May 1, 2012
This will be a tad bit short; Greetings dear reader, this is Louisa Lee, SEBS, Rutgers Class of '13, and attempting a Biotechnology major.For two weeks in Summer I will be in France, studying cheese and wine under the Rutgers Summer Study Abroad Program. Yes, it's a real course and yes we will be going through lots biochemical cycles from the likes of yeast and penicillium. I will return with a more comprehensive posts once the pile of things to do and complete has been cleared up. Thanks.
- Louisa Lee
Rutgers Undergraduate Science Students Around The World.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Bonjour from Paris!
I finally made it to Paris, France this afternoon. It was definitely a journey, but it is definitely so worth it. The layover in Lisbon was very, very long (5 hours), but it was also a safe amount of time to make sure that we could get to our gate. Additionally, I almost got sick for the first time ever on my second flight--the turbulence was really bad! However, I am so happy to be safe and writing this post in the Citadines Bastille Gare de Lyon Paris, which is where my friends and I are staying for the night. We got upgraded when we arrived at the hotel, so we have 2 rooms and there are 2 people to a room. Here are some pictures I took from the hotel!
The bed!
The shower and the sink. The toilet is in a separate room on the other side--very interesting!
Our view from our room. So pretty!
Our room has a little kitchen in it, and it also comes stocked with pots, pans, cups and glasses!
I am going to start getting ready to go out to dinner tonight with my friends, and hopefully we will do some sight seeing. I can't wait for tomorrow when I see the rest of the class again, and I get to start my learning experience!
Á la prochaine,
Laura
Friday, June 15, 2012
A message in a bottle from a little island in the Caribbean
Nothing is more strange than opening your eyes to a bright turquoise stucco wall. I could still smell the stale scent of sunscreen that was left from yesterday's application on my skin. My wooden bunk bed creaked as I sat up confused for a moment as to where I was. It hadn't felt like I got 6 hours of sleep, but then again the night before I had only gotten about an hour and half's worth of sleep.
I rubbed my eyes, still not quiet sure where I was until I pushed the light red fabric curtain to the side. My eyes immediately found the water. The phrase, "you have to see it, to believe it." would accurately describe the water of the Caribbean. The numerous shades of blues and greens seemed to melt together until they became translucent when they crashed on the shore. It was at that point it really dawn on me.....
Oh my god I am actually in Little Cayman.
Theatrical opening I know, but hey it got you to read my post this far didn't it? You can decide whether or not I am being over-dramatic when you are done reading about my first experiences while down here.
I believe it is at this point that I should introduce myself. Obviously you can tell by the name and the colon that follows it, that my name is Stephanie Kelly and this is my blog/blog post. (I promise I am not an imposter). Currently I am senior at Rutgers dual majoring in Marine Biology and Environmental Science. (Yes I already know I am crazy for doing that). I am down at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) taking park in a Coral Reef Internship. I am going to be down here for a little under 3 weeks, doing various research with coral reefs and the coral reef habitats. Although this is counting toward research credit for my degrees, I mostly am using this opportunity to experience what it is really like to be a field scientist and get to know a environment that I had virtually no real exposure to before.
Alright now that you know the gist.....
It became apparent to me how terrified I was of flying somewhere after baggage check. As I said my final distant goodbye to my mother on the other side of the gate, I walked to the terminal noticing that my heart was racing and palms were sweaty. I wrote this reaction off as being excited for my trip but as I was walking up to the gate. Then when the stewardest directed me toward the actual terminal my stomach dropped and I felt very uneasy. I boarded the plane and the flight attendant took one look at me and said, "Hun, you just go take your seat and once we level out your first drink is on me." Needless to say I must have looked as bad as I felt. I took my seat and for the most part I was able to get work done to keep my mind off the fact that was in a contained vessel that was about 30,000 feet in the air. The same flight attendant was also nice enough to guide through the airport to where I needed to wait for the next flight that would take me from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman. I arrived on Little Cayman around 230ish and for the next day and half I spent feverishly working on my introduction presentation and acquainting myself with the other kids that were also part of the program.
