Anna Gadbut
Day 7:
Overall I believe this was a significantly productive year, even more so than the previous year. We were able to overcome different financial battles and take things into our own hands this year. We were able to extract DNA from different microorganisms in order to create mutiple copies of them to be sent off to the labs. Today in class we took our extracted DNA and put different primers into the DNA to be heated and cooled multiple times in order to create these multiple copies. With this we are able to then perform gel electrophoresis. With the measured strands we are able to know if we can send these off to other biologists. I was able to learn a lot of new things this year about microorganisms and DNA extractions and copying which was very interesting. After this we traveled to our remaining trap at Ryan’s dock and unfortunately after multiple failed attempts to retrieve it it ended up sinking to the bottom of the water. Other groups were although able to collect their traps and with them we were able to perform more DNA extractions on new microorganism. I am going to miss this service learning group next year. Some of my favorite memories included the weekend trips to get scuba certified, going to Catalina Island and finally collecting the DNA. Although this group is ending next year, it will on in our minds.
Day 6:
Today in our service learning day we focused on research of the specimen that we have and extracting DNA. We also revisted our traps off the dock in the Newport Harbor. First we started the day by taking the baby shrimp we had and placing it into the bile. We added 180 microliters of buffer and after we then broke it up with the pestil. In order to do this we first added 90 microliters and then crushed it up and then added another 90 microliters of buffer in order to get any extra substance of the the pestil. We then added 20 microliters of protinase and then shook it up, with finally putting it in a styrophone holder to be placed in a hot water bath to sit for the next two hours. This is how you extract the DNA from the baby shrimp in order to be analyzed. After doing this we traveled to our docks to collect the traps that we had set. The trap was full of a lot of algae and did not smell too pleasant. We untied it from the dock and then we placed it in a home depot bucket to be transported back to school. We will use the data collected in the bucket to analyze more DNA. After heating in the hot bath we took the samples and put them through a vortex for 15 min. After this we added 200 microliters of buffer to the samples and 200 microleters of EtOH. After this we put them in the vortex for 15 seconds again to mix. After mixing we pipetted all of the samples into the spin column and spun it for 1 minute at 6000g. We then discarded the bottom pipet and placed two kinds of washers in the samples to clean and then added another buffer before spinning them again and then discarding the waste and then stored the remainging samples in the lab.
Day 5:
Today was very similar to how it has been the previous service learning days. It was slightly different although because we collected our own traps that we set last month from the docks and looked at real data and marine microorganisms. We had to start by bringing the materials to set new traps for next month to replace the traps we were removing. Because the new trap was built around a plastic bucket, we had to find weights and rope to hold it down in the water. We went to ACE hardware and got a weight to tie to the bottom of the bucket. We then retrieved one of our traps from the dock and left the other in the water. In the place where the old trap was, we placed in and tied the new trap to collect more data. Upon returning to school, we separated the microorganisms and found multiple different types of organisms. These include some shrimp and crab larvae, it was very interesting. I felt connected to my community because it was the first time we retrieved our own data and actually starting collected information about the harbor and what type of marine life we have. This service learning I don’t think I developed any new skills because all we were doing was collecting traps and placing new ones and looking at organisms. The one challenge we had today was tying the new trap to the dock and finding a weight to place on the new trap in order to hold it in the water. Overall, we are continuing to do the same procedures we planned on doing and were finally able to carry it out and accomplish it. By doing this, we are able to collect more data and finally start obtaining new information about our marine life.
