GEOL 390 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/ Heteromastus, Sediment, and What It Means to Me en-us Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:25:01 EST Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:25:01 EST rita.cabral@case.edu rita.cabral@case.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Movable Type v3.121 Week 15 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/25/week_15 i cant believe the last week of class is finally over. this week was the "final draft" peer review of... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/25/week_15 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:25:01 EST i cant believe the last week of class is finally over. this week was the "final draft" peer review of our research proposals. i got a lot of good feedback and talked some of it over with mccall today. i have a meeting on tuesday to go over the critique before i make any changes. once i edit it again, i'll be done.

on the project side of things; alex had the computer apart for the weekend and i didnt have time to go in and check on things this week so ill be in monday to start the scanner again. also, mccall is still undecided about the date of the new hampshire trip and won't really know until the may field course is sorted out. which im really excited to be taking.

the end.

]]> Week 14 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/18/week_14 this week has been so crazy and next week looks even worse as finals come into view and due dates... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/18/week_14 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:17:27 EST this week has been so crazy and next week looks even worse as finals come into view and due dates pass. i have invested a ridiculous amount of time into editing my research proposal and i'm pretty confident that my advisor is getting annoyed with all my questions. ah well, almost done. im kind of nervous for the panel review. but all in all i'm really happy this semester is almost over.

in laboratory news; the scan has finished running. i'll be analyzing the data today/over the weekend to see how the curves look. also, i'm pretty sure alex is almost done making the backup system. so things are going well.

]]> Week 13 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/11/week_13 this week has been pretty hectic with classes starting to wrap up. the research proposal is coming together pretty alright.... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/11/week_13 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:51:39 EST this week has been pretty hectic with classes starting to wrap up. the research proposal is coming together pretty alright. i've never had to write one before so despite the guidelines we have i'm not super confident that i'm saying what i need to say. i might be writing it more like a lab report with some extra sections like budget and timeline. i guess that's what the first draft is for though.

as far as the actual project goes, the scanner is catching on the track it runs on. we put the cells in the aquaria and ran the scanner but when i went in to check on it, the scanner was in the middle of two cells...so obviously it got messed up when it started moving around. we're going to have to figure out what to do about it before we collect the organisms, this can't be happening when the real experiment is going. today we're going to be moving around some microcosms and reprogramming the setup table so we can scan the last four cells. the first 5 cells it collected data for were aligned just fine, i still have to analyze the data though.

]]> Week 12 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/03/week_12 this week has been going good so far. i got some good feedback, our discussions spurred some good questions, and... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/04/03/week_12 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:49:24 EST this week has been going good so far. i got some good feedback, our discussions spurred some good questions, and got me motivated to really get down to the roots of what the project is all about. which is what i intended in the first place but something always gets in the way...like school. so i'm pretty happy it's required for me to ask these things or else i wouldnt've found the time. which is partly why im so excited for summer cuz i'll only be taking one class at a time and working in the lab. so, ill have a decent amount of time to read up on sedimentology and background.

in the lab we put the cells into the aquaria and started an initial scan to observe how the peaks look. hopefully they look splendid and i wont have to redo any of the cells. it'd be kind of a crunch i feel, but totally doable, to have any redo's done by the time we get the organisms.

i'm just trying to give these last 3 weeks everything i've got...it's just my luck to be a point away from a higher grade...but not this time mr. gpa monster...today is not your day...i will win.