Wednesday was the official start day of the internship. Dr. Manfrino (Kerri) decided to begin the class with a hour or so lecture on coral and coral types. Normally a classroom experience would end at this point, but things down here in CCMI are a tad bit different. We instructor to grab our snorkel, mask and fins and meet her at the waters edge. Then for the next four hours or so we snorkeled around the shallow reefs that where less than 15 feet away from the beach ( in front of the institute). We ebbed through the various clusters of corals only occasionally popping or heads out of the water to point out a coral we were above or near. Like most of the other students, I was really intrigued and in awe of the the array of reef fish that surrounded us. We saw everything from the tiniest juvenile trunk fish to a meter long barracuda. (Which surprisingly I was more intrigued than frightened of, despite the briefing I received about the amount of animals that can harm you down here). We collected algae from the lagoon out in front of the institute and took them in the lab to identify them. After lunch we went snorkeling again for an hour.
Unfortunately for me while I was at JFK I got my sunscreen and Shampoo and soap confiscated in my carry on instead of my luggage bag so 5 other girls and I made the fatal mistake of biking to the nearest convenience store (did I mention it was about 8 miles there in back?) in the 90 degree heat. We went and saw a lecture on sharks and dolphins at resort and then I proceeded to pass out immediately when I got back to my dorm.
Yesterday we had two major things go on: we dissected a lionfish ( which is a apart of very active research here at CCMI) and we had our check out dive. I learned a lot about lionfish and how they are invasive and also how to handle one ( if ever handed a random dead one for some reason). We took each fish's weight, lengths, and removed its stomach and gonads for research purposes. The rest of the fish we put in a freezer to give to a resort to sell as a delicacy.
After lunch we had our check out dive and up until our second dive today, I was having major buoyancy issues. Thankfully, my dive buddy grabbed my fin when I was shooting up the surface. I was also having regulator issues ( the thing you put in your mouth while scuba diving) and had to use an alternate air for half of the dive. the highlight of the dive was I found/pointed out an octopus out to a dive master. (I found out later that is 2nd time he had ever saw and octopus in the day, and obviously I was proud of myself for such a rare find.)
Today we did two dives, one off of a wall at this place called Jackson's point and another off a point where two walls meet. Both dives were about 50 minutes long and I had dove down to 50 feet (which is a new record for me). The night before we had a lecture on fish identification and these dives were to test our skills. Needless to say I saw all of the fish families, wrasses, tangs, butterfly fish, parrotfish, angelfish ( a french angel fish I saw was wider than a dinner plate!), groupers, and blennies. On the first dive I had seen a a bunch of stingrays (which btw are one of my favorite sea animals) and my dive buddy was actually able to find a Morey eel under a boulder! unfortunately I wasn't able to bring my underwater camera with me due to my buoyancy issue but I finally got the clear that i can bring on the next dive once I had surfaced. We arrived back to the CCMI too late to snorkel as planned so instead we used the time to catch up on work and eat dinner. About an hour ago my lecture ended and I have been writing this blog ever since.
Sorry if this last bit is rushed but I'm a bit tired and I still need to go shower before I head off to bed.
WELL YOU MADE IT. I promise you I won't make my next updates this long (hey give me a break, I had 3 days worth of experience to cover). As promised, you can make the decision for yourself if I was over exaggerating in the beginning.
This is to show you the bright obnoxious wall (lols) and below it is a better view of the water I wake up to and swim in everyday.
Until next time,
Stef
I rubbed my eyes, still not quiet sure where I was until I pushed the light red fabric curtain to the side. My eyes immediately found the water. The phrase, "you have to see it, to believe it." would accurately describe the water of the Caribbean. The numerous shades of blues and greens seemed to melt together until they became translucent when they crashed on the shore. It was at that point it really dawn on me.....
Oh my god I am actually in Little Cayman.
Theatrical opening I know, but hey it got you to read my post this far didn't it? You can decide whether or not I am being over-dramatic when you are done reading about my first experiences while down here.
