S-STEM/TRAIN Scholar Jasmine Patricio

For my new project we will be testing the types of bacteria that grows on plastics 1-6, based on different water lakes. We will first be sanitizing all plastics 1-6 and the tea pods to make sure the bacteria they are growing only comes from the lakes. Then we will be putting the two water samples from Tempe Town Lake & Encanto Park in sanitized clean jars. Then we will be putting plastics 1-6 in separate tea pods. Six will go in jar. We then will analyze the type of bacteria growth. But since I don’t yet have the water samples what I still am working on sanitizing the tea pods and plastic. Also from my previous project with microplastics extraction from sediment I am still waiting for the Potassium Carbonate to arrive to redo my extraction with SPI 6 and Potassium Carbonate. Meanwhile I wait for those two I could also work on my poster for our presentation at Metro- Tech High School and other research conferences.

This week in lab there hasn't been much start/continue because I am still waiting on the Potassium Carbonate order to arrive. So while waiting things I have done are help Amber with anything maintenance that she needs. So far she has showed me how to clean microscopes, then she will teach me how to make samples for like other labs. What I am also working on is decorating the computer place a bit more. But while I wait I will be sanitizing plastics 1-6. To get them ready for when I start the next part of my project.

Hello, everyone my name is Jasmine I am a sophomore at Phoenix College & this is my 4 ½ term with Stem. I started Stem during the summer when I graduated from Metro Tech High School. I have done two big projects throughout my two years of being at Phoenix College. 1. Develop a protocol from isolation of lysozyme from Egg White The synthesis of the Chicken egg white Extraction and DNA Extraction from the bacteria  Serratia Marcescens was performed to verify if it is possible to develop a protocol from the isolation of Yolk from a Chicken Egg. 2. Determine how effective the NOAA protocols are for removing micro plastics from sediments. Effectiveness of the NOAA protocol will be determined by the percent recovery of the previously added micro plastics . This will be done for all six types of plastics. My major is Biology; Biomedical Research. My first interest  in biology began when I was in elementary school. My teacher was an energetic professor who...

This week I went to the Biosphere field trip with Dr. Cotter and Abeer. The original vision of Biosphere 2 was to create a model of earth’s natural systems: rainforest, ocean, savanna, wetlands, and desert. This unique ability to manipulate environments provides scientists’ greater understanding of global climate change effects and causes. The mission of Biosphere 2 is to advance our understanding of the natural and manmade environment through unique experimentation, training of interdisciplinary scientists, science education and public outreach, and organization of meetings to address grand challenges that affect the quality of life and the understanding of our place in the universe.  The seven model ecosystems are: 1) a mature rain forest with over 90 tropical tree species, 2) a 2600 m3 ocean, 3) forested swamps dominated by mangrove trees, 4) a tropical savanna grassland, 5) a 1400 m2 coastal fog desert, 6) three desert hillslope grass-shrubland landscapes, and 7) Biosphere 2...

This week in Lab I was able to finish my graph for the extractions of microplastics, this means I will be able to continue working on my conclusions that was not able to finish last semester. Though notice that in SPI 6 (Polystyrene) there is bar missing which is suppose to be the Potassium Carbonate (K2CO3). The reason that this section will not have a bar of itself is because there was a problem with the percent recovery from it and the stand deviation from it. When the plastic dried out and I weighed it, it was surprisingly much heavier than it has began with. This could either mean that the plastic absorbed the Hydrogen peroxide/ DI Water and made it more dense or that the plastic wasn't completely dry. At the moment I will finish writing my report with this missing bar and will have to include this error in my conclusion claims. Until further notice to redo this part of my project. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break (:

This week in Lab the only plastic I am waiting to weigh is SPI6. The reason this one is taking longer is because when I rinsed it with DI water it soaked some of the water up which meant I had to leave it in longer to dry out than the other plastics. Then when it was completely done drying I put the hydrogen peroxide to get rid of any nature products that could have been left behind. Right now they are still drying, until they are completely dry is when I will then be weighing it and that will conclude my last sample for weighing. After that I will finally have all data to analyze. I will be determining which extraction method/ water solution works best on microplastics. I will also be determining plastic loss in all three different solutions and see if there was a was to better change the protocol that the NOAA developed for extraction of microplastics from sediments.

This week in lab I was able to finish the extraction of the micro plastics with the Potassium Carbonate, they were then rinsed with DI water through the vacuum sucker while I tried to remove the small leftover sediment. Then they were put in the heating oven so that they were dry. For the final step I put Hydrogen Peroxide in all of the sediments so that it could dissolve any nature particles left, that could affect the final measurements. This will be my final solution run that I will do. What is left to do is just analyze the data. Some of the outcomes from this solution that was different from the others was that this one smelled like the incubator that holds bacteria in the lab room, Matt said it smelled like a swamp or something but it was a really disturbing odor. Also this solution was a bit more hazardous than the others ones because it could have caused skin irritation. With this solution though it was very easy to separate the sediment from the plastic because all 1-6 pla...