I recently got back from Woods Hole, Massachusetts and a one month stay at the Marine Biology Laboratory (MBL). The MBL is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the country and is steeped with a rich history of scientific discovery, way more than I could give justice to in a blog post. Here is a
link to their website if you would like to learn more about the MBL. The above image was taken from School Street, across from Eel pond. Starting from left to right, the building to the far left is the Marine Resource Center. Everyday a boat leaves Eel pond and heads out to sea to collect various specimens for the researchers and the animals they collect are housed there. The building to right of the MRC is the Lilly Building. Some administrative stuff is in that building but most importantly the library is there. The MBL library is top notch and I spent several evenings tucked away inside it. The building to the right of the Lilly is the Loeb Building. This is where all of our labs were. To the right of Loeb is Ebert Hall where my dorm room was. I must say, I do not miss the dorm life! Luckily, I had an awesome roommate. Finally to the right of Ebert Hall, on the far right of the image, is the Swope dining hall where I somehow managed to befriend all of the cafeteria ladies!
I applied to, and was accepted to, the Summer Program in Neuroscience, Ethics, and Survival course better known as SPINES. I was there the end of June, beginning of July, 2009. The basic structure of the course involved an introduction to the action potential where we spent one week modeling action potentials using custom computer software. This was followed by 2 weeks of playing around with intact crawfish preparations and using suction electrodes to record extracellular potentials both spontaneously and evoked under different conditions. To the complete novice, like myself, this was a great experience. However, to the typical neuroscience graduate student, I would imagine this being rather rudimentary.
The final week of the class was human brain anatomy lab, again, a subject that I have little experience with.
Dr. Alfredo Quinones from Johns Hopkins University came out with 3 human brains. We were then allowed to make slices of them and at the same time he pounded basic anatomical structures into the memory of our own brains! Meeting Dr. Quinones was truly one of the best parts of the course. The man is a machine. Not only is he the director of the brain tumor program at Johns Hopkins Bayview campus performing over 300 surgeries a year, but he also heads an amazing laboratory focused on neuronal stem cells from the sub-ventricular zone and their potential role in tumor cell formation. With all that work, he also manages to have a beautiful family who we also met. He is only 4 years out of his residency! It was the conclusion by many of us that he probably does not sleep.
The rest of the course, when not in lab, was geared toward ethical issues in science as well as focusing on survival skills such as grantsmanship and manuscript writing. All very pertinent topics not often taught enough in many graduate programs. Finally we attended many seminars and scientific talks. I nearly filled an entire Mead composition book with my notes from these lectures. The summer months in Woods Hole were buzzing with the activity of our course and the many different courses offered there. It was a truly an amazing experience. All I can think about now is what ocean dwelling creature side project can I come up with so that my future summers can be spent there.
The BLUE LOBSTER! I had never seen one before. They are rather rare. They can apparently also come in yellow. Researchers at MBL use squids, sea urchins, horseshoe crabs, dogfish, clams, starfish, toadfish, sea slugs, and sea sponges among others to perform their research. Why marine models? Most sea dwelling creatures have simple nervous systems and most are hardy animals that can take a lot of poking and prodding. This makes them excellent models to study basic mechanisms.
The worlds smallest drawbridge. Or so they say! This drawbridge separates a good portion of the MBL from a lot of the best eating and drinking establishments. Therefore, while in Woods Hole, you will inevitably be stuck on one side of the bridge waiting for a boat to enter or leave Eel Pond.
This is MBL beach. I spent several hours here basking in the sun, reading scientific papers. I don’t like venturing out into the ocean however. I did put my feet in once. It was pretty damn cold! Also, notice the bicycle. If I ever make it back to Woods Hole, and a piece of advice if you ever find yourself there, get a bike! It’s the way to be. The shining sea bicycle trail is amazing.
Last night I could not decide how I wanted to eat my cheese, with bread & honey or with bread & salami. So I decided to have both and alternated between the two. In retrospect, I suppose I could of had cheese, honey, and salami all on one piece of bread; but for some reason that did not sound as good.
Look at this cheese! There is nothing really like blue cheese and when it is buttery and smooth like this one was, it's hard to beat.
Like usual, I typically go with my local cheesemonger @ Liberty Heights Fresh here in Salt Lake. They suggested trying this cheese that they just got in, with a really cool story behind it. It's called Chiriboga Blauschimmelkäse or Chiriboga Blue (Blauschimmelkase-means blue cheese) and it is amazing! It just melts in your mouth and has just the right amount of blue cheese bite to it. It is made by Mr. Arturo Chiriboga an Ecuadorian that mastered cheese making in France then relocated to Germany where this cheese is made from cows milk. If you see it at your local cheesemonger, do buy it!
The cheese was paired with Utah honey and also this really delicious salami from California called Nostrano. Seasoned simply with sea salt, cracked black pepper, garlic and white wine. It is mild and so good.
Yum!