I believe it is at this point that I should introduce myself. Obviously you can tell by the name and the colon that follows it, that my name is Stephanie Kelly and this is my blog/blog post. (I promise I am not an imposter). Currently I am senior at Rutgers dual majoring in Marine Biology and Environmental Science. (Yes I already know I am crazy for doing that). I am down at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) taking park in a Coral Reef Internship. I am going to be down here for a little under 3 weeks, doing various research with coral reefs and the coral reef habitats. Although this is counting toward research credit for my degrees, I mostly am using this opportunity to experience what it is really like to be a field scientist and get to know a environment that I had virtually no real exposure to before.
Alright now that you know the gist.....
It became apparent to me how terrified I was of flying somewhere after baggage check. As I said my final distant goodbye to my mother on the other side of the gate, I walked to the terminal noticing that my heart was racing and palms were sweaty. I wrote this reaction off as being excited for my trip but as I was walking up to the gate. Then when the stewardest directed me toward the actual terminal my stomach dropped and I felt very uneasy. I boarded the plane and the flight attendant took one look at me and said, "Hun, you just go take your seat and once we level out your first drink is on me." Needless to say I must have looked as bad as I felt. I took my seat and for the most part I was able to get work done to keep my mind off the fact that was in a contained vessel that was about 30,000 feet in the air. The same flight attendant was also nice enough to guide through the airport to where I needed to wait for the next flight that would take me from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman. I arrived on Little Cayman around 230ish and for the next day and half I spent feverishly working on my introduction presentation and acquainting myself with the other kids that were also part of the program.
Wednesday was the official start day of the internship. Dr. Manfrino (Kerri) decided to begin the class with a hour or so lecture on coral and coral types. Normally a classroom experience would end at this point, but things down here in CCMI are a tad bit different. We instructor to grab our snorkel, mask and fins and meet her at the waters edge. Then for the next four hours or so we snorkeled around the shallow reefs that where less than 15 feet away from the beach ( in front of the institute). We ebbed through the various clusters of corals only occasionally popping or heads out of the water to point out a coral we were above or near. Like most of the other students, I was really intrigued and in awe of the the array of reef fish that surrounded us. We saw everything from the tiniest juvenile trunk fish to a meter long barracuda. (Which surprisingly I was more intrigued than frightened of, despite the briefing I received about the amount of animals that can harm you down here). We collected algae from the lagoon out in front of the institute and took them in the lab to identify them. After lunch we went snorkeling again for an hour.
Unfortunately for me while I was at JFK I got my sunscreen and Shampoo and soap confiscated in my carry on instead of my luggage bag so 5 other girls and I made the fatal mistake of biking to the nearest convenience store (did I mention it was about 8 miles there in back?) in the 90 degree heat. We went and saw a lecture on sharks and dolphins at resort and then I proceeded to pass out immediately when I got back to my dorm.
Yesterday we had two major things go on: we dissected a lionfish ( which is a apart of very active research here at CCMI) and we had our check out dive. I learned a lot about lionfish and how they are invasive and also how to handle one ( if ever handed a random dead one for some reason). We took each fish's weight, lengths, and removed its stomach and gonads for research purposes. The rest of the fish we put in a freezer to give to a resort to sell as a delicacy.
After lunch we had our check out dive and up until our second dive today, I was having major buoyancy issues. Thankfully, my dive buddy grabbed my fin when I was shooting up the surface. I was also having regulator issues ( the thing you put in your mouth while scuba diving) and had to use an alternate air for half of the dive. the highlight of the dive was I found/pointed out an octopus out to a dive master. (I found out later that is 2nd time he had ever saw and octopus in the day, and obviously I was proud of myself for such a rare find.)
Today we did two dives, one off of a wall at this place called Jackson's point and another off a point where two walls meet. Both dives were about 50 minutes long and I had dove down to 50 feet (which is a new record for me). The night before we had a lecture on fish identification and these dives were to test our skills. Needless to say I saw all of the fish families, wrasses, tangs, butterfly fish, parrotfish, angelfish ( a french angel fish I saw was wider than a dinner plate!), groupers, and blennies. On the first dive I had seen a a bunch of stingrays (which btw are one of my favorite sea animals) and my dive buddy was actually able to find a Morey eel under a boulder! unfortunately I wasn't able to bring my underwater camera with me due to my buoyancy issue but I finally got the clear that i can bring on the next dive once I had surfaced. We arrived back to the CCMI too late to snorkel as planned so instead we used the time to catch up on work and eat dinner. About an hour ago my lecture ended and I have been writing this blog ever since.