]]> Week 11 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/28/week_11 so this week has been exhausting. i had three exams so not much work got done in the lab...not that... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/28/week_11 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:31:21 EST so this week has been exhausting. i had three exams so not much work got done in the lab...not that there's a whole lot left right now anyways. next week we're going to put the cells into the aquaria and scan them to make sure the peaks are clear enough. we're trying to scan them before alex puts in the backup computer system. the machine will be down for a while while he's doing that...which is ok since we dont have the worms yet.

in class, we have been assigned to get our proposal outline done, which i plan to do this weekend. then i'll be able to ask gerry questions when he gets back about the analysis. mccall has already answered a couple about the procedure so i'll be on my way in no time.

busy busy busy

]]> Week 10 (no Week 9: spring break) http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/20/week_10_no_week_9_spring_break So break is over and we're all back in school. Over break I got the majority of the cells finished... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/20/week_10_no_week_9_spring_break case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:59:55 EST So break is over and we're all back in school. Over break I got the majority of the cells finished with the expectation that I'd have specimens when I returned. Unfortunately, the lab on the east coast isn't open yet since it's so cold still. So, it looks like I won't have them till June. Yeish. Until then we're continuing with the scanning of what's in the aquaria now.

In class, our annotated bibliographies were due. I need to go over all the material a few more times and ask Matisoff some questions about the mathematics of the data analysis so I could fully explain it to someone else if I had to. I should probably start on the proposal within the week to allow myself a ton of time. Then I won't be all stressed out come the end of the semester.

We also heard from Lauren about her project. I pretty much already knew what was going on since I have a class with her but I still appreciated the advice. I'm glad I'm doing the data collection over summer when I have more time available. I'll be looking forward to Evan's insight since I hardly ever see him to know what's going on with his project.

]]> Week 8 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/07/week_8 this week we were back in action. we were mostly discussing grad school requirements and job options. i'm only a... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/07/week_8 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:37:36 EST this week we were back in action. we were mostly discussing grad school requirements and job options. i'm only a sophomore so i don't need to be really worried and stressed about it now but it does freak me out. mostly because everything i'm doing now and comprehending now will determine where i am and what i'm doing after college.

no pressure or anything.

in the lab we almost had another setback. the machine started messing up again so mccall and matisoff got some machine shop guys to fix it. now it's golden. also, half of the cells are finished and i'll be coming in over break to get the other half done. mccall and alex are supposed to be going to the east coast to get specimens over break so we should be getting the experiment underway shortly.

have a good spring break everyone!

]]> Week 7 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/07/week_7 We didn't have class so I don't really have anything to say. I got my hands on an enormous amount... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/03/07/week_7 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:34:39 EST We didn't have class so I don't really have anything to say.

I got my hands on an enormous amount of literature.
I have been layering. They're almost done.

That is all.

]]> Week 6 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/02/21/week_6 this week things are coming together. the parts came in and the machine is back on track. we should be... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/02/21/week_6 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:37:47 EST this week things are coming together. the parts came in and the machine is back on track. we should be able to start taking data again soon. as far as layering goes, i haven't been in much. things are getting really hectic for me so i've been putting it off. hopefully i'll be back in the game starting next week.

in class we've switched gears from reading papers and seeing faculty to discussing our individual projects. i've got some literature to read over the course of next week and i need to define my research question.

other than that, i have nothing to report. life is getting to me big time this week.

]]> Week 5 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/02/15/week_5 This week has been really uneventful as far as my senior project goes. Still just waiting for the parts and... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/02/15/week_5 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:32:33 EST This week has been really uneventful as far as my senior project goes. Still just waiting for the parts and cleaning stuff. I guess everything should be good to go by next week. I've just been continuing to layer as well.

Ralph and Whiting both presented their research to us this week. What Ralph had to say really interested me and I'm now considering doing two senior projects. I'm not planning to do them at the same time, because I'd like to do well on both of them, but sometime in the future.

I don't have much to say this week. I've been pumping my energy into studying for the physics exam we had today. So tired...

]]> Week 4 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/02/07/week_4 This week ended up going much smoother. The machine is clean and all we're waiting for is the ball bearings... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/02/07/week_4 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:10:02 EST This week ended up going much smoother. The machine is clean and all we're waiting for is the ball bearings to come in the mail. The rest of the cells have been set up, thanks to the clamps Clark let me steal, and I have begun to layer again. The layers look much better. I think I'll be recycling some cells from the aquaria as well so I can have the best lookin' layers this side of the Mississippi. We'll be back in business in no time.

