A Busy Week

This week has been a busy week, though maybe not in the way you are thinking. Yes I have spent plenty of time at the lab, focusing on my research, and I am happy to say that I have finished processing and completing microplastics extractions for all of my Fall and Winter samples, but I have also had other projects to work on. Other items I have been handling include: (1) tracking the major chemical shipment I'm waiting on so that I can do the final step of the microplastics analysis process; (2) making edits to a paper that I am finishing; and (3) discussing my research with my advisors (PhD committee), talking through their ideas, answering questions, and starting to prepare for the preliminary examinations that will take place this Fall.

So although I don't have any super exciting pictures from this week, I am really happy with the work that I have been able to accomplish. The picture I would have liked would have been dangerous to capture--as I drove home from the lab this week there was a young alligator on the side of the road, but I didn't want to disturb it or cause traffic problems for the people behind me.

What can you look forward to next week? Well, by then I should have the last of my chemical shipment and I can walk you through the final process of what it means to prepare microplastics for analysis. Then I will be ready to shoot them with lasers, YES LASERS, and put together the answers I have been waiting for.