Sorry if this last bit is rushed but I'm a bit tired and I still need to go shower before I head off to bed.
WELL YOU MADE IT. I promise you I won't make my next updates this long (hey give me a break, I had 3 days worth of experience to cover). As promised, you can make the decision for yourself if I was over exaggerating in the beginning.
This is to show you the bright obnoxious wall (lols) and below it is a better view of the water I wake up to and swim in everyday.
Until next time,
Stef
Visiting Cape Coast
6/11/12
This past weekend has been the most eventful, emotional and stressful since I have been in Ghana. It was very emotional because we went down to cape coast to visit 2 of the castles that were used to house slaves during the transatlantic slave trade. Visiting the castles was very eye opening, its one thing to hear about the atrocities that were committed against humanity and another to visually see the places where people were kept and abused. Experiencing the castles, I can’t even imagine how people survived living under these conditions; it was hard for me to stomach the reality of the abuse that my ancestors were subjected to. The most overwhelming thing was the fact that the woman’s dungeon still had a stench, a smell that I’m sure was 200 times worse when they were living in those quarters many years ago. As a part of our tour we were told gruesome stories of what happened to some of the men, women and children kept in the dungeons, children 10 and over were treated as adults. It was really hard to hear especially since you were standing where the victims stood. Touring the castles was eye-opening especially when we were shown that El Mina castle was built with a secret staircase to the governors room, so that females slaves could easily be brought up to him at his whim and the fact that a church was built directly over some of the dungeons, it was a direct contrast of heaven and hell. Another interesting thing was the fact that William of Orange aka William the silent’s name was within one of the castles because he was involved with the slave trade. For those of you who don’t know Rutgers has a statue of him in Voorhees mall since the university has Dutch Origins.
This past weekend has been the most eventful, emotional and stressful since I have been in Ghana. It was very emotional because we went down to cape coast to visit 2 of the castles that were used to house slaves during the transatlantic slave trade. Visiting the castles was very eye opening, its one thing to hear about the atrocities that were committed against humanity and another to visually see the places where people were kept and abused. Experiencing the castles, I can’t even imagine how people survived living under these conditions; it was hard for me to stomach the reality of the abuse that my ancestors were subjected to. The most overwhelming thing was the fact that the woman’s dungeon still had a stench, a smell that I’m sure was 200 times worse when they were living in those quarters many years ago. As a part of our tour we were told gruesome stories of what happened to some of the men, women and children kept in the dungeons, children 10 and over were treated as adults. It was really hard to hear especially since you were standing where the victims stood. Touring the castles was eye-opening especially when we were shown that El Mina castle was built with a secret staircase to the governors room, so that females slaves could easily be brought up to him at his whim and the fact that a church was built directly over some of the dungeons, it was a direct contrast of heaven and hell. Another interesting thing was the fact that William of Orange aka William the silent’s name was within one of the castles because he was involved with the slave trade. For those of you who don’t know Rutgers has a statue of him in Voorhees mall since the university has Dutch Origins.
The weekend wasn’t all gloomy; we
actually had a great time exploring the town of El Mina where we were able to
climb up a never ending staircase to get an amazing view of the town. We also
visited Kakum National Park and went on a canopy walk consisting of 7 different
canopies, which were 40 m above the ground, that’s about 130 ft YIKES!!!!!! I
was deathly afraid because the canopy was so narrow and so high above the
ground and it moves when you walk on it, but I made it through and I’m so glad
I did the view was definitely worth it. Overall it was an enlightening weekend.
 |
| Cape Coast Castle |
 |
| Small dungeon used for rebellious slaves, where they basically suffocated to death |
 |
| This dungeon would house anywhere between 100-200 slaves |
 |
| Secret staircase to the governors bedroom |
 |
| The View of the stairs we walked up |
 |
| Me and the backdrop of the town |
 |
| Canopy Walk |
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Bon voyage!
