When I was five years old, I went on a family fishing trip to a rural river in the Middle of Nowhere, Wisconsin. We stayed here, and the owners and employees at Pine Grove became family. And then the next year I went back, and the year after that, and every year after and now I'm here. Sometime during all of these trips, I gaining an incredible appreciation and fascination of the water. Everything in it, around it, affected by it. Rivers, lakes, oceans, ponds, streams, whatever.
I was lucky enough to have such wonderful experiences growing up, and I am lucky enough now to be able to explore my interest in marine life my senior year. I'll be working at the OdySea Aquarium and looking at Coral. More specifically, I'll be recreating the effects of air pollution on the water in the ocean, and directly looking at how coral growth and recovery is effected. You can read more about my background and my proposal here.
I want to take a second to thank OdySea Aquarium for allowing me the opportunity to work at their facility, to thank my college counselor Megan Mitrovich for the work that she did to get the placement at the aquarium, and to thank my bio teacher Ryan Carey for helping me create a quality proposal. On a vaguely related note, I could totally write an Oscar acceptance speech.
I am excited and ready to start this project, and I hope you check in on me from time to time. I'll also use this blog to post whatever happens to be on my mind or what's going on in my life if I have space. So not only am I excited about this project, I'm excited about the backpacking trips I'm planning to Zion and Glacier National Park. Look them up, seriously, They're so pretty. And lastly, I will leave you with a .gif that I love.
Hi Evan! I love your writing voice! In your free time, maybe you can find a gig as an awards show speech writer! :)
ReplyDeleteI am interested to learn more about your interest in coral. Have you had any interaction with them to date? Or seen them up close and personal? You mention the effects of air pollution, but would an aquarium setting having adverse effects of its own or is it more of a protective environment? I can't wait to see your photos (check out Trey's blog for a sneak peek at the sea turtles)!
On a non-marine note, when will your backpacking journey begin? Will you be able to make any pit stops at Pine Grove?
I'm eager to read your next post!
Hey Evan! Love what you are doing and the implications of your project in helping clear up the massive amount of pollution in our oceans. Looking at coral, specifically, will yield very interesting results, because you could use your findings to try to explore the pivotal role that coral plays in the growth of an aquatic ecosystem. Having said that, I would like to ask you whether or not you will be looking at the effects of a lower coral population on the other organisms that are dependent on it in an aquatic environment. Thanks! Looking forward to see your future posts as you venture forth through your senior project, your OdySea.
ReplyDeleteDang Dante!
ReplyDeleteYour opening line really got to me! Your topic is also top notch.What results do you expect find during the project? Any challenges you believe that you will initially face? I am interested in what you will find and how that may bode for the future of environmental pollution in the ocean.
So, I wonder "Water" you gonna do next!💦
Cool project Evan! I thought this first post was very informative and entertaining. I was surprised and intrigued that you are so passionate about water. I saw that you capitalized coral and I was wondering whether or not that had any significance. Are you looking at a specific type of coral or a large variety of coral? Also, would this be an experiment that you perform just once or would there be multiple trials?
ReplyDeleteHave fun on your backpacking trips!
Hi, Evan. I am one of the 9th graders that want to see where you go with your project. If you are working at OdySea, how are you planning on recreating the environment that you will be testing? Also, will you just be observing the coral or will you be trying to develop ways for people to reduce the amount of destruction? I think this is an incredible topic and an amazing opportunity at OdySea. I can't wait to hear more about it. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteHey, Evan! I'm a tenth grader at BASIS, and I've always been concerned with the well-being of the environment, especially the ocean. Oceans are the most beautiful yet mysterious places in the world. OdySea is an amazing aquarium, and I hope you'll enjoy your experiences there!
ReplyDeleteCoral is an integral part of the marine ecosystem, and its steady deterioration is something of great concern. I believe your project not only raises awareness of the adverse effects of pollution on the ocean, but also points out how its diversity and complexity makes it an especially easy target for pollution. Do you know what species of coral you will use in your experiment? If so, why did you choose that specific species? If not, maybe you should choose the species of coral that either is the most common in the world, making extrapolation of the global effects of pollution easier, or the species of coral that is most threatened by air pollution to raise alarm for that species and give it priority.
This is a great topic for your project, and I look forward to seeing your results!
Hey Evan, I'm Ben, a 9th grader following your senior project, and I can't wait to see how it will go. Coral and the ways it is effected by pollution is very important, being vital to dozens of underwater species and fish, and it will be interesting to see its results on the growth of the coral I hope to see your research go well and I love your sense of humor XD
ReplyDeleteHi Evan! I'm really interested in your project, and I think that what you will discover through this experiment is really important to the environment. I wanted to know how you will design the experiment to mimic the air pollution, and will it be similar? Also, how did Odysea Aquarium allow you to use coral that may potentially be damaged through your experiment? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Evan!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to following your blog, and Marine Biology is also a field that interests me. Are there any specific instruments you use to measure the decay or recovery of coral? On a "completely unrelated note", I'm really glad you're going into a field you're passionate for, and I also hope to one day explore the same kinds of options. Why is it that you're focusing on coral above everything else?
Best of Luck,
Anya Wahal
Hi Evan!
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a very cool project idea! I like water too and it seems such a pity that we don't have access to a large body of water like the Pacific Ocean. I think it is very important that our world's marine ecosystems aren't harmed. I moved here from California so I really miss visiting the beach, and seeing creatures of the ocean. But its pretty cool that the Odysea opened so close to home. I think your project idea is awesome, and I hope to hear more about it.
Good Luck!
Hey Evan! Cool blog and super awesome project!
ReplyDeleteYour love of water seems to pervade your entire life! It's super cool that you get to spend time at OdySea! I recently went there and the shopping center around it also seems great! You'll be working at an awesome place! I can't wait to see what you find with your coral research! Please take a bunch of photos!
Also, is it true that some coral will die when coming into contact with oil from human skin?
Hi Evan,
ReplyDeleteI read your project proposal, and I was wondering about a few things. So first, I just wanted to confirm that you are only talking about CO2 pollution, and that you're not covering other causes of decline, such as eutrophication. Then, I wanted to say that I'm really excited to hear the results of your project and follow it. Good Luck!
Jessica Nahon