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![3D"Earthwatch](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image002.gif")
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![3D"Mapping](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image003.gif")
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![](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image052.gif")
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![3D"What](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image008.gif")
“The Student Challenge Awards Program (SCAP) o=
f the
Earthwatch Institute offers students aged 16-18 gifted in the arts and hu=
manities
an opportunity to spend two to three intensive weeks during the summer at=
a
scientific research station. The aim is to excite the students' imaginati=
on,
expand their potential, and stimulate their curiosity about science and
technology. SCAP is a competitive fellowship program that rewards creative
thinkers and risk takers. The program is funded by an outside donor and
implemented by Earthwatch.
This program also aims to support the research and
education initiatives of scientists by providing mentoring opportunities,
research grants, and the participation of talented high school students. =
The
funder is especially interested in exposing students to the latest techno=
logy
and innovative research equipment and projects based at research stations=
that
expose students to a diversity of research.
The program gives students a chance to:
- Participate in h=
ands-on
scientific research alongside professionals
- Learn how scienc=
e and
technology advance our understanding of the world
- Travel to a diff=
erent
geographical area
- Get to know a ta=
lented
group of peers and scientific mentors
- Discover the cor=
relation
between arts and sciences”
Taken from
http://www.earthwatch.org/site/pp.asp?c=3DdsJSK6PFJnH&b=3D393883=
Dr. Debra Wohl of Elizabethtown Col=
lege
and Dr. David Bowne of Franklin and Marshall College were awarded a 2007
grant from the Student Challenge Awards Program (SCAP) of the Earthwatch
Institute to conduct research on the spatial distribution of antibiotic
resistance in soil bacteria. The grant supported our mentoring of eight
competitively selected high students from across the United States.
We also hired two of our recent undergraduate research students to serve =
as
field team leaders. The Earthwatch grant allowed us the opportunity to pu=
rsue
a new collaborative research project and simultaneously mentor two distin=
ct
sets of students. The project was a larger enterprise than we could have
undertaken without the assistance of these motivated students. What follo=
ws
is a brief introduction to our research project.
Mapping ant=
ibiotic
resistant bacteria across a landscape
The rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance in bact=
eria
is one of the most pressing public health problems in the nation. Accordi=
ng
to the Center for Disease Control, over 70% of the bacteria that cause
hospital-acquired infections are resistant to at least one commonly
prescribed drug. The fight
against antibiotic resistance is primarily focused on clinical settings.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria are, however, found in the environment as w=
ell.
Intense use of antibiotics as a preventative measure in livestock feed
contributes to this pool of resistance. But not all cases of resistance a=
re
caused by direct use of antibiotics. Many metals, including mercury, lead,
cadmium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and vanadium, are highly correlated with
antibiotic resistance (Liebert et al 1997; McArthur and Tuckfield 2000).
Naturally occurring resistance also stems from interactions between micro=
bes
in the environment because one microbial species may evolve resistance to=
an
antibiotic secreted by another species. Recent research highlights the ne=
ed
to understand patterns of antibiotic resistance in the environment, as we=
ll
as in clinical settings (D’Costa et al. 2006).
&n=
bsp; The
majority of the environmental research on antibiotic resistant bacteria h=
as
been performed in aquatic systems (e.g., Graves et al 2002, Wiggins et al
2003). Soil is being increa=
singly
investigated as a unique reservoir of resistance as well (D’Costa et
al. 2006). Benign bacteria =
living
in soil can carry genes that convey antibiotic resistance. If genes that
confer resistance are laterally transferred to pathogenic bacteria, then =
an
even more urgent public health issue is created. As it stands now, the ex=
tent
and spatial distribution of antibiotic resistance in the environment is
unknown.
Our
research is one of the first to examine the large-scale distribution of
antibiotic resistance in enteric bacteria
inhabiting soil. We determine if antibiotic resistance is uniformly
distributed across an agricultural county in southeastern Pennsylvania or if spatial variation
exists. If spatial variation exists, we will determine the reasons for th=
is
variation by analyzing small-scale (e.g., presence of soil metals) and
large-scale (e.g., land use) variables that may contribute to antibiotic
resistance. These data will provide baseline information for state health=
and
environmental departments and insight into the factors that contribute to
spatial patterns of antibiotic resistance.
