Busy, Busy, Busy
July 3, 2008, 3:50 am by Lindley MaryoungThis past week has been a long and busy week in the lab. Since we were able to get forty egg cases from the aquarium last week we have lots of samples. The past two weeks we were limited on samples and would only experiment on two or three embryos. This week we have worked on over ten. We continued in the same process as the weeks before, except on the embryonic sharks that were extremely small. If the sharks are around 5 cm or less we employ a slightly different procedure in the beginning steps of the overall experiment. Instead of starting with dissecting the sharks, we first observed them under an anatomy microscope. We make observations and then put them into solution. After they have been in the solution for about 24 hours we remove them, and depending on size, we cut them into pieces that will work best for slicing. The rest of the steps are the same as the larger sharks. This week has contributed a great deal to my project because I have been able to see many of the different steps of the embryonic development. I have not yet completed my slicing work and been able to observe the heart and liver sections under the microscope, since there are so many samples, but am excited to see the results soon.
Patience Takes Practice
July 1, 2008, 10:03 pm by Kasey SmithAs of yesterday afternoon I have finally finished my first run on the instrument. It took about a week, when it should have taken about six hours. I was very excited last Tuesday to get my data, until like every good instrument the AAS decided to die. I was able to get my lead and cadmium data and nothing more, and it took a day to complete. The technician was called as soon as we discovered that something was wrong. However, we are in a far reaching corner of China, and the technician is stationed in some big bustling city, so it was not until Monday of this week when he finally showed up. Of course when he arrived, it was around 12:30, so he needed to take a nap before he worked. So he did not repair anything until 2 PM. I was able to watch him repair it, however it was not necessarily a repair, the problem was not with the instrument, but rather the conditions of the room where the instrument is. There was too much moisture in the air which affected the performance of the flame and the lamps, it was well known by my lab that moisture is a problem, but due to the cost of constantly running an air conditioner or dryer, it was shrugged off. But finally, yesterday I finished my run, getting my zinc, chromium, and copper data. The data looks as good as it can get, considering that I am looking at the concentration in the sediment, which is bad news for the people drinking the water. So now I get to go collecting on a boat for my own sediment samples around Xiamen, and test them, which should be some frightening data, since people are scared to go in the water already. The week of nothing, turned out to be an alright experience as we went hiking on Saturday, and shopping on Sunday, and we went to lunch at Pizza Hut, which in China is on the same level as a Bertucci’s. I just hope that everything works out for the collecting trip, and I can start to really experience research in China.
