Introducing Sean

This week has been filled with counting, picking, and making slides of nematodes and other meiofauna that we extracted from all of the environmental microcosms that I set up for my microplastics experiment. There are 90 microcosms, and so far each sample has between 100 and 200 organisms to extract, which is no small task. Thankfully, I have help. Since Dr. Ingels and I received a Planning Grant from the university, we were able to bring on an undergraduate research assistant, Sean, who works on my project at the lab.

Sean is a senior biology major, with a focus in Ecology & Evolution. He started with our lab this past summer on an independent study project that assessed the nematode communities associated with manganese nodules from the deep sea. Manganese is an element that may be the future of battery power and electric vehicles around the world. These nodules (think rocks of metal) were extracted in a deep sea sampling campaign and the presence or absence of nematodes on these nodules can provide insight into the environmental quality of the deep-sea and how this mining process affects the environment.

Sean has put that deep sea project on hold to work on my microplastics project, and to gain more experience in different research tasks at the lab. He hopes to work for 6 months to 1 year after graduating, and then apply to grad school for a degree in Ecology. I appreciate that he has dedicated so much time to this project and he seems to be enthusiastic about learning as many skills in the lab as possible. While I don't know if I can convince him to join the field of microplastics research, I'm glad to have his support on this chapter of my research.

Tune in next week to hear more about the status of my current research and what I have planned for the future. If you are interested in hearing more about my research, I will be presenting at the 18th International Meiofauna Conference this December, and the conference is 100% virtual. If you are interested in learning more about the conference, ​here's a link where you can read all about the world of meiofauna researchers.

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