Literature Cited:
D’Costa,V.M., K.M. McGrann, D.W. Hughes,=
and
G.D. Wright. 2006. Sampling the antibiotic resistome. Science. 311:374-37=
7.
Graves, A.K., C. Hagedorn, A. Teetor, M. Mahal, A.M.
Booth, R.B. Reneau. 2002. Antibiotic resistance profiles to
determine sources of fecal contamination in rural =
Virginia watershed. J.
Environ. Qual. 31:1300-=
1308.
Lieber=
t, C.A., J. Wireman, T. Smith, A.O. Summers. 1997. Phylogeny of mercury resistance =
(mer)
operons of gram-negative bacterial isolated from the fecal flora of prima=
tes.
Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
63: 1066-1076.
McArthur, J.V. and R.C. Tuckfield. 2000. Spatial patterns in antibiotic
resistance among stream bacteria:
Effects of industrial pollution.&=
nbsp;
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. =
66:3722-3726.
Wiggins, B.A., Cash, P.W., Creamer,
W.S., Dart, S.E., Garcia, P.P., Gerecke, T.M., Han J., Henry, B.L. (2003)=
Use
of antibiotic resistance analysis for representativeness testing of
multiwatershed libraries. Appl Environ Microbiol 69:3399–3405.
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![3D"Who](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image009.gif")
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![3D"bio](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image054.jpg")
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My name is Amman and I&#=
8217;m a
senior-to-be seventeen year old from Anaheim,
California. I love elephants, tennis, drawing, eating, watching movies, a=
nd
listening to music. My favorite movie is the Lord of the Rings and my
favorite band is Radiohead. I play the violin in my school’s orches=
tra
and tennis on the varsity tennis team. I love to travel and meet new cult=
ures
and this expedition was an amazing venture into small town America, which=
I
have not experienced much of before. I hope to major in some Biological f=
ield
and become exceedingly successful. In my spare time, I like to pWn nubs.<=
/span>
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![3D"catherine](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image055.jpg")
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Field Team =
Leader. My name is Catherine and I gradu=
ated
from Franklin and Marshall College<=
/st1:PlaceName>
in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. I am attempting to
discover what I want to do when I “grow up” and have enjoyed
spending time in the lab this summer poking bacteria and shocking my nasal
passages with foul smells. Over the course of this expedition, I have bec=
ome
adept at making three-point turns in a minivan. I hope to continue my
education and find work in the fields of Environmental Science and/or Pub=
lic
Health. In my free time I enjoy cooking, hiking, camping, throwing ninja
stars, and hanging out at lawn concerts and other hippie-like activities.=
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![3D"bio](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image056.jpg")
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My name is Akhila, and I am from Chandler, Arizona. =
I am
16 and will be a senior at Dobson High in the fall. At school, I’m a
member of the Speech & Debate team, Orchestra, Anti-Defamation League,
and Key Club. I play the violin, and I love singing and listening to musi=
c. I
like a lot of different things, especially reading, acting, laughing, hav=
ing
deep discussions with friends, writing, volunteering, learning,
drawing/painting, and playing tennis! I have an older sister who’s =
18
and a wonderful family. I like to smile and be crazy J<=
/span>
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![3D"gabe](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image057.jpg")
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My name is Gabriel. I am 16 years old and live in the
(evidently not-so-small) city of Bakersfield,
CA. At school, I am on the
tennis team, the Science Bowl team, and a few clubs. I also enjoy the art=
s,
especially singing for my church, at community events, and in school
musicals. I always like trying and learning new things, and meeting new
people. And you can always ask me if you need a profound solution to your
problems J<=
/span>
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![3D"danielle](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image058.jpg")
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Hey! My name is Danielle and I’m from central =
Illinois. I’m active in my school ch=
oir,
4-H, FFA, and youth group at my church.&=
nbsp;
There’s nothing I love more than hanging out with my friends,
playing my guitar, singing, and riding my horse. My favorite classes in school are
agriculture and science.
I’m not positive about what I want to major in when I gradua=
te
but, I’m thinking about Agronomy or going to vet school.
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![3D"haley](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image059.jpg")
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Hey there! I am Haley, a seventeen year old senior f=
rom
the small town of Annapolis, Missouri.&n=
bsp;
In my free time you can find me reading, golfing, swimming, or
spending time with my family and friends. I’m a country girl and I =
love
living in a rural area. I think I’m a pretty typical nerd. I’m
very active in many clubs and organizations in my high school such as Stu=
dent
Council, FBLA, 4-H, and many others. After my senior year I plan on major=
ing
in Pre-Medicine at a University in Missouri.
