Author Archives: Victoria Green

As my third summer research program, I am somewhat invested in this whole ‘science’ thing.

Sarah, Ben, Dr. Bernhardt, and me. (I’m helping to integrate the ‘selfie’ in science)

A couple weeks back, the HHRFs were able to hear about Dr. Susan Alberts‘ research with baboons. As someone who is super interested in spending a semester in South Africa(which is only 2,000-3,000 miles from Kenya), it was exciting to learn about field research that is thousands of miles away from the Duke.

Dr. Alberts has been studying this population of baboons (a type of old world monkeys) for decades. This massive project looks into group dynamics, behavior, genetics, hormones, and a whole host of other factors.Her researchers use non-invasive observation to study the baboons without affecting their behavior. This project has shown how: female baboons stay with the same social group their entire life preventing inbreeding as oly the males change groups, how the beta male is the best spot in terms of testosterone and stress, and how fathering improves the health of female offspring. It was like watching an interactive National Geographic special. Imagine doing fieldwork with Mt. Kilimanjaro as your backdrop and having to deal with problems like elephant damage to your vehicle.

I really hope I get to experience the more rugged side of science during my Duke career. Although, WWTP are pretty wild. Just look at some of these photos:

Survival of the Fittest: WWTP Edition

A Howard Hughes Research Fellow (me) catching activated sludge.

Wrestling with a wild cuvette.

My mentor, Ben, likes to joke about providing us with an “authentic research experience;” which includes many highs and lows. This week featured a (multiple) mad dash(es) to find enough lab supplies for a time sensitive operation, 4 rides with the Duke Vans, and lots of mixed liquor (don’t get excited, that’s WWTP talk for poop and bacteria).

I am knee deep in my experiment at the moment (not literally thank goodness!). I am calling it PINTs (Pints of Icky Nanosilver and Toxins). I have water samples from 4 different stages of the wastewater treatment process in nifty pint containers, and I have dosed them with high concentrations of nanosilver. For three days I will monitor the particle size distribution and concentration. Pretty simple, huh? (Answer: No).

I learned several valuable lessons this past week:

1. Order supplies way ahead of time. I was so busy with other lab projects, I neglected to make sure I had what I needed for upcoming steps.
2. Everything takes longer than you expect it to – at least the first time. But I’m getting faster!
3. Science is tough, but worth it. After spending the weekend with this funky machine (see this post), I got numbers! Fancy, scientific numbers that no one has ever collected in the same way before!  (Of course, I only have a vague idea what these numbers might mean, but I’m working on it . . . )

Only two weeks left, and they are going to be hectic! For SCIENCE!!!

P.S. I spent a lot of time in the lab this weekend, so naturally I made a video presentation of my ‘work.’ Enjoy this short, light-hearted video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRlM5MWdaBI

This week I got to hear a little bit about what the rest of Howard Hughes is up to this summer. Lots of letters and numbers and abbreviations, and a couple of model organisms. Most of my peers’ talks made me want to brush up on my molecular bio and genetics. It was interesting to see just how much biological research varies (and at only one (fantastic) university)!

Becky is also working with plants, although the greener type. She drew a diagram  of the life cycle of a plant and highlighted how important germination is. Simple right? Eh. When you really think about it, germinating at the wrong time/conditions could kill the plant. Germination, as Becky said, helps determines fitness. She is working with Arabidopsis; which google says looks like this:

Flowering Locus C (FLC) is responsible for repressing flowering (and FLC is repressed by cold like winter).  Her main project this summer features seeds with genetically different levels of FLC which she will expose to harsh conditions to see if germination rates are affected. The harsh condition for her experiment created by polyethylene glycol (PEG) which blocks seeds access to water. 

It looks really interesting and it seems like Becky will have lots to do these last few weeks! As for me, I’ll be visiting more plants next week (the wastewater kind). Woo!

What’s an average day in the Bernhardt Lab? Four weeks in and I can’t really answer that. First thing I do when I walk in is set my stuff down at my desk. After that, who knows?!

Photo from CEINT Mesocosms Webcam

One day, we headed out early and collected water and sediment samples from ponds all over the Triangle Area. Another day, I was reading papers and cleaning vials. My project allows me to experience the entire research process. From contacting WWTPs and reading (an infinite number of) papers to collecting and analyzing samples. My workdays so far included: wading through swamps, acid washing, running/learning to run the DLS (see previous post), identifying spiders, drying spiders, driving to the mesocosms, trying to find a vehicle for me to use while sampling, dining with the lab, and asking questions (many, many questions).

Next week, I will begin to analyze my first samples. I am sure that it will include a host of new procedures to learn and will totally ruin any schedule I was starting to develop. . . But I really enjoy the unpredictability of my lab. For example, some lab people I won’t see for days because they might be sampling or vacationing or attending conferences. It’s a dynamic and lively community of researchers that I am very glad to be a part of this summer.

A picture says a thousand words. But this one from my lab says two very important ones (again):

This week was exhausting terrifying stimulating SCIENCE!

I am working with a lovely post doc (Fabienne) in the engineering school and she is showing me how to use the Zetasizer DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering) – which will be used in my project later on.

