Week 8 Fall 2018: SEM, Guest Speaker, and ASU West

This week we prepped the stutzeri and fluorescence plastic 3 time study samples for the SEM (Scanning electron microscopy). Today we analyzed as much as we could but we had a guest speaker for STEAM club (I am VP for the club) so we had to cut our session short at the SEM so we could be in attendance. It kind of sucks for me though since I have a class and have to leave club early, so I missed most of the lecture which was about ecology and entomology. Shame. Tomorrow I look forward to the ASU West Mixer, I will get the opportunity to speak with the professor of Applied Computing about eventually joining their internship. Busy week.

Week 7 Fall 2018: FTIR (ghost) protocol

(https://talkfilmsociety.com/articles/blue-is-glue-red-is-dead-mission-impossible-ghost-protocol)

Well this week and last week we have been brainstorming and researching the best ways to use the FTIR for our co-incubated microplastic samples. We have found several articles that we can learn from. We are really trying to have consistency with our plastics which is a huge challenge considering microplastics are naturally irregular. We are working on a solution to this problem. Basically we have to create our own protocols for our biodegradation analysis. Hence my title, first off I love the movie and every time I hear the word protocol I think of it, but I thought the gif was fitting since I'm coming out of midterms this past week and a half.

Week 6 Fall 2018: Fall Break

(https://www.ewa.org/blog-educated-reporter/limits-testing-getting-beyond-standardized-story)

This week is fall break for my kids. I have no fall break. You can see how this can be a bit of a problem. I have not been in the lab this week but I have been busy. I have found new plastics and a very specific tool for the project. I have to turn in my background which is late. This week has been a busy one, I had two midterms and I have my last one next week for statistics. Well I promise to have something more exciting next week. One can only hope.

Week 5 Fall 2018: AZBIO conference

Let the fiesta begin! I am blogging as Kassy and I sit and wait for our cocktail hour to begin at the AZBIO Awards conference. We got here extremely early but it has been nice to claim a great spot near the front of the room. We have been walking around and have seen many interesting posters. The crowd is very diverse lots of young students and many different projects and I have yet to see one like ours. I am so excited for the festivities to begin. I'll let you all know how it ends next week. Time to order my complementary margarita.