When
I took Ecology and Evolution last semester, my lab TA gave a mini lecture about
how an understanding of Ecology can be applied when studying human health and
medicine. I wanted to explore this idea further, and discovered Conservation
Medicine, a field that focuses on understanding how human interaction with the
environment can harm both animals and humans. One such example is how cultural
eutrophication, which is when a body of water accumulates excess nutrients due
to water pollution, can cause large volumes of phytoplankton to accumulate, and
some are capable of producing neurotoxins. If a fish eats the neurotoxin
producing phytoplankton, it becomes a carrier, and if a human eats the fish, it
can be lethal.
During
this past semester, I’ve been analyzing data taken by my mentor Dr. Ren from
Barnegat Bay in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, which consists of information
regarding the phytoplankton species composition and water quality of different
water samples. These analyses demonstrate the distribution of different
phytoplankton species and how they relate to environmental factors that are
derived from the water quality data. Some of these environmental factors
include the water’s salinity, temperature, nitrogen content, and phosphorous
content. Some of them are naturally occurring factors while others are
triggered by human interaction and water pollution, and I’m working towards
accessing how substantial human impact is on this estuary. Through this
project, I’ve discovered several new methods of data analysis, as well as new
software that is dedicated to analyzing ecological data. I’ve also learned how
to properly compile data so that the program can effectively analyze the water
sample and produce understandable results – a process that I never realized was
so important.
I
have an interest in community health, and understanding how conserving and
preserving the environment can help in improving the health of a community as a
whole excites me. I’m hoping to become a pediatrician, and I’m interested in
finding ways to improve the health of future generations that are often
overlooked, and are not practiced within the walls of a hospital or doctor’s
office.