I enjoy science, learning new things, and meeting new people.
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![3D"will](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image060.jpg")
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My name is William.=
I live in Mexico, Missouri. I am 17 years old and will be a =
senior
at Mexico High School this fall. I am a typical highly attractive=
young
male. I also like to joke a=
round
a lot. In school I am a mem=
ber of
SkillsUSA, Bio Club, Spanish Club, Student Council, Youth In Government, =
and
many other organizations. W=
hen
I’m not at school I enjoy working with computers, pWning n00bz, and
hanging out with my friends. I
really enjoy -122 degree freezers and I really want a laboratory robot. Talk nerdy to me.
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![3D"amy](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image061.jpg")
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Field Team =
Leader. Howdy! My name is Amy, I am a 22
year-old from Bath, PA. I recently graduated from Elizabethtown College w=
ith
a B.S. in Biotechnology, and I hope to move to Ireland and get a PhD. My
hobbies include pouring plates, autoclaving, and growing bacteria. I enjoy
traveling, eating seafood, waterfalls and shopping. I’m secretly a
pirate and a champion Wii bowler.
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![3D"katie](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image062.jpg")
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Hey! I’m Katie, the fabulous redhead from the =
great
state of New Jersey. I love hiking, camping, running,=
and
boating. Over the course of this expedition I have enjoyed long walks aro=
und
the lake and wearing only two pairs of socks. In the fall I’ll be a fres=
hman
at the University
of Wisconsin. Peace.
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![3D"gavin](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image063.jpg")
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Dear Diary,
Hi! My name is Gavin. I’m so glad we finally g=
et to
meet each other… We are going to have so much fun weeeeeeeee! I
currently reside in the frozen northeast hinterlands of Ohio. I was a senior in the class of
’07 and I will be attending Grove
City college this fall. My hobbies include base
jumping, wolverine wrestling, and finger cymbal playing. I’m curren=
tly
trying to master my starter piccolo set. Ladies beware of my suave charm =
and
the rope in!
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![3DSmallDeb-biop.jpg](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image064.jpg")
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Project PI,&nb=
sp;Dr.
Debra L. Wohl.Elizabethtown
College where I teach courses in microbiology,
microbial ecology, and pathogenic microbiology.=
I
earned my Ph.D. in ecology from the University
of Georgia in 1998 a=
nd
spend much of my time studying the interactions of microbes in the
environment. Anything involving time with family and friends is always
welcome!
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![3DSmallDave-biop.jpg](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image065.jpg")
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Project PI, D=
r. David
R. Bowne. Howdy. I'm an ecological
research associate at Frankl=
in
and Marshall College.
I earned my Ph.D. in environmental sciences from the University
of Virginia in 2002 =
and
have since been involved in various teaching, service, and
research projects with geographic information systems (GIS). I love =
the
outdoors, spending time with my two beautiful kids, and reading a good
Vonnegut novel.
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![3D"What](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image034.gif")
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July 8, 2007
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July 9, 2007
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July 10, 2007
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July 11, 2007
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July 12, 2007
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July 13, 2007
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July 14, 2007
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July 15, 2007
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July 16, 2007
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July 17, 2007
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July 18, 2007
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July 19, 2007
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July 20, 2007
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image035.gif")
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Today was arrival day. All eight of us set out from our=
homes
around the country and headed for beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylv=
ania. Danielle was the first to fly in=
to the
Harrisburg International Air=
port
and was followed by Gavin.
Shortly after Will and Haley arrived. Each was met by Dr. David Bowne,=
one
of the project’s principal investigators. During this time, Katie, another=
team
member was being met by the other principal investigator, Dr. Debra
Wohl. Everyone was taken to=
the Elizabethtown College lab, where we were intro=
duced
to each other, the team leaders (Amy and Catherine), and an Earthwatch
employee (Amanda). After a =
very
brief tour of the college’s campus, we were all shown to our dorms
where we had to drag our suitcases all the way up the stairs to the third
floor. The rest of the grou=
p was
not expected to arrive until later in the evening. Around 5:00 pm the group trekked over to Dr. Bowne and Dr.
