Wageningen Day 10 Sam

My first week on the job has gone much better than I could have ever predicted. The Aquaculture department here at Wageningen was beyond welcoming in they I’ve learned about every research project currently running at the hatcheries, by different people working on each project. I was able to help a masters student with her project that examines coral consumption of artemia and also amino acid input to stimulate consumption.

She finished this week, but since she was not able to get all of the data her supervisor would like with the new acid input, they have passed the work on to me to complete next week. We exam 8 different corals, 4 types, complete water sample collections 4 times per hour with each set of 2 corals and then analyze the samples by counting the number of remaining artemia, to determine how many were consumed.

I was also able to help with a much bigger project that being sponsored by the government of the Netherlands. It is a 2 year project that concerns Nile tilapia fish farming and whether closed re-circulation system are causing growth retardation. With this project, we took many samples from 4 different systems, I worked with filtering samples to be prepared to determine COD and mineral levels. I found this project particularly interesting because we completed a small tilapia fish farming study during my program in Jamaica and this situation is much different, but does have similarities.

It has been very enjoyable so far working in the aquaculture department. Everybody in the hatchery is so welcoming to my presence and I had no idea I could learn so much in just 3 days.

Wageningen Day 9-11 Allison

This week has been great! I have met a lot of great researchers, all part of an animal physiology team. I have been working under Professor Katja Teerds in labs with her graduate students.

How has your first week “on the job” gone?
The first week was great! I started out obeserving, but by the second day, I was allowed to help with some of the slide staining procedures and then tissue cutting from parafin blocks.

What did you do?
I have toured all but one of the animal science facilities used by my work group. This includes the isotope labs, the photography lab, the rat behavior and experiment rooms, the livestock houses, the staining labs, and a lab for nutritionists and physiologists to use to test engergy consupmtion in humans. I have also done some hands on work preparing slides of testis from hypothalimic rats as well as preparing supplies for an upcoming radioimmune assay.

What did you learn?
I have learned quite a bit about how to use antibodies to stain certain cells in slides. In the lab I have been helping in, they are using vectastain and the ABC method, which is a very sensitive method of staining. I also sat in on some presentations of other projects going on currently. One of these was on the recognition by cells of a certain protein receptor that may be linked to cancer.

What did you find particularly interesting?
I find the process of using primary and secondary antibodies to stain specific cells for their function particularly interesting. It is amazing to me how this technique works. The girl I have been helping is staining testes for identification of Leydig cells. Only these cells will turn brown, while the rest of the tissue turns blue.

What did you find frustrating?
The only part I have found frustrating is how much each student is expected to just know. They just asked me to help, assuming I had all the skills necessary to do the job, but there are many things I have never seen before. At first, I thought this was just because I am at an earlier stage of schooling than the other students, but one student told me that this was the case for her as well when she came, and she wished she had had someone walk her through the basics the first time, but they were upset when she needed help.

I have been very lucky to see all these things they are doing. I feel very in the way when I am there, but I am appreciative that this team is willing to take time out and share what is going on and allow me to visit other labs.