Week One: (June 21 - June 25, 2010) Diving Into Research

Hello, my name is Deirdre, one of the ASE interns at CMOP this summer.  I’m working with Dr. Lydie Herfort, my frontline mentor, and her supervisor, Dr. Peter Zuber, studying genetic diversity of the marine ciliate Myrionecta rubra.

6/21/10: My first day was mainly spent with Karen Wegner, Director of K-12 Education at CMOP, for orientation and safety training.  During this time, I also met with Dr. Herfort to discuss the research for this summer, got my laboratory books, office space, and laboratory space.  I had lunch with the other interns and we talked about where we go to school and our hobbies.

6/22/10: I watched Vikki, Dr. Herfort’s lab assistant, collect M. rubra cells from a petri dish to extract DNA.  Dr. Herfort taught me how to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) work to take a section of DNA and create more of it by using a DNA polymerase to replicate the DNA.  It was very exciting to learn, and with more practice I should be able to do it without looking at the protocol book.

6/23/10: We had to re-do the PCR and gel electrophoresis (gel), which separates DNA sizes, from the previous day because the wrong primer (a chemical that readies the solution for PCR) was used due to a change in protocol.  However, a new problem arose - the gel showed a positive detection on the control.  We ran the gel again and got another positive detection, indicating a cross-contamination. 

6/24/10: Today was spent driving to Astoria and Ilwaco Bay (in Washington) with Peter Kahn (a Ph.D. Candidate), Matt (Peter’s intern), and Sheedra (Dr. Herfort’s undergraduate intern) to collect water samples.  We went to Hammond Bay, Chinook Bay, Ilwaco Bay, and a pier near the Rogue Restaurant.  The water samples were collected by filling acid-rinsed 2-L jugs with site water, and sub-sampled 50 mL of site water into Falcon tubes to preserve organisms that may be present by using Lugol’s iodine.  We got back to CMOP around 4:40.

6/25/10: Sheedra, Matt, and I spent the day purifying and filtering the water samples we collected yesterday.  Purifying and filtering samples took a long time - about four hours for six 2-L samples.  Sheedra, Matt, and I attended an hour long “brown bag” lunch seminar presented by Ms. Elizabeth Furse, who talked with some of the interns about natural resource management and it’s relation to Indian tribes and the federal government.  The seminar was very informative and I look forward to attending others.

I’ll post another update at the end of next week.

~ Deirdre