Wohl’s house across from the college for a nice cookout. There we were introduced to thei=
r two
adorable children! Back at =
the dorms,
we all decided to end the day with a nice jog. Two more team members, Amman and Akhila=
, arrived
just before midnight. All of us fell asleep anticipati=
ng the
arrival of our final teammate, Gabriel, whose flight was delayed until
tomorrow. We can not wait t=
o see
what is in store for the next couple of weeks!
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image036.gif")
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The second day that we were in Lancaster County, Pennsylv=
ania
was July 9, 2007. All of us students and the staff were still getting to =
know
each other, so we were still a little awkward. We spent most of the day in
the lab learning about lab safety and the research we were going to be
performing and how it was to be carried out. We learned how to use the GPS we=
would
be using while taking soil samples and we took a practice soil sample from
various places on the E=
lizabethtown
College campus. T=
his
was all very exciting because this provided us all with a more thorough
understanding of what exactly we would be doing over the next two weeks. =
Learning
about everything made us all get very excited and ready to get to work. <=
/p>
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image037.gif")
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Today was a blast! After breakfast we headed to the =
lab
and split up into three different field collection groups. I was with Dr.
Bowne, Gavin, and Danielle (such an awesome group). I wasn’t expect=
ing
too much excitement from the field work; it seemed we would just be getti=
ng
in and out of the car, taking a small sample of soil in a test tube,
recording the coordinates, and moving on. Little did I know how much fun =
the
day had in store for me. From the very beginning we were laughing and hav=
ing
a great time while mapping out our route to various soil collection sites.
Our group’s sample sites, randomly selected by the Global Informati=
on
System (GIS), were in the northeastern part of Lancaster County<=
/st1:PlaceType>.
Gavin, Danielle, and I were laid back since we figured we were in pretty =
good
hands with Dr. Bowne driving. It felt like were doing a large-scale scave=
nger
hunt (or deciphering a treasure map J<=
/span>)
where we were racing to see how many samples we could collect before 5 p.=
m.
It did not feel like my conception of a science experiment at all! We gai=
ned
experience in navigating from a map of an area we were unfamiliar with and
quickly looking up codes/addresses/etc. All the while, we were interacting
the public and making changes to our game plan as we encountered unexpect=
ed
incidences in the field (i.e. realizing there was no way we could get near
the specified site or encountering a thunderstorm). It was very hot and h=
umid
today (I guess I couldn’t escape the Arizona heat this summer), but looki=
ng
around as we drove was so neat—it made me want to be a farmer J.
The land was so green, the crops so abundant, and the forests so verdant.=
I
loved the East Coast/Pennsylvania house styles too. We saw some Amish and
Mennonite farms and people, and I am interested to learn more about their
different cultures later on this week.
The most exciting part was walking alongside/venturi=
ng
into state gaming property to collect forest soil samples (the GIS had
randomly designated sites from various land uses—forest, crop,
residential, pasture). It was so lush and leafy, and I couldn’t help
but think of the Forbid=
den
Forest from Harry
Potter what with the 5th movie’s release on Thursday and=
the
7th book’s release next Saturday. We tramped on through,
carefully avoiding poison ivy that I quickly learned to identify with the
3-leaflet rule. We started walking on a long path so we could ultimately =
get
to three different random points named by the GIS. Many bugs flew up arou=
nd
us as we walked (and Gavin thought they were locusts). Dr. Bowne pointed =
out
different trees such as the American Chestnut (which is now dwarfed due to
fungus). As we were walking we came upon a black rat snake. It was huge! I
had also told my group that I loved wild apples earlier in the morning, a=
nd
lo and behold, we saw many apple trees. Rebelliously, we picked a big, gr=
een
apple and all took a bite out of it. I finished it because I loved it and
they all thought it was sour. I only realized after eating the apple that
Gavin went to the bathroom in the woods previously and didn’t wash =
his
hands! We also picked some wild blackberries which were delicious. Our to=
tal
walk to and from the forest area was around two miles, and afterwards I f=
elt
great! We jogged a little on our way back to the car so we would make it =
back
in time for dinner. We got back to the E-town cafeteria to meet up with
everyone for dinner; we were sweaty but pleased with our excursion. All of
the groups weren’t able to collect every sample (although our group=
had
the most though J). It was really fun sha=
ring
our experiences and hearing about the other adventures.
