Our internship has officially come to a close!
For my poster, I will be summarizing one of the experiments that we helped with in the air quality lab that involves the compounds that are emitted from crumb rubber, which is commonly used in turfs and playgrounds.
My poster will highlight two different brands of crumb rubber: Al's and TJB, and the different compounds that came off of each of them/which they share, and what kind of health effects these compounds are known to have on humans!
Some of the compounds that we found were very surprising--there were carcinogens and other really harmful compounds that could mess with your internal organs and skin. Even though the compounds are in very small doses and aren't really anything to worry about on their own, it's important to consider what other things emit those same compounds every day and how much exposure we get to them daily.
We already have data collected, and I've been editing the paragraphs for the different sections that I plan to include on the poster!
Overall, I will definitely miss working in the lab and talking to the people there (we won't be cutting new black wires anymore :( ) and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to participate!
Friday, August 9, 2019
Research Poster Update!
Summer is almost over! Unfortunately, that means my time at the lab is coming to a close.
I'm excited, however, to showcase my work via my research poster.
The main challenge my poster faces is how to distill the enormous amount of information I have into a manageable presentation.
I'm considering my audience, including lots of visuals, and thinking strategically about format.
My plan right now is to focus mainly on the part of the project I've been working the most on- the in vivo experiments with mice. I'll include a brief, pared down introduction to the overarching research, then describe the mouse experiments in more detail. I'll talk about my procedures and methods, the goal of the experiments, and the kind of data we are collecting. My mentor has some great figures that illustrate exciting data, and I've been taking pictures of my mice to add even more images.
I can't wait to share my work with you all!
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Lab Update
Hello Everyone! We haven't done a post in a while, so I just wanted to give a quick update on how my internship has been going.
I've recently been moving into a lot of independent work, which is very exciting! One of my personal goals this summer was to oversee a mouse experiment from start to finish, and I had the chance to do that. For one week, I administered injections to a group of mice. At the end of the week, I sacked the mice, collected their blood, dissected them, and collected liver samples. Then, I ran the blood samples for cell count and ran the liver samples through qPCR to quantify protein expression. I have now started another full experiment with a very different procedure, so I'm looking forward to seeing that one through to the end as well. One goal down!
In general, I'm still learning even more techniques that will help me work with the mice. So far, everything has been running really smoothly and I'm loving the work. I have also begun assembling my research poster. It's been a challenge to distill the tons of information I have into a readable amount, but I'm figuring it out.
That's all for now, can't wait to see what you all have been up to!
Mel DeBlasio
I've recently been moving into a lot of independent work, which is very exciting! One of my personal goals this summer was to oversee a mouse experiment from start to finish, and I had the chance to do that. For one week, I administered injections to a group of mice. At the end of the week, I sacked the mice, collected their blood, dissected them, and collected liver samples. Then, I ran the blood samples for cell count and ran the liver samples through qPCR to quantify protein expression. I have now started another full experiment with a very different procedure, so I'm looking forward to seeing that one through to the end as well. One goal down!
In general, I'm still learning even more techniques that will help me work with the mice. So far, everything has been running really smoothly and I'm loving the work. I have also begun assembling my research poster. It's been a challenge to distill the tons of information I have into a readable amount, but I'm figuring it out.
That's all for now, can't wait to see what you all have been up to!
Mel DeBlasio
Monday, July 22, 2019
Inside Air Quality: Week Dos
Hi again! It's ya girl Aurea back at it again talking about Air Quality.
So for week two, we've done some pretty cool stuff:
1. Handsome Dan
Okay, so, is your lab cool enough that you get to have a photoshoot with a campus celebrity, Handsome Dan? If you guys don't know, Handsome Dan is the official bulldog to represent Yale Bulldogs!
We had a photoshoot with him because one of the people in our lab, Colby, has been working on making a portable air quality monitor and we attached it onto Handsome Dan.
2. Crumb Rubber Experiments
So, basically crumb rubber is usually used in playgrounds, under soccer turfs, etc. Our lab has mostly been looking at non-combustive materials and their effect on our health and the environment. People usually think that the main reason for everything is carbon–which is true. However, the Gentner lab has been looking at non-traditional sources of bad compounds. We took a look at crumb rubber because these are where children are mostly playing in.
Procedure:
a) Get a clean jar.
b) Weigh crumb rubber and then put it in the jar.
c) Put the jar inside heater oven.
d) Connect various tubes–zero air, and standards (tubes that we made last week).
e) Set the temperature to 20 C.
f) Leave tube on for about 10 minutes.
g) Change tubes with a different standard.
h) Repeat E-G, but in different temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60).
i) Put tubes inside freezer.
j) Take tubes out of freezer to put inside the Mass Spectrometer.
Hypothesis: At different temperatures, different compounds will appear.
Once we get the data from the Mass Spectrometer*, we begin to look at the different compounds that are found inside the crumb rubber. After looking at the crumb rubber, we've found out about the various harmful compounds that are inside the crumb rubber. There are some carcinogens, which are not great, especially since this is where kids play in!
Anyway, that's the gist of how this week has been. I'll catch you later!