Bonjour! My name is Laura Muller, and I am going to be studying The Microbiology and Culture of Cheese and Wine in Cluny, France. I am currently wide awake even though it is pretty late at night, and I should be sleeping. I just can't contain my excitement though! I have been looking forward to this trip for over a year now, and I haven't been able to stop talking about such an exciting opportunity to my friends, family, and coworkers. I can't believe that in less than 24 hours, my dream of going on this trip will finally become a reality.
I am currently studying Food Science at Rutgers, so I had a very high interest in taking this class the moment I heard about it. I recently took a Food Microbiology course this past semester at school, and General Microbiology course the semester previous to that. Thus, I am extremely excited to experience what I have learned first hand and in such a new environment. I am also looking forward to learning even more about the process of making wine and cheese, and learning more about fermentation to make the delicious wines and cheeses we all know and love.
I'm leaving tomorrow from Newark to Paris, making a stop in Lisbon on the way there. I will then be staying in Paris for the night, and then meet my classmates and professor at the Gare de Lyon train station on Sunday--that is when class begins! I am very excited to travel, and also somewhat nervous. However, I will not let that stop me! I know this is going to be such a fabulous time, and I am going to have fun and learn so much.
I'm not sure what my friends and I are going to do when we arrive in Paris. It seems it's going to rain when we get there, so the Louvre might be a good option! But I'm sure whatever we decide to do, it will be incredible. I can't wait to see what exciting opportunities France has in store! Even though I am still very excited, sleep is overtaking my excitement (only momentarily though). So, I'm going to head off to bed to make sure to rest up well for my long awaited journey.
Á la prochaine! (Until the next time),
Laura
I am currently studying Food Science at Rutgers, so I had a very high interest in taking this class the moment I heard about it. I recently took a Food Microbiology course this past semester at school, and General Microbiology course the semester previous to that. Thus, I am extremely excited to experience what I have learned first hand and in such a new environment. I am also looking forward to learning even more about the process of making wine and cheese, and learning more about fermentation to make the delicious wines and cheeses we all know and love.
I'm leaving tomorrow from Newark to Paris, making a stop in Lisbon on the way there. I will then be staying in Paris for the night, and then meet my classmates and professor at the Gare de Lyon train station on Sunday--that is when class begins! I am very excited to travel, and also somewhat nervous. However, I will not let that stop me! I know this is going to be such a fabulous time, and I am going to have fun and learn so much.
I'm not sure what my friends and I are going to do when we arrive in Paris. It seems it's going to rain when we get there, so the Louvre might be a good option! But I'm sure whatever we decide to do, it will be incredible. I can't wait to see what exciting opportunities France has in store! Even though I am still very excited, sleep is overtaking my excitement (only momentarily though). So, I'm going to head off to bed to make sure to rest up well for my long awaited journey.
Á la prochaine! (Until the next time),
Laura
Jumping into Ecology
May 8, 2012
"A human being is part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole [of] nature in its beauty."~Albert Einstein, 1950
I couldn't agree more with ol' Albey. It's the reason I decided I wanted to be an ecologist - to view the world not just from a human perspective, or even my perspective for the matter. All too often we only think of ourselves - we think of everything we've ever experienced in life, and for most of us, it was quite the privileged upbringing. We were confined to this anthropomorphic point of view, and anything we encounter we tend to compare to ourselves.
We never saw "nature" as nature. We would see birds and animals, and occasional watch the discovery channel. We love pandas, lions, elephants. But we fail to see the world as it truly is - a place of great biodiversity with strange looking, and not-so-strange looking creatures. A world where there is great wonder, teeming with life, and a world with great ferociousness, competition, and death. And our lack of understanding of this world is without excuse - it is all around is. We live among it. All we must do is explore and question. When we fail to do so, it is not without consequence.