At 7:00 we met back at the lab to begin processing t=
he
soil samples. I thought the lab experience wouldn’t be as fun compa=
red
to our afternoon excursion, but it was pretty engaging! I like when
there’s something hands-on for me to do, but I also enjoy lectures =
like
the one on our project the first day. We also helped Dr. Wohl prepare pla=
tes,
and we got to parafilm/label our dishes (both activities that I find
extremely satisfying). We then went to the conference room to celebrate
Amanda’s birthday (the Earthwatch employee who was very cool and st=
ayed
with us the first week) with cake, soda, and pretzels. It was interesting=
to
see us all opening up. When we came back to the dorms, Will taught us how=
to
play spades, and then I took a nice, long shower. I feel closer to everyo=
ne,
and I’m looking forward to tomorrow!
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image038.gif")
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Today, so far, was the day of the most surprises, and of course, chang=
es
in plans. We met at the Microbiology lab in the morning after breakfast w=
hen
Dr. Wohl told us that the bacteria samples we had processed on Day 3 had =
not
had enough time to grow. This caused a significant change in plans as we =
had
blocked hours for picking colonies and we could not do this until Day 5.
Instead we left for the hike at Mount Gretna.
The hike was a great experience. It was wonderful to be out in the forest,
and Dr. Bowne taught us so much, especially about identifying wildlife. At
the end of our hike, we climbed the fire tower, where we had a great
360-degree view of the area and took pictures. We enjoyed the many scents=
and
flavors of Governor Dicks forest.
We then went back to E-Town for lunch and then back to the lab. We pipett=
ed
nutrient broth into 23 96-well plates to prepare for the colony-picking on
Day 5. Because we had so many changes to our
itinerary, this preparation session was the end of our “workdayR=
21;
this Wednesday.
This night, we went to Flavers for trivia. We were really excited so we w=
ere
very disappointed, especially Akhila, when the place was full and we had =
no
reservation. So instead we walked to Rita’s for water ice. Everyone
loved it; I’m sure I would have, too, if it weren’t for my
unfortunate flavor choice.
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image039.gif")
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After breakfast (bland fr=
uit
again!) we reported to the lab (earlier than normal) at 8:00 am. Our first job was to transport
bacteria into 96 wells with toothpicks. This was highly tedious and at ti=
mes,
frustrating. The bacteria that we had grown two days before had now devel=
oped
into pinkish bacteria on the Petri dish. However, there were several spec=
ies
of enteric bacteria on the Petri dish, and we were only looking for a
specific kind. Thus, we had to search the Petri dishes for specifically
colored bacteria, pick those bacteria with toothpicks and then stick those
toothpicks into 96 wells. The picks will contaminate the wells and grow
overnight. The smell exuding from the bacteria was god-awful and I almost=
vomited
several times. Luckily, I finished my plates earliest, so I was rewarded =
with
another plate to do! After the torturous work, we returned to the field to
collect samples. We continued in the same groups from our last field day,=
and
thus, Amanda, Haley, Dr. Wohl, and I left for the field. I was navigator,=
and
I got nauseous several times. However, Amanda complimented my amazing
navigation skills and I was satisfied. We ate lunch at Pasquale’s
Pizza, where I ate an eggplant parmesan sandwich that was drenched in
mozzarella cheese. I ate half and was finished. The best part was when
Amanda, Haley, and I bought toys from one of those bubble gum-like 25 cent
machines. I got the best gift, an awesome wristband with the face of a pit
bull. The pit bull looked sad with its anime-like eyes. The locations were
quite close today, although we had to hike quite a ways to some, especial=
ly
at the mulch factories (which smelled as bad as the bacteria). At one of =
the
last locations, Haley and I had to crawl under electric fences, and I was
electrocuted on my back. That was an adventure and a half. After returning
and dinner (salad again!...) we went to see Harry Potter and the Order of=
the
Phoenix at
the local theater. The movie was terrible; I’m thinking about deman=
ding
2 hours of my life back from the director. And as usual, Hermione’s
acting skills were about as good as my dinner.
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image040.gif")
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Every day, we get deeper and deeper into our project=
and
it’s exciting, in a way. Today, using the methods we had practiced
before, we replicated the bacteria from our 96-well plates into our test
plates: there were a total of seven different plates for each half of the
well plate, including a control nutrient plate, an EMB plate for
identification, and the five different antibiotics we are testing.