Aurea
*Mass Spectrometer- an instrument that uses ion analyzation which sends data to a computer that shows various peaks that symbolizes different compounds.
So for week two, we've done some pretty cool stuff:
1. Handsome Dan
Okay, so, is your lab cool enough that you get to have a photoshoot with a campus celebrity, Handsome Dan? If you guys don't know, Handsome Dan is the official bulldog to represent Yale Bulldogs!
We had a photoshoot with him because one of the people in our lab, Colby, has been working on making a portable air quality monitor and we attached it onto Handsome Dan.
2. Crumb Rubber Experiments
So, basically crumb rubber is usually used in playgrounds, under soccer turfs, etc. Our lab has mostly been looking at non-combustive materials and their effect on our health and the environment. People usually think that the main reason for everything is carbon–which is true. However, the Gentner lab has been looking at non-traditional sources of bad compounds. We took a look at crumb rubber because these are where children are mostly playing in.
Procedure:
a) Get a clean jar.
b) Weigh crumb rubber and then put it in the jar.
c) Put the jar inside heater oven.
d) Connect various tubes–zero air, and standards (tubes that we made last week).
e) Set the temperature to 20 C.
f) Leave tube on for about 10 minutes.
g) Change tubes with a different standard.
h) Repeat E-G, but in different temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60).
i) Put tubes inside freezer.
j) Take tubes out of freezer to put inside the Mass Spectrometer.
Hypothesis: At different temperatures, different compounds will appear.
Once we get the data from the Mass Spectrometer*, we begin to look at the different compounds that are found inside the crumb rubber. After looking at the crumb rubber, we've found out about the various harmful compounds that are inside the crumb rubber. There are some carcinogens, which are not great, especially since this is where kids play in!
Anyway, that's the gist of how this week has been. I'll catch you later!
Aurea
*Mass Spectrometer- an instrument that uses ion analyzation which sends data to a computer that shows various peaks that symbolizes different compounds.
Inside Air Quality : First Week
Hiya! It's ya girl Aurea back again. I'm a bit late to talk about my first week so here's a little recap on what we've been doing:
1. Lab Work
So far, we've been cleaning tubes, knots, and labeling tubes that will be used to collect data. They're called QTXB tubes where air flows through and the less volatile compounds that are inside the air are caught first, then more volatile compounds are caught on the latter end.
Paula putting on some labels!
2. Reading
I didn't really expect much reading for this internship. However, I also recognize that since I just barely got out of high school, I have no idea about the content that I should know in order to understand the data that we have. I read about the instruments that we have in the lab like the Mass Spectrometer. I also read about the goal of the research that our lab is doing.
Paula putting in that work on reading!
3. Field Site
We went to visit the field site out in the border of Guilford and Branford. This is where last year's interns, Amir and Ethan, worked on a lot! We saw the things that they built, which was really cool. At the same time, we learned about the different equipments that are used to measure different harmful compounds in the air.
(Fun Fact: When California had a wildfire last year, we also had a spike in Black Carbon. Also, there's a power plant somewhere along the coast of Connecticut that's not used as often. However, everytime that it is used, we get data of Black Carbon spikes, so we can tell when the plant's open.)
More pics in the field site!
Well, that's all I have for you today. Catch ya later,
Aurea
1. Lab Work
So far, we've been cleaning tubes, knots, and labeling tubes that will be used to collect data. They're called QTXB tubes where air flows through and the less volatile compounds that are inside the air are caught first, then more volatile compounds are caught on the latter end.
Paula putting on some labels!
2. Reading
I didn't really expect much reading for this internship. However, I also recognize that since I just barely got out of high school, I have no idea about the content that I should know in order to understand the data that we have. I read about the instruments that we have in the lab like the Mass Spectrometer. I also read about the goal of the research that our lab is doing.
Paula putting in that work on reading!
3. Field Site
We went to visit the field site out in the border of Guilford and Branford. This is where last year's interns, Amir and Ethan, worked on a lot! We saw the things that they built, which was really cool. At the same time, we learned about the different equipments that are used to measure different harmful compounds in the air.
(Fun Fact: When California had a wildfire last year, we also had a spike in Black Carbon. Also, there's a power plant somewhere along the coast of Connecticut that's not used as often. However, everytime that it is used, we get data of Black Carbon spikes, so we can tell when the plant's open.)
More pics in the field site!
Well, that's all I have for you today. Catch ya later,
Aurea
Rubber!
This past week in the lab, we've been experimenting with crumb rubber and mulch rubber, which are commonly found in turfs and playgrounds--often in 90+ degree heat.
We have been doing "jar experiments," where we place a small sample of either crumb rubber or mulch rubber in a weigh boat, and then we place that weigh boat in a large glass jar. The jar goes in a machine that will bring the temperature up to 50ºC and then back down to 20ºC over and over again, which is meant to simulate the different days that the rubber would be exposed to the summer heat. During this process, we have been attaching small QTBX tubes, which have four layers of increasing absorption, and the particles that are emitting from the rubber will get stuck in the tubes.