Such consequences were brought to my attention as a senior in high school, while taking AP environmental science. I read a book titled, "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice" by Dr.Mark Plotkin, and this book CHANGED MY LIFE. It told the stories of Dr.Mark Plotkin from his humble beginnings as a janitor for Harvard University, to a great ethnobotanist. As an ethnobotanist, he believed the knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the rainforest held knowledge valuable to the field of medicine. And such indigenous people understood their environment. They were untainted by modern ways of life, deep in the forest where they learned from mouth about the different plants and animals that they were surrounded by. The book also discusses the struggle of the people losing their way of life due to interference from modern technology and ideas.
Such a book opened my eyes to the importance of understanding the world around us - and the impact it has, and can have, in our lives. So I decided that that is what I wanted to study. I applied as an Environmental Science major at Rutgers University, and soon realized that chemistry and math were not my forte. I changed my major to Ecology and Evolution, which is more biologically oriented. And I will never regret it. The classes here at Rutgers are AMAZING - I've had some extraordinary professors and interesting classes that I never would have been able to experience had I not come to Rutgers. Some of such classes include Social Evolution taught by the great Robert Trivers, Parasite Ecology taught by the editor in chief of Journal of Parasitology, the great Michael Sukhdeo, & Human Ecology by the epic-ly bearded George Clark, and many many more. The classes and the names go on and on and on.
And as amazing as my journey so far here at Rutgers has been, I am delighted to take my journey abroad, to be taught by German Professors the field of limnology. I am always willing to expand my knowledge of different ecosystems, and am honored to be able to do so at the University of Konstanz. So - there ends my rant about life and what I like. The next time I post - it will be right before my departure. I can't wait to share my experience with all of you! Thanks for reading! ( I know this one is long!)
- Emily
Reflection
May 30, 2012
It has now been three days since my return from Brazil, and even though I've told stories of my week to countless friends and family since then, it has been much harder to try and organize my final thoughts and reactions in writing than I thought it would be. I saw things over the course of the week that although I had heard of before in class or on the news, I realize now that only after seeing them with my own eyes do I finally understand just how dire the circumstances are. I am speaking of course about the severity of the poverty facing so many individuals on a daily basis. Until you witness first hand the impact that a lifetime of hunger and sickness has on a child, or on a young mother, it is hard to be truly affected by such a harsh reality.A lot of students voiced that they felt a great amount of guilt when visiting the favelas, so as a means of providing us with some comfort we were reminded that this was the only existence many of these families knew. We were judging their homes and lifestyles by how it would make us feel if we had to move to a favela from our comfortable homes in New Jersey. But I think what made me the most upset was that these individuals were being deprived of their most basic rights as human beings; the right to food, the right to security and the right to good health. No one should have to grow up in a home where they are not safe, or well fed, or even loved. For this reason, we were reminded how important our presence at the center was. Just by touching the lives of these children, by getting the opportunity to hug them or make them smile even once, something so simple, was in some ways better than any material gift we could give them.
One thing that I found particularly difficult during the week was the transition between spending the day at CREN, to going out at night where we would sometimes spend as much on our dinner as some of the families we would meet from the favelas would make in an entire month. I have never in my life experienced anything so emotionally draining, and by the end of the week it was hard some nights to find the will to even eat a full meal. São Paulo is unique in that the range of extravagant wealth and dire poverty is so extreme, that you can walk down one road and find a mother begging on the street with her children, and find designer shops and five-star restaurants on the next. It's hard to accept the reality of how unfair the world that we live in can really be, and it leaves you questioning if there really ever will be a solution.
All of that being said, this one week spent in Brazil has left a lasting and powerful impression on me that I had never anticipated. I remember first walking back into my house on Sunday, and the moment my mother saw me she said, "that changes you, huh?" And only then did I realize it was true. The culture of Brazil was absolutely beautiful; the exotic fruits, the crafts at the market, the traditional samba dancing... all of this I will remember. But it is the faces of the children, and their mothers, whose lives we touched even in some small but significant way, that is ingrained in my mind and that I will never forget.
- Jessica McKinley
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