Day 4:
Today was a very interesting day in service learning. It was the first day that we were able to set the traps! The day began by going to CVS and buying ornaments to use as weights and some rope and zip ties to attach each of the traps to the docks. After buying the materials needed, we went to Ryan's grandparents house to attach the traps onto the dock. We set each trap around 2 feet deep. For the first trap, we tied it around the cleat of the dock and let it hang off of a rope by 2 feet. For the second trap, we tied it as a zip tie around one of the poles of the dock. (This did require some swimming on a freezing cold day...brrrrr). I am extremely happy our service learning group was able to set some traps today so that at the next service learning day we can collect and observe the type of sea life in the water. Overall I enjoyed the feeling of being completed with the project, but swimming in the freezing cold water was not a highlight of my day. It was most definitely a challenge that we were finally able to overcome. With the lack of communication that has been persistent between Crystal Cove and our group it felt empowering to take matters into our own hands and place the traps with our own resources. From this experience I learned that sometimes you just gotta take one for the team. Many people were more than willing to leave the school and help create traps. Few (as in only me) were willing to actually jump in for around 30 minutes and set the traps. I think the communication and collaboration among my peers is outstanding and could not get any better!
Day 3:
Today in our service learning group we spent time coming up with a detailed and organized plan for how we are going to go about putting the traps and what days we will go to Crystal Cove to set the traps. After creating this plan we continued to build our traps that we will be placing into the water. There are three types of traps that we made. There is the trap model that was given to us by the state park, the model that a peer created, and a new model that Dr. Haney showed to us. This new version would go on to the dock of a marina so that they would be easier to find. After continuing the creation of the traps, Dr. Haney taught us about what types of organisms we should be looking for once we actually go and dive and collect data from the water. He told us to look for larvae marine organisms primarily along with other types of small specimens. What stuck out to me was once looking at the specimens under a microscope it was interesting to see how many different types of organisms exist in such a small area. I enjoyed this work a lot because it was interesting to see minuscule organisms move around. I especially liked the brittle starfish we saw because they were so cute. There was nothing about the day that I didn't like! I enjoyed learning the entire day!!!!! I participated in team bonding skills during the trap building activities and conversation is always flowing throughout the day. I was able to develop skills by learning about the different types of organisms that exist and being able to separate them to study them further. From this experience I learned that I am very impatient, especially when searching for organisms among the different specimens because at times they are very hard to find. Overall, I had a great day, I learned a lot, and I am excited to take the next step of actually putting the traps into Crystal Cove state park!!!!!!
Day 2:
Today in our service learning group, COAST, we did research and began constructing the larvae traps. My research involved looking at different types of traps that worked well when capturing the larvae. We found in our research that this one type of cylindrical structure with tassels on the sides to mimic the outside conditions of the ocean environment was a very good trap for attracting and therefore capturing the larvae. Later in the day, Dr. Haney showed us the types of traps that the Crystal Cove state beach has started to build and instructed us to finish building them or create one of our own. Ashton and I worked together as a pair to continue the trap that Crystal Cove had already began building. This included the weaving of thread in and out of a metal like structure with an end goal of making it look like seaweed looking plants would be arising from the group to attract the lobster larvae to grasp onto and therefore capture. Because our service learning group is an up and coming group, I was able to feel connected more to the Crystal Cove beach since we finally had a tangible product to begin our project rather than just ideas that were used for the basis of our project. It is exciting to now actually start creating a plan in which to really kickstart our project. From this day I was also able to understand how we would be capturing the lobster larvae in an efficient and interesting way. I think overall the service learning group for COAST is a strong group of juniors and seniors who will make tremendous progress this year and hopefully maintain a relationship with Sage Hill for the future of Sage Hill.
Day 1:
Hi! My name is Anna Gadbut. I am a senior in the Sage Hill COAST service. I have been a part of this group since last year, when it started, and was able to watch how this service learning group has grown from being underfunded and most of the group not being certified, to this year when we have finally built a strong foundation of certified scuba divers, willing and approved to collect data in Crystal Cove. I originally joined this service learning group from an interest in learning to scuba dive but became much more interested when I was able to become involved in the different research we were doing and of course become certified as a scuba diver. I am excited to see what this year has to offer and the different lobster larvae we will be collecting and studying to report back to our local beaches at Crystal Cove!!