In class we've been keeping up with the papers and dicussions. This week we heard from Van Orman and McCall. I've never actually met Van Orman so it was kind of cool to see what his role in the department is. McCall and his research I'm already familiar with but a review is always good, right?

So all in all this week is much better than the last one, I just don't have that much to say about it.

ps. 57 page papers are my favorite kind of paper

]]> Week 3 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/01/30/week_3 If last week was a speed bump then this week was hitting the Great Wall. Friday we ran a scan... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/01/30/week_3 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:00:41 EST If last week was a speed bump then this week was hitting the Great Wall.

Friday we ran a scan of some box core samples after running the messed up cells. Somehow the xray broke or something and the result was taking it apart completely. New bearings needed to be ordered and they're coming in about 7-10 days. In the mean time Alex and I have to clean the track and get everything ready to be put back together. Plus I have to finish layering. I haven't done any this week. Mostly due to the fact that this week is kicking my butt. Mostly just physics is getting in the way of my life. But I'm hoping to be all caught up by the end of the weekend and should be in a good position to proceed with the layering and what not.

In class we've been reading papers and hearing about what each professor does in the department. I'm enjoying it. First, because I get to see the full range of what the geology department studies here. Second, I enjoy analyzing the papers in a group. If I tried to read and analyze one fully on my own, I would not get as much out of it. Probably because of my skill level and not really knowing anything in depth about the area of the studies we're reading. But I'm sure all this analyzing and critical thinking will come in handy later.

So word of the week: BUSY. Yea, in all capitals.

]]> Week 2 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/01/25/week_2 So this week I hit my first speed bump. First I should probably explain what I'm doing, and then I... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/01/25/week_2 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:27:57 EST So this week I hit my first speed bump.

First I should probably explain what I'm doing, and then I can explain how it got complicated.

I've been layering some microcosms with the Great Bay sediment McCall collected over break. They're alternating with a thin layer of cesium. Everything was going great until the cesium was added. The cesium layers I laid look distorted because of the layers of sediment underneath. So, I had to take a time out from layering...which takes about two weeks uninterrupted...and had to put the cells into the gamma xray machine to see if the layers are too wide. We looked at the data and the bottom two layers look a little sloppy but they are still usable. Crisis averted. But, I did start using a different technique when laying the sediment and it seems to be making the layers nice and flat.

Unfortunately I am going out of town this weekend and can't resume layering until I get back. Bummer.

In other news, Professor Hauck had a discussion with us about his paper and research in general. It was kinda cool to be able to directly discuss a paper with the person that published it. I learned a lot more about what he does in the department. I'll be looking forward to seeing the extent of everyone else's research. Especially since some profs seem like a mystery to me. I'm sure it has to do with the fact I haven't had a class with all of them yet.

So that's all I feel was important this week of January 20th, 2008. Have a nice weekend everyone.

]]> Week 1 http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/01/16/week_1 this week marks the beginning of school and therefore the beginning of GEOL 390:Intro to Geological Research. Better known as... http://blog.case.edu/rita.cabral/2008/01/16/week_1 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:34:20 EST this week marks the beginning of school and therefore the beginning of GEOL 390:Intro to Geological Research. Better known as pick-a-senior-project class amongst the undergrads. i feel like i've started this whole process a bit backwards since i've already begun my project. the reason being i may go to Australia for study abroad. however, my adventure may not be happening anymore...in which case i'm just being an over achiever and starting my project way early, but that's a whole nother story. in any event, i've begun a project with Gerald Matisoff and Peter McCull. we're looking at how macro organisms are able to turn over sediment layers because of their feeding habits. right now we are looking at clymenella and heteromastus which are two kinds of worms that live and feed in the sediment. this will end up having implications for burying contaminated sediment with clean sediment. we'll be able to know how deep the clean layer will need to be so the organisms don't bring up the contaminated sediment or how long it will take them to and things like that. ill explain more and things will probably be clearer as this journal goes on.

i think that's all i care to explain for today...yay senior project!

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