I am a sophomore student at Juneau Douglas High School in Juneau, Alaska. I have been intrigued with science all of my life simply because I have always wanted to understand "why."  I look forward to having a career in either archeology, anthropology, paleontology, microbiology, genetics or even being an astrophysicist.  Essentially, I'm interested in a lot and I'm not quite sure what I want be yet.  As long as I'm learning something new and interesting, I'll be more than happy.

All through middle-school, I attended Camp W.A.T.E.R. Camp W.A.T.E.R is a math, science, culture based summer camp in Juneau, Alaska. Each year we did various middle-school level experiments that I can credit being some of my first hands on experiments. Some of these experiments are shown below:

  In this experiment, we found the pH of different solutions using cabbage juice as an indicator.

We then separated the different solutions by color and discussed which ones were basic, neutral or acidic. This was my first experience looking at pH levels and it wasn't until two years later that I learned the same material in school.

Brining

One of our cooking activities was learning how to traditionally prepare and smoke salmon. The step in the process that stuck out to me was the brining and the science behind it. We were taught that the reason the potato floated was from adding enough salt to the water so that it becomes more dense than the potato. Being less dense than the water, the potato floated.

Bacteria Part 1

In this lab, we took swabs of different areas of the camp grounds, such as the bathroom, to test how much bacteria were in those areas. This was a good experiment to discuss the wide spread areas germs are located, and where germs are most prevalent.

Once the swabs were taken, we rubbed them over agar. We learned that by putting the sealed containers in cupboard at room temperature, it provided the ideal environment for the bacteria to grow. After just a couple days, we were able to see the bacteria's growth and compare the amount of bacteria from different parts of camp.

Bacteria Part 2

In the second part of our bacteria experiment, we put white powder on our hands for about five minutes. After sitting there for a sufficient time, we were able to look under a black light all the places we had touched our clothes or our face. This was to discuss the easy spread of germs. Next our instructors had us wash our hands as best we could. We then looked under the black light again and saw where most of us still had the white powder on the back of our hands.

Zooplankton

This lab included looking at zooplankton under a microscope. It was fun to see all of the creatures swimming around in the water. In fact, it was so inspiring that I chose to do a 7 month science project about zooplankton. Below is the abstract for that project:

How Location affects the Composition of Zooplankton in the Water of Auke Bay Harbor

To determine how location affects the composition of zooplankton in the water of Auke Bay harbor, two sites were tested (location A and Location B). Different variables were measured at each site to see which characteristics of the location would affect the composition; depth, temperature and salinity. Three light boxes containing activated light sticks were submerged at each site on the same day at 2m, 4m and 6m above the sea floor for a rough total of 16.5 hours. The results of my experiment did not support my null hypothesis that both locations would have the same zooplankton composition. The total sum of zooplankton at location A was 650, 70% of which were unidentified amphipods (Amphipoda). Location B had a total sum of 140 zooplankton, 55% of which were calanoid copepods (Acartia omorii). Location A had a temperature of 2°C and a depth of 20m, location B had a temperature of 3°C and a depth of 40m. Because of the difference in these variables, I can conclude that cooler, shallower parts of Auke Bay Harbor (location A) tend to have a greater zooplankton composition than the water with a warmer temperature and deeper depth (location B).

The data I collected shows that the importance of zooplankton to our ecosystem continues during winter, even when their numbers are reduced. Everyone is affected by the amount of zooplankton in the water, because these small organisms are the foundation of the Oceanic food chain. Their presence is vital to the ecosystem they support.

  To the left is Auke Bay Harbor

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