After processing these samples, we drove over to Franklin & Marshall College<=
/st1:PlaceName>
where Catherine gave us a fun tour of the campus and enjoyed some drinks =
at
the coffee shop. Dr. Bowne then gave us a concise tutorial on GIS (Global
Information Systems), working specifically with a computer software called
ArcMap. From there, we learned how to import data from an Excel book and =
use
the program’s applications to map the data. This was an interesting
presentation and was a great way to prepare us for the preliminary spatial
analysis of the data to be retrieved from the micro lab at E-Town.
After dinner, we had some free time, and then at abo=
ut 9,
Gavin, William, Amy, Akhila, Amman,
and I walked to Dr. Bowne and Dr. Wohl’s house. They were extremely
hospitable and we had a good time playing Wii (and as they say, I
“dominated”). Meanwhile, Akhila and Amman designed our shirt behind the r=
est of
the team’s backs, but their stuff was great! Finally, we walked bac=
k to
EC where Amman
and I joined Gavin as he pursued his epic literary endeavor.
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image041.gif")
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&=
nbsp;
I skipped breakfast so I could catch a couple more z’s. I ca=
ught
up with the rest of the group in the lab and we began the smelly business=
of
poking the bacteria colonies with toothpicks and inoculating the nutrient
wells. It was a long process, and finally it was 11:00 and time to head o=
ff
to the Farmer’s Market. We looked around at what everyone was selli=
ng
(it was cool to see the different people selling their products). I got m=
int
chocolate chip ice cream (Turkey Hill brand, which is from Lancaster County<=
/st1:PlaceType>),
creamy penne pasta, and a pure fruit smoothie. We ate outside by the
waterfall/watched Amman’s
video clip of Amanda’s hair swirling in the wind/took a group photo.
Afterwards, we got back in the car and arrived at the Amish tour house
(interestingly situated right in the middle of a shopping complex). We ha=
d a
large chunk of time, so I got to feed a goat/miniature horse. Later we we=
nt
to Coldstone Creamery and just hung out. At dinner, a local Lancaster County<=
/st1:PlaceType>
restaurant, we had a large buffet. When we came back to the dorms, we did
Amanda’s hair because she was going back to =
Boston, and then it turned into a hug=
e hair
makeover session. Amman,
Gabe, and I made cards for Gavin’s 18th birthday and sta=
yed
up until 12:00 to give them to him. Overall, it was a pretty great day J!
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image042.gif")
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Dear Diary,
&n=
bsp; Today
was a super duper special day! I stayed up till midnight so I could ring in the new day! Do you kn=
ow
why, Diary? Well of course you don’t, silly… you’re an
inanimate object!!! It was my 18th B-day!!! Akhila, Amman, Gab, Will,
Catherine, and I stayed up super late (!) and ate popcorn and played game=
s!
The group even made me birthday cards (HOW CUTE??!!)! My day of manhood g=
ot
even better from there! Our group leaders decided to take me and the gang=
out
for lazer tag AND to see a concert! They even got me a strawberry lemonad=
e!
Boy jeez golly was it deeelicious?! I was like “OMG guys this is
totally unnecessary, but (sniffle), you guys are…like… the
best!!!!
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image043.gif")
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Today was the last day of field work. We all split up into our new gro=
ups
and went our separate ways. We
spent all day, from 8:30 until 5 o’clock collecting about a tablesp=
oon
of dirt from people’s land.
Dr. Bowne’s group ate at the most amazing restraint,
“Udder Perfection.”
Everyone really enjoyed driving around the county and seeing
everything from ancient covered bridges to cow covered fields. A one group had the misfortune of
having to sample from nearby a graveyard.
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image044.gif")
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We began the morning with breakfast and then met at =
the
lab before heading out for a short hike at Chickie’s Rock. It was a beautiful morning and t=
he
view was spectacular! By th=
e time
we arrived back on campus, it was time for lunch and then we headed back =
to
the lab. There we scored pl=
ates,
restamped plates, and visited another professor’s lab to learn about
her cancer research. We wer=
e then
given a couple of hours for supper and free time. Everyone went to the lab again a=
round 7:00 pm to fill 96-well p=
lates,
enter our data thus far, and begin designing the website we are going to =
make
about our research project. Our
day ended with another evening of excitement back at the dorm! J
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image045.gif")
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The second Wednesday of the trip was particularly
humid. We spent the morning
making coliscan plates from our soil samples, harvesting bacteria colonies
and inoculating them, as well as stamping nutrient and antibiotic
plates. In the afternoon we
learned how to visually manipulate the data we collected with GIS at Fran=
klin
and Marshall. In the evenin=
g we
pwnd n00bs at trivia night. The
End.