Just like the familiar adage, ‘the early bird doesn’t catch heat stroke;’ we had to get up with the sun to sample at the CEINT mesocosms. So this week involved a lot of DLS, a lot of early mornings and a lot of explanations by Fabienne (the DLS uses the Stokes-Einstein equation . . . ). But I think I get it now.

I also had to do a lot of preliminary work. I had to contact people at local wastewater treatment plants to ask/beg if we could sample at their facilities (only one positive response so far). I also had to get and prepare my supplies. I had to make this nifty net (to the left).

On Friday I got to visit my first wastewater treatment plant. I don’t think many people realize how incredibly complicated the process is . . . and it is honestly not  as gross as you might think. I collected water, duckweed, algae and spiders. I collected the itty bitty spiders while my more, um, adventurous cohort caught the huge ones. Like this monster below.

And then I hate to identify these terrors (it’s a Bold Jumper just fyi). Then I had to filter and label and preserve my samples. And by preserve I mean flash freeze in liquid nitrogen! I like living on the edge (liquid nitrogen, spiders, lasers, science, etc.). Overall, it was an exciting and exhausting week – which is just what I signed up for.

I am really starting to work on my actual project. To put it simply, I am looking at the fate of nanoparticles in an ecosystem. The ecosystem I am focusing on is manmade (wastewater treatment plant) but does have the potential to already have engineered nanoparticles. The Bernhardt Lab is interested in (many things including) the biogeochemistry of nutrients, energy, and most recently, nanoparticles.

It seems Dr. Bernhardt was destined to be a scientist. Growing up next to a retired biology teacher gave Dr. Bernhardt the opportunity to go next door and ask questions. She frequently went on camping trips with her family and played in the streams behind her home. She grew up with a deep love for the outdoors and was pleased to discover in high school that you could make a living studying it!

In her college application essay, Miss Bernhardt wrote that she wanted to be a wetlands ecologist. Dr. Bernhardt now mostly focuses on streams. Except for a brief moment of doubt after an enormous(ly boring) introductory science class, Dr. Bernhardt has continued down that path outlined in her admissions essay. (How many people can say that?)

To become a Primary Investigator (PI) is a long and difficult process. Dr. Bernhardt said you have to really want it. You have to endure project failures and rejected proposals and experiments going awry. But for her, the benefits dwarf the negatives. She loves being able to ask questions that matter and to spend her time answering them. As an ecosystem scientist, it’s nearly impossible to study a complex environmental problem by herself. She enjoys interacting with people who know a whole lot more about one aspect than she does. Collaboration is not only enjoyable for her but it also provides a more holistic understanding of the environments she is studying. However, her favorite part of the job is mentoring students. She seemed honored that brilliant people wanted to spend years of their life working with her. Dr. Bernhardt described it as a truly mutually beneficial environment – she is able to learn so much through her students.

Dr. Bernhardt remarked that most science classes are basically science history lessons. The science she loves is not focused on memorizing facts and regurgitating them for exams. As for any college student who is facing an introductory science course and slowly losing interest in the field, Dr. Bernhardt says it gets better. Real science is about making observations, asking questions, finding answers, and then starting all over again. Which is what she gets to do for a living. 

In our brief interview, I was struck by how passionate Dr. Bernhardt is about her work. It seems that truly enjoys what she does, and it is a sentiment shared by her lab members. I look forward to getting to know the rest of the Bernhardt Lab a little better!

I can’t believe I am back in the lab! I participated in two research summer programs previously, so I thought I would know what to expect this summer. . .

Already the Howard Hughes Research Fellows program has surpassed my expectations! I was assigned to the absolute BEST lab (for me at least)! Fall semester I took a seminar course on biological research at Duke and for my final project I focused on the work of Dr. Emily Bernhardt. And now I am working in her lab. Awesome, right?

CEINT Mesocosms: One of the many projects coming out of the Bernhardt Lab

The Bernhardt Lab is interested in “aquaterrestrial biogeochemical” which includes the movement of nutrients and even pollutants through ecosystems. Dr. Bernhardt is also involved with the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT) – which is where my project comes in. I will be looking at the role of nanoparticles in managed human ecosystems . . . namely wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). 

Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant photo from Google Earth

So, the simplified version: Nanoparticles are just very very tiny particles (nanometer = one billionth of a meter) that are used in a wide array of consumer products from cosmetics to paints.  Nanoparticles have many potential benefits, but little is known about their toxicological or environmental effects (hence CEINT). Plenty of laboratory studies that simulate ecosystems have already been conducted, but very few have looked at how large dynamic natural systems will react to these particles. What we need is an ecosystem that is (potentially) already contaminated by nanoparticles. Like many other pollutants, nanomaterials will ultimately end up at WWTPs. There are several organisms that live in wastewater treatment plants from duckweed to even clams and we will be testing these organisms to see if nanomaterials are traveling up the food chain and what that might mean for other ecosystems. 

The PI: Dr. Emily Bernhardt.

The Mentor: Ben Colman

I expect this summer to be challenging, fun, and exciting. But most importantly, I hope to get a fantastic nature self portrait like all the people of the Bernhardt Lab seem to have. As the wise Bill Nye said many times, “Science rules.”