Overall I believe this was a significantly productive year, even more so than the previous year. We were able to overcome different financial battles and take things into our own hands this year. We were able to extract DNA from different microorganisms in order to create mutiple copies of them to be sent off to the labs. Today in class we took our extracted DNA and put different primers into the DNA to be heated and cooled multiple times in order to create these multiple copies. With this we are able to then perform gel electrophoresis. With the measured strands we are able to know if we can send these off to other biologists. I was able to learn a lot of new things this year about microorganisms and DNA extractions and copying which was very interesting. After this we traveled to our remaining trap at Ryan’s dock and unfortunately after multiple failed attempts to retrieve it it ended up sinking to the bottom of the water. Other groups were although able to collect their traps and with them we were able to perform more DNA extractions on new microorganism. I am going to miss this service learning group next year. Some of my favorite memories included the weekend trips to get scuba certified, going to Catalina Island and finally collecting the DNA. Although this group is ending next year, it will on in our minds.
Day 6:
Today in our service learning day we focused on research of the specimen that we have and extracting DNA. We also revisted our traps off the dock in the Newport Harbor. First we started the day by taking the baby shrimp we had and placing it into the bile. We added 180 microliters of buffer and after we then broke it up with the pestil. In order to do this we first added 90 microliters and then crushed it up and then added another 90 microliters of buffer in order to get any extra substance of the the pestil. We then added 20 microliters of protinase and then shook it up, with finally putting it in a styrophone holder to be placed in a hot water bath to sit for the next two hours. This is how you extract the DNA from the baby shrimp in order to be analyzed. After doing this we traveled to our docks to collect the traps that we had set. The trap was full of a lot of algae and did not smell too pleasant. We untied it from the dock and then we placed it in a home depot bucket to be transported back to school. We will use the data collected in the bucket to analyze more DNA. After heating in the hot bath we took the samples and put them through a vortex for 15 min. After this we added 200 microliters of buffer to the samples and 200 microleters of EtOH. After this we put them in the vortex for 15 seconds again to mix. After mixing we pipetted all of the samples into the spin column and spun it for 1 minute at 6000g. We then discarded the bottom pipet and placed two kinds of washers in the samples to clean and then added another buffer before spinning them again and then discarding the waste and then stored the remainging samples in the lab.
Day 5:
Today was very similar to how it has been the previous service learning days. It was slightly different although because we collected our own traps that we set last month from the docks and looked at real data and marine microorganisms. We had to start by bringing the materials to set new traps for next month to replace the traps we were removing. Because the new trap was built around a plastic bucket, we had to find weights and rope to hold it down in the water. We went to ACE hardware and got a weight to tie to the bottom of the bucket. We then retrieved one of our traps from the dock and left the other in the water. In the place where the old trap was, we placed in and tied the new trap to collect more data. Upon returning to school, we separated the microorganisms and found multiple different types of organisms. These include some shrimp and crab larvae, it was very interesting. I felt connected to my community because it was the first time we retrieved our own data and actually starting collected information about the harbor and what type of marine life we have. This service learning I don’t think I developed any new skills because all we were doing was collecting traps and placing new ones and looking at organisms. The one challenge we had today was tying the new trap to the dock and finding a weight to place on the new trap in order to hold it in the water. Overall, we are continuing to do the same procedures we planned on doing and were finally able to carry it out and accomplish it. By doing this, we are able to collect more data and finally start obtaining new information about our marine life.