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image046.gif")
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We went to breakfast toda=
y at
8:00 and then to the lab. We stamped more plates of bacteria (our last
stamping according to Dr. Wohl). Akhila, as usual, tried to make a
competition out of it, but Gavin and Will, she and Gabriel, and Danielle =
and
I all stamped 8 sets of plates. Afterwards, we all headed to Franklin
and Marshall College where we ate pizza (the =
dough
was sooo chewy) with two undergrads, and two professors who told us about
their work. One of the professors was doing work on Down Syndrome and her
experiment was quite interesting, although it did involve animal testing
which made me a wee bit sad. I learned that Dr. Bowne is a half-vegetaria=
n;
he hasn’t eaten red meat since he was in his teens. It was an
interesting fact. Then we went to the GIS lab where we were told to create
specific maps. Haley and I did so quite easily and we left in less than t=
wo
hours time. When we returned to Elizabethtown,
the plan was to work on the site map. However, Haley, Akhila, Danielle, a=
nd I
sneaked away with an excuse about making prints of photos to put together=
Dr.
Bowne and Dr. Wohl’s present. Dr. Bowne caught us on our way out and
made us feel guilty about leaving. We blew up a group picture, purchased a
nice silver frame with Eliza=
bethtown’s
logo, and a poster board for a card. Haley and Akhila wanted to give them=
the
framed photo then and there. But I insisted that we wait, and since the f=
rame
was in my backpack and I had coughed up the money, I won the argument. We
worked on the site until dinner (salad again!) when I realized to my dism=
ay
that the croutons had yet to be refilled. This was making me extremely an=
gry,
especially since I was sure that the band kids had hogged all the crouton=
s.
My salad, thus, was extremely unsatisfying and my makeshift croutons (pie=
ces
of ciabatta bread tossed in) were miserable. After dinner, we went to the
theater. Haley, Katie, and Will saw Transformers,
Gavin and Amy saw Live Free or Di=
e Hard,
and Akhila, Danielle, Gabriel, Catherine, and I watched Ratatouille, which was amazing. I am convinced that the other=
two
movies sucked, but they loved them (I’m still unconvinced of their
movie taste). When we returned, I worked on Dr. Wohl and Dr. Bowne’s
card and then went to sleep.
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![3D"Student](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image047.gif")
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We went to breakfast this morning early and then sho=
wed up
at the lab. The entire time=
in
the lab was spent scoring plates and entering data into the
“master” spreadsheet.
Danielle and I were entering the data into the computer when we
discovered several mistakes. It
seemed like everyone freaked out about the few minor mistakes in the data
entry. Then we went to dinn=
er,
ate a great dinner, and went to Dr. Bowne and Dr. Wohl’s house at
7. We had an awesome ice cr=
eam
social and enjoyed our last night together. We were all going to have to wak=
e up
early the next morning, so we said our teary goodbyes. I love everyone he=
reJ
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![3D"Where](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image048.gif")
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![3D"Smallsampling_points=](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image049.jpg")
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This project was based in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania. Students were
housed on the Elizabethtown College campus where they slept in the dorms,=
ate
in the college cafeteria, and processed samples in the new microbiology
laboratory. Geographic
information system (GIS) analyses were performed on the Franklin &
Marshall College campus, just 20 minutes east of Elizabethtown. During the project, students had=
the
opportunity to travel throughout Lancaster County. The group sampled 94 field sites=
(crops,
pastures, residential, and forested plots)! Free time provided the group the=
opportunity
to visit a few of the other Lancaster sites including a game of laser tag,
touring an Amish home, and hiking at Govenor Dicks and Chiques Rock.
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![3D"Photo](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image050.gif")
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Link to Earth=
watch
Gallery Photos
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![3DResults](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image051.gif")
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![3D"https://webmail.bak.rr.com/attach/CIMG0129.JPG?sid=3Dv0WLkzDgqiU=](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image053.jpg")
![3D"scap](3D"SCAAP_2007_Webpage_files/image007.jpg")