Research Paper Outcome

While my role in the lab did not have a direct outcome, my work did contribute to a much larger project that the lab was focusing on. Susan’s work primarily focuses on climate change, and comparing how Earth used to look to now. These fossils also allow scientists to piece together parts of the puzzle that is the earth’s history. Through examining these insect fossils, paleontologists can determine the climate at various points throughout prehistory. This then gives them a more comprehensive image of past flora and fauna. By knowing what was capable of living then, scientists can predict what future life on Earth will look like based on the increase in climate. My work was important to the lab because it made the jobs of scientists just a bit easier. They now have a collection of fossils identified and cataloged, making it easier to access and study them. By having them digitized, other scientists from around the world can also study them, making their jobs easier, too. Not everyone has the capability to travel to New Haven to study these collections in person, so having them online makes this wonder trove of knowledge accessible to anyone.

What I've Learned

During my time working in Susan’s lab I learned how to curate a museum collection. I was up close and personal with the invertebrate paleontology collection, and quickly became familiar with the inner workings of the collection. In my work, I learned how to identify insect fossils. In theory it doesn’t sound too difficult, but in practice it is much different. However, after a while I started to develop systems of recognition for the main orders of insects, especially the more common ones I found. For example, hymenoptera would have tagma in three segments with a cinched thorax, while coleoptera would be round with elytra.

I also learned the basics of managing a collection. Susan taught me how to catalog specimens into their online database. There is very specific information that needs to be input when adding a specimen, and it is more complicated than I thought it would be. If the information isn’t recorded properly, it can lead to problems later on. Along with this, Susan also taught me how to check specimens out of the collection. A special card must be filled out with the proper information, and then the specimen is checked out of the online database as well. It’s very similar to checking a book out at the library!

For the first few weeks of this internship I worked with Kristine and Gayatri to create educational content out of invertebrate fossils. There is a science to making information accessible to all demographics, which I quickly learned. It is always better to simplify the information initially, and then add onto it when appropriate. While it is good to include more advanced vocabulary, especially when dealing with scientific concepts, a definition of the word along with an easier to understand word should also be included.

The Most Challenging Part of the Project

When working in Susan’s lab, the most challenging aspect was definitely the first few days of trying to identify the insects. We were handed a huge packet of class level 400 college notes about general entomology and a pile of insect fossils and told to just go at it. The insects in the notes and the fossilized remains looked very different, making it difficult to identify them. On the rock they just looked like small smushed up spots. Not really knowing what to look for was incredibly frustrating, and we didn’t have many people to turn to. Most of her lab workers were not experienced in dealing with insect fossils, so there was only so much advice they could give. However, we forged through, and it eventually became much easier.

Most Challenging part Of The Project

The most challenging part of this project would be just putting all the information in what we are learning  in the lab, for our poster and carts we are going to create . other than that this project has been an incredible  experience for me and I would say for everybody involved in this project.

Procedure

Washing The Samples

1) Put on safety wear (lab coat, goggles and gloves)
2)Log the sample that you are using, amount of time it was soaking, your initials, and what wash number it is.
3)Grab a 63 μm sieve and a squeeze bottle of de-ionized water.
4)Start the de-ionized water tap and begin washing microfossils into the sieve being aware of the water pressure.
5)While cleaning the fossils keep checking until the water running through is clear and not foggy. After cleaning the fossils though grab a plastic funnel and filter.
6)Label the filter with the sample an wash number.
7)Collect the clean microfossils into the filter. Try not to get it into the folds.
8) While filling the filter, keep checking to make sure that the water that is being strained is not overfilling the beaker.
9)Log the time it took to wash the sample and label it clean or write any notes (whether it needs another wash, large microfossils, etc.)
10) Put sample in the oven to dry and repeat steps for the rest of the samples.

Getting Dry Weight
1) Grab a stapled set of samples and beakers.
2) Using a piece of masking tape, label the bag with the beaker number and the date.
3)Get the balance ready by leveling it out to zero.
4) Record the sample ID into the log and the weight of the empty beaker.
5) Measure the weight of the beaker and record into log.
6) Cut open the sample bag take out plastic tube. Put some of the sample into the beaker making sure to scrape the excess off of the plastic tube.

7)Leave at least a pinch full of the sample in the bag for bulk sediment analysis.

8)Seal the labeled sample bag back up using the heat sealer and set the beaker aside.
9)Continue steps 1 through 8 with the rest of the samples in the set. When that set is completed, staple them back up and continue with another set.

Bottling Dry Samples
1) Grab samples from oven, two boats, a small paintbrush, and a scrap piece of paper.
2) Place the scrap piece of paper down on work station to avoid samples from spilling.
3) Record the sample ID, amount of washes, date and weight of empty boat into the binder.
4) Label the vials with the designated sample label, and also label the top of the vial with a small sticker.
5) Empty the sample in the filter into a boat (the one you measured beforehand) and dust off the paper for remaining samples.
6) Measure and record.
7) Place vial in the empty boat and start carefully pouring the sample into the vial. Brush off the boat until it doesn't have any sample in it.
8) Put the vial aside.
9) Clean off the paintbrush and the boats and follow the steps above for the rest of the samples.

Procedures Of Daily Work In The Lab

In Dr.Hull lab we get the chance to wash-bottle foraminifera. I would explain the
Basic procedures of washing-bottle Forams!

washing forams

 step1: Put on Lab Coat, Safety glasses and gloves.

step 2 : Make sure you grab a 38mm sieve thats clean!

step 3: grab the beaker which the sample is in.

step4: record on your data sheet the basic information ( Date,Beaker # ,How long sample has be soaking for,type of wash " wash 1" "wash 2 etc" Your initials and  time took you to clean it,)  also on the filter paper write beaker # , type of wash.

step 5: Place sample into the sieve.

step 6: Wash Until water from sieve comes out clear with distilled water. 

step 7: Grab the same beaker , put a funnel in it also with the filter paper inside the funnel.

step8 : Dump the clear sample into the funnel with the filter paper and let it dry!

step 9: Take the filter paper out of the funnel  carefully and place filter paper back into the beaker.

step 10: Put the sample in the oven, and do the same steps for all samples.

weighting - bottling foraminifera

step1: Grab dry samples from the oven  ,  small tubes, 2 seperated boats to weight the forams in the balance, brush, and the  data sheet to look for the labels to go on the tubes.

step2: Dump the dry samples into the boats from the filter paper that was use to to place the forams.

step3: Put the boat into the balance and record its weight into the data sheet.

step4: From the 2 boats place the tube in one boat and dump the forams into the tube very carefully.

step5 : The put the labels around the tubes.

Gayatri's Procedure

I am planning to make my poster about the literal lab work we do, and then conclude explaining how this work contributes to learning about climate change.

Procedures

Unwrapping Specimens-

1. Take specimen out of wrapping extremely carefully
2. Make sure you keep all the papers that have writing on them that came packed with the fossil.
3. Place all the pieces that came together in an appropriately sized box.

Identifying Specimens-

1. Examine specimen closely, identify its similarities to modern insects (eg. fly, bee, wasp, mosquito, etc.)
2. Determine the actual order of the insecta using a insect fossil guide.
3. Label the specimen using a pigma micron pen on paper and place the label and fossil back into the box.
4. Catalogue the named fossils into the Yale’s collections.