Dylan Strode

Day 6 COAST Blog

Today was our last day of the COAST service learning group ever. With juniors going in and out of their new groups and a healthy group of seniors leaving to collect traps, I was able to spend a lot of time in the lab. Shadowing Mr. Irwin and Dr. Haney gave me a greater appreciation for the science we were doing in COAST. They explained to me in detail the process of splicing DNA and using gel electrophoresis to confirm we had collected the correct strand. It was when I was quietly working in the lab collecting DNA samples that I had an epiphany. For the entire year COAST felt so far away from achieving any tangible goal. We couldn’t go diving or even collect lobster larvae. Yet, when I was quietly working, I knew my work would amount to something. Soon we would send away our samples and come back with genome sequences that could be contributed to a global database. While I won’t necessarily feel the impact, knowing that my work was for a greater goal was gratifying. In a way it connected me to the larger scientific community, those who work behind the scenes to catalog species are essential for the scientific community, but they go unnoticed. At the end of the day I learned that hard work is good for me. I take pleasure in completing a task, and the harder it is the more I enjoy it. All in all, it was a great last day.

Day 5 Blog

Today was far and away the most structured day of COAST I had taken part of. Instead of spending the majority of the day going out to retrieve and place traps, I remained in the lab to extract DNA and collect critter samples from our traps. Being able to stick around the lab allowed me to be super productive. From the get go, I knew what to do and how to do it because Dr. Haney was there to explain it the first time. While I enjoyed using the forceps to collect samples from the new traps, I didn’t gain much from that individual work. What really challenged me today was teaching other kids how to extract DNA. This was particularly stressful because of the degree of accuracy necessary. First we had to isolate a sample species in a tube, then pipet 180 microliters of buffer, then use a pestle to grind the sample down, and finally pipet 20 microliters of proteinase k. Throughout all these steps, it was crucial to be exact in quantities and make sure no cross contamination occurred. This is why I was extra careful in doling out instructions. Rather than simply telling them what to do, I had them watch me complete the steps. In this way, I knew that they were doing it right. However, I learned through this that I struggle relinquishing control. I would have much rather completed the tasks myself, but I realized that collaboration would be the only way to finish everything. Today I also felt more connected to the juniors in our group. By showing them the ropes I was able to open up with them, making stronger bonds with the kids I don’t know very well. Conversely, I could have been nicer to those in my own grade that I felt were not putting in much effort. Instead of being passive aggressive I simply should have told them I was disappointed and encourage them to do more work.

Day Four Blog

Finally it feels like we are in the swing of things. It had been around a month since we first placed the traps and now we were going to remove the traps and examine what had collected. As soon as I walked in the door, I left, heading to the traps placed in Huntington Harbor at (33° 43' 38.5896'' N 118° 3' 29.5776'' W). This time I ran solo, deciding to get it over quickly, maximizing my time back at the lab. I brought a large bucket with me, but looking at the PVC traps, I realized they would not adequately fit in the bucket. Thinking on my feet, I filled the bucket with sea water and then scraped the yarn off the traps. This allowed the specimens to remain submerged as I took them back to Sage Hill. Once at Sage, Haney showed me the ropes with filtering out the yarn and establishing a basin for collecting specimens. Using a series of mesh strainers, we were able to isolate the water containing the sea creatures. Then, being careful not to crush the specimens, I collected multiple organisms of the same species, such as brittle sea stars, and put them in a vile with ethanol to stop decomposition. Having returned first, when the other groups came back with their trap samples, I ended up instructing them on what to do next. Knowing what to do, I took it upon myself to help other groups in collecting samples. From that experience I learned that I really enjoy leading people. However, it was immensely frustrating when people didn’t operate under the same standard of quality I felt was required. Overall though, it was a productive day with tangible results. Now we have many tests tubes each representing a sample of the local orange county harbors.

Day Three Blog

Today felt really productive. Although I arrived twenty minutes late, I entered the classroom and immediately had a task to complete. We were planning on setting our traps around Orange County. I offered up a dock I have access to in Huntington Harbor. That worked perfectly because Michael Helton had a dock in Alamitos Bay, so we were able to kill two birds with one stone. What I wish we did better before hand was establishing a consistent method of setting traps. Everyone went to their own docks before we could determine what depth we wanted to place the traps and in what way/orientation. Regardless, upon arriving at Huntington and Alamitos, we were able to determine trap placement given the specific nature of the locations. At Huntington we tied a rope through the pvc traps and let it hang vertically in the water. On one cleat there was 5 feet of rope between the cleat and the top of the trap, and factoring in the 1 foot and 4 inches of space between the surface of the water and top of the dock, our trap sat 3 feet and 8 inches from the surface of the water. Our other trap in Huntington was on the other side of the dock and sat 2 feet and 6 inches from the surface of the water. At Alamitos we had no rope so I brought fishing line to tie off the trap. Using the monofilament and a zip tie, the traps sat vertically in the water. This spot was deeper than Huntington so our traps were 4 feet and 11 inches and 5 feet and 8 inches from the surface of the water. It is important to note that while the traps are consistent relative to the water’s surface, changing tides will alter their height from the bottom.