Day 4:
Today was a very interesting day in service learning. It was the first day that we were able to set the traps! The day began by going to CVS and buying ornaments to use as weights and some rope and zip ties to attach each of the traps to the docks. After buying the materials needed, we went to Ryan's grandparents house to attach the traps onto the dock. We set each trap around 2 feet deep. For the first trap, we tied it around the cleat of the dock and let it hang off of a rope by 2 feet. For the second trap, we tied it as a zip tie around one of the poles of the dock. (This did require some swimming on a freezing cold day...brrrrr). I am extremely happy our service learning group was able to set some traps today so that at the next service learning day we can collect and observe the type of sea life in the water. Overall I enjoyed the feeling of being completed with the project, but swimming in the freezing cold water was not a highlight of my day. It was most definitely a challenge that we were finally able to overcome. With the lack of communication that has been persistent between Crystal Cove and our group it felt empowering to take matters into our own hands and place the traps with our own resources. From this experience I learned that sometimes you just gotta take one for the team. Many people were more than willing to leave the school and help create traps. Few (as in only me) were willing to actually jump in for around 30 minutes and set the traps. I think the communication and collaboration among my peers is outstanding and could not get any better!
Day 3:
Today in our service learning group we spent time coming up with a detailed and organized plan for how we are going to go about putting the traps and what days we will go to Crystal Cove to set the traps. After creating this plan we continued to build our traps that we will be placing into the water. There are three types of traps that we made. There is the trap model that was given to us by the state park, the model that a peer created, and a new model that Dr. Haney showed to us. This new version would go on to the dock of a marina so that they would be easier to find. After continuing the creation of the traps, Dr. Haney taught us about what types of organisms we should be looking for once we actually go and dive and collect data from the water. He told us to look for larvae marine organisms primarily along with other types of small specimens. What stuck out to me was once looking at the specimens under a microscope it was interesting to see how many different types of organisms exist in such a small area. I enjoyed this work a lot because it was interesting to see minuscule organisms move around. I especially liked the brittle starfish we saw because they were so cute. There was nothing about the day that I didn't like! I enjoyed learning the entire day!!!!! I participated in team bonding skills during the trap building activities and conversation is always flowing throughout the day. I was able to develop skills by learning about the different types of organisms that exist and being able to separate them to study them further. From this experience I learned that I am very impatient, especially when searching for organisms among the different specimens because at times they are very hard to find. Overall, I had a great day, I learned a lot, and I am excited to take the next step of actually putting the traps into Crystal Cove state park!!!!!!
Day 2:
Today in our service learning group, COAST, we did research and began constructing the larvae traps. My research involved looking at different types of traps that worked well when capturing the larvae. We found in our research that this one type of cylindrical structure with tassels on the sides to mimic the outside conditions of the ocean environment was a very good trap for attracting and therefore capturing the larvae. Later in the day, Dr. Haney showed us the types of traps that the Crystal Cove state beach has started to build and instructed us to finish building them or create one of our own. Ashton and I worked together as a pair to continue the trap that Crystal Cove had already began building. This included the weaving of thread in and out of a metal like structure with an end goal of making it look like seaweed looking plants would be arising from the group to attract the lobster larvae to grasp onto and therefore capture. Because our service learning group is an up and coming group, I was able to feel connected more to the Crystal Cove beach since we finally had a tangible product to begin our project rather than just ideas that were used for the basis of our project. It is exciting to now actually start creating a plan in which to really kickstart our project. From this day I was also able to understand how we would be capturing the lobster larvae in an efficient and interesting way. I think overall the service learning group for COAST is a strong group of juniors and seniors who will make tremendous progress this year and hopefully maintain a relationship with Sage Hill for the future of Sage Hill.
Day 1:
Hi! My name is Anna Gadbut. I am a senior in the Sage Hill COAST service. I have been a part of this group since last year, when it started, and was able to watch how this service learning group has grown from being underfunded and most of the group not being certified, to this year when we have finally built a strong foundation of certified scuba divers, willing and approved to collect data in Crystal Cove. I originally joined this service learning group from an interest in learning to scuba dive but became much more interested when I was able to become involved in the different research we were doing and of course become certified as a scuba diver. I am excited to see what this year has to offer and the different lobster larvae we will be collecting and studying to report back to our local beaches at Crystal Cove!!
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