Until last year, I never thought that microbial ecology would be
something that I would be interested in. However, while taking a course in Environmental
Microbiology with my now-mentor, Dr. Jonas, last year and participating in the
class research project examining bacterioplankton abundance and anoxia in the
lower Potomac River, I became fascinated in the role that microorganisms play
in the environment. From there, I was able to develop my own research project,
which focuses on the structure of bacterial communities in the lower Potomac
River over a tidal cycle.
Most of the time I’ve devoted to this project so far has been spent in
the lab extracting DNA from filters or measuring bacterial abundances, biochemical
oxygen demand, and chlorophyll concentrations. However, one of the most
exciting parts of my research so far was collecting samples in July and October
of this year. Dr. Jonas, Dr. Hamdan, and I were on board the research vessel
Dark Side at station PO3A in the lower Potomac River for nearly 12 hours for
each sampling. This enabled us to collect samples for molecular analysis,
biochemical oxygen demand, chlorophyll concentrations, and bacterial abundances
as well as measure temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen throughout the
water column over the course of a tidal cycle.
As a senior in Environmental Science, this research project has
definitely helped me to find an area of research within my field that I enjoy
and am passionate about. Currently, I am planning to pursue a Masters degree with
a focus in microbial ecology. My hope is that this will enable me to pursue a
career in research so that I may continue to be involved in the exciting world
of microbial ecology.
