National Marine Mammal Foundation researchers, to stranding coordinators, to vets across fields and disciplines, to disease researchers from UCLA, and even amazing student researchers from across states! In the midst of all these incredible moments and exciting opportunities, the work we accomplished and brainstormed from this EPMOHC Workshop was rooted in aspiring urgency and motivation to work together in a unifying passion for the health of our marine ecosystem. There was a feeling in the air the last day of the workshop that was felt among us all in optimistic hope for the work that can be done together now for the benefit of our West Coast. I’m excited to continue working on some of the goals my animal movement working group identified and continue being an active member and force within EPMOHC!
The oral presentation talks that Victoria and I gave also went well! For one of the first times, I felt calm and was able to be fully present in the moment and excitement of presenting my research without my nerves/stage-freight overtaking the moment. The coffee break after presenting was a moment filled with exciting conversations with researchers about the possibilities molecular ecology and work from my project can provide in terms of new avenues to explore!
I look forward to finishing my project this year and this workshop alone re-instilled the confidence in myself to search for summer funding in order to accomplish these goals. Before the conference, I received news of a grant we had hoped would secure my summer work was not received. This is very much a normal thing in the science field and while can be a setback, it can also serve as a even bigger external motivation. Now I’ve got to go! I have to do more lab work with Isabel and Maya, teaching responsibilities as a Super TA this quarter, my own project items, workshop follow up emails, my class presentation preparation, and reviewing applicants for the MMEL! Many things still to finish before the end of this month and quarter!
Till next month,
Alexandrea
Alexandrea presenting at the 2nd Annual Eastern Pacific Marine One Health Coalition Workshop on February 29th, 2024. Photo by V. Vinecke.
Victoria's Blog
Victoria Vinecke, graduate student
1 March 2024
Happy March everyone! Do you know what that means? It is the month we celebrate International Day of the Seal! Mark your calendars for March 22nd to ensure that you do something seal related! I will be watching my favorite seal documentary “Playground of the Seals”!
The month of February was extremely busy with the start of extractions, sending off samples to be sequenced, sequencing analysis, and attending the Eastern Pacific Marine One Health Coalition workshop!
As stated above I have begun processing samples collected this year starting with a three-day extraction process! Once all samples have been extracted, I will be able to start running qPCR’s to send off for sequencing! Last month I sent my first field season samples off to be sequenced for harbor seal DNA and sex markers! I am currently still processing the sex sequencing results, but I have completed the analysis of the harbor seal mitochondrial DNA. I am extremely happy to report all nine samples provided positive sequencing results for containing harbor seal mitochondrial DNA!
A lot of time was spent this month preparing for the Eastern Pacific Marine One Health Coalition workshop (EPMOHC) and I know the efforts paid off. On the second day of the workshop, I had the opportunity to give a 12-minute talk on my research findings. The audience seemed to be extremely engaged with the talk and during the coffee break afterward I was able to chat with various professionals who wanted to know more! EPMOHC provided a very welcoming atmosphere which made networking come naturally. Many fond wildlife stories were shared over meals and drinks with multiple researchers. I had the pleasure to meet and collaborate with multiple professionals. The workshop had times when attendees broke out into working groups to identify knowledge gaps and deliverables. I was a part of the “conflicts between marine predators and fisheries” working group which had eye-opening conversations regarding knowledge gaps within the food web and the lack of literature on best marine predator management practices. My group identified if we wanted to know more about complex food-webs we needed to reach out to other professionals with various backgrounds. I am excited to continue collaborating with my working group to provide a survey to various scientists to gather needed information to bridge knowledge gaps of the food web!
The EPMOHC workshop provided space to create friends and grow working relationships into friendships. I will remember this workshop and the memories made for a lifetime. Thank you Erin D’Agnese for sending along this opportunity and all the mentorship while at the conference!
Those are all the updates I have so far!
Until next time,
Victoria