Overall, this was an enjoyable activity. At multiple points I had uncertainties about laying traps. Whether it was deciding what cleats were best for placement or how to attach the lines to the traps, I used teamwork and ingenuity overcome the obstacles. Growing up around boats and the water, it was easy for me to know how and where to tie up our traps. And when a man questioned what we were doing in the dock in Alamitos, I took charge to explain our COAST project and the purpose of the traps. This reminded me that I am good at communicating with strangers, I felt at ease when talking to the man, and hopefully my explanation put him at ease (as a boat owner).

Here are some photos of my day:

Day Two Blog

            Today was split into two sections, the wandering, unguided morning, and the structured, productive afternoon. That’s not to say that nothing was achieved before lunch, in fact we accomplished a lot, but it lacked guidance. To start, we established a schedule for the rest of our Service Learning days, necessary to plan future dives and communicate with our partnered organizations. Following that, we proceeded to make a new kind of trap, PVC pipe with 3 tuffs of green twine attached. Unlike our last trap attempts, this was not only accomplishable, but also easy. By the beginning of lunch, we had created a lot of these traps. Just from a quantity standpoint, the morning was productive. However, we failed to coordinate all of our actions. The result was a divided classroom in which some people were pulling a lot of weight, while others were doing nothing. I feel that if we were to organize our efforts, a lot more could’ve gotten done. If I were to repeat the day, I would have definitely attempted to delegate tasks better, and hopefully during our next Service Learning day, I will have that opportunity to lead.

            After lunch, we analyzed marine samples, and with Dr. Haney taking the reigns, we got a lot more done. The difference, however, was that our task had no tangible result. It was an assignment in learning how to sort for specific marine organisms, something necessary in our Lobster Larvae endeavors. Without a specified end goal, motivating myself was tough. But, every time my mind wandered, I would remind myself of the true reason we were looking through a microscope. That seemed to get me back on track, and provided a valuable lesson. Sometimes there won’t always be a direct result to my actions, but in those situations I have to look forward and realize that, although it feels unproductive, I am working towards some greater goal. This is especially important for COAST, where the data we collect will take many years to yield any usable conclusions.

Day One Blog

Today was a good day. Beyond the research into Spiny Lobster larvae and the reading of scientific studies, the most challenging and rewarding part of the day came with the building of the traps. When we entered Physics Lab II with all the building materials, Dr. Haney mentioned a comment from one of the workers at Crystal Cove. She claimed that a single trap took her thirty hours to make. I was pretty astonished, after all, the traps are plastic boards interwoven with twine. In fact, I scoffed at the notion that a simple task should take so long. However, I quickly learned that thirty hours may have been a conservative estimate. It was extremely time consuming and actually quite difficult. I enjoyed building the traps, especially because we were playing music and having a good time while doing it, but beyond that, it was a meditative process. I found myself getting lost in the work, and that was a cool experience. However, before I could get in the zone, there were many challenges I had to persevere through. I’m not just saying that to be fake, it really was a challenge. The biggest issue was not in actually performing the task, but how to be efficient in doing so. I found that trying to do tasks solo, which is my preferred method, was not going to work out. Therefore, I really had to rely on others from the group not just for help, but for advice and ideas on how to go about building the traps. That kind of reliance was something I was neither used to, nor comfortable with, however, it was a necessity and ultimately led to faster building. It was a great lesson in collaboration, and never being afraid to ask for help. I think in the future I will be much more inclined to work together on these sorts of tasks.






26 September 2017

Dylan’s Intro Blog

I’m Dylan Strode. I’m a Senior at Sage Hill School and am really excited to get into the COAST service learning project. I’ve always loved the ocean, and growing up in Washington State, boating, crabbing, and fishing was what I looked forward to the most. Having moved to Southern California, the water is a lot more agreeable, and I still actively fish and boat, going to Catalina frequently. Having been around the ocean so much, my curiosity towards marine sciences has been a natural progression, and COAST fits that bill.

In life, I like to think that my contributions to society are greatest when my actions and passions align. That way, I can serve the community with a genuine concern for whatever I’m doing. With COAST, the health of the Spiny Lobster fishery and Crystal Cove are very important to me. Fortunately, I happen to enjoy and am deeply interested by marine life, so COAST’s service towards our local marine ecosystem will be the perfect way for me to serve.