After experimentation, we have also been doing data analysis, which involves a lot of googling of strange compounds; we use a program that will take the data collected from the jar experiments and show us visually the results: the structure of each compound detected, the chemical formula, and much more. We have been comparing these results to that of a blank/standard tube and seeing which compounds are out of place, and also comparing the two samples to each other and seeing similarities between the different rubbers.
So far, we have found several alarming compounds being emitted from these rubber samples, which include: a food additive that is dangerous to ingest, a paint/solvent that is harmful to skin that's used on children's toys; and a couple carcinogenic compounds, one of which is also used in food.
I'm excited to continue research and see what else we discover in these samples!
We have been doing "jar experiments," where we place a small sample of either crumb rubber or mulch rubber in a weigh boat, and then we place that weigh boat in a large glass jar. The jar goes in a machine that will bring the temperature up to 50ºC and then back down to 20ºC over and over again, which is meant to simulate the different days that the rubber would be exposed to the summer heat. During this process, we have been attaching small QTBX tubes, which have four layers of increasing absorption, and the particles that are emitting from the rubber will get stuck in the tubes.
After experimentation, we have also been doing data analysis, which involves a lot of googling of strange compounds; we use a program that will take the data collected from the jar experiments and show us visually the results: the structure of each compound detected, the chemical formula, and much more. We have been comparing these results to that of a blank/standard tube and seeing which compounds are out of place, and also comparing the two samples to each other and seeing similarities between the different rubbers.
So far, we have found several alarming compounds being emitted from these rubber samples, which include: a food additive that is dangerous to ingest, a paint/solvent that is harmful to skin that's used on children's toys; and a couple carcinogenic compounds, one of which is also used in food.
I'm excited to continue research and see what else we discover in these samples!
A concept: BUG LIFE
Hello all,
7/22/19
ENTOMOLOGY!
WHAT FUN STUFF!
I have been thinking about a topic for my poster: metamorphism.
In the entomology lab, we have been catching certain bugs, mostly butterflies and dragonflies.
Metamorphism is a topic we have briefly touched upon.
I want to explore more of it by researching it and asking more questions on the topic.
We have seen cocoons of certain butterflies and are currently raising luna caterpillars.
Hopefully I can expand on this topic, so then I can have it as my poster topic.
BUGS OUT!
-Nadia
7/22/19
ENTOMOLOGY!
WHAT FUN STUFF!
I have been thinking about a topic for my poster: metamorphism.
In the entomology lab, we have been catching certain bugs, mostly butterflies and dragonflies.
Metamorphism is a topic we have briefly touched upon.
I want to explore more of it by researching it and asking more questions on the topic.
We have seen cocoons of certain butterflies and are currently raising luna caterpillars.
Hopefully I can expand on this topic, so then I can have it as my poster topic.
BUGS OUT!
-Nadia
Sunday, July 21, 2019
What's Going On Here?? A quick summary of my lab's work
Okay- what do any of those words mean? The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) is a protein found in cells that controls the rate at which certain segments of DNA are transcribed into RNA. AhR agonists increase the transcription rate, and AhR antagonists decrease the transcription rate of the target genes. A LOT of AhR agonists are known, but not many antagonists. This brings up the question- if there are so many agonists and no antagonists to balance them, why aren’t we always suffering from AhR over-expression? The symptoms of over-expression include anemia, birth defects, skin pigmentation, peripheral neuropathy, and immunodeficiency.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin with two known tasks: DNA creation and fatty acid oxidation. Both of these tasks are driven by one part of the Vitamin B12 molecule, but the other main part- which just happens to have a piece that could potentially bind to AhR- isn’t well understood. Vitamin B12 deficiency has a long list of symptoms, including anemia, birth defects, skin pigmentation, peripheral neuropathy, and immunodeficiency. Sound familiar?? It’s the same symptom list as AhR over-expression. Although these symptoms are well-known, however, it isn’t understood WHY or HOW Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to these effects.So the hypothesis is that Vitamin B12 (and Folic Acid) are actually AhR antagonists. In order to test this hypothesis, the lab is running both in vivo (in living mice) and in vitro (in human cell lines in the lab) experiments. The in vivo experiments with the mice are aimed at determining whether the addition of Vitamin B12 and it’s separate components can rescue mice from the negative symptoms of AhR over-expression. The in vitro experiments are able to analyze the expression of AhR in the presence of an agonist plus Vitamin B12 and its components.
Woah! That was a lot of science. And trust me- it gets a lot more complicated! What’s even cooler about these experiments is that they have the potential to completely change the way we think about Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, and AhR. It’s possible that in the future, textbooks will be totally re-written to accommodate these ideas and results! If you want to learn more about these experiments, reach out to me. There’s a lot more I didn’t cover here that is absolutely fascinating, and I’m always looking to share information!
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05 July 2019 Today, we reviewed and looked at many different science research posters. Some were done by people with PhDs and have been r... -
Hi again! It's ya girl Aurea back at it again talking about Air Quality. So for week two, we've done some pretty cool stuff: 1....
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This past week in the lab, we've been experimenting with crumb rubber and mulch rubber, which are commonly found in turfs and playground...
