Of Garlic and Hiking Professor Craney’s hike became the reason why I turned green with envy on...
1
Of Garlic and Hiking Professor Craney’s hike became the reason why I turned green with envy on Thursday after seeing the pictures Gabi Gavrila took and kindly sent to me (hapless e-mail!). My condition worsened as she sat with me for a chat and shared the rather saucy, or shall I say garlic-flavored, details of the trip. In short, the trip was a successful combination of a good work-out, spectacular views, and an accident with a classy restroom on the way down (I hear that Jenn Phan was involved here, but we’d better let sleeping dogs lie). Apparently Chris was not completely honest when he said the hike is going to be “a piece of cake” because the just-a-little-more-left moment did come, but in the end everyone was happily tired, and a few people even managed to take a nap at the mountain top. The hikers spent a whole two and a half hours there, but contrary to the plan, could not really make out the naval base in the distance. There were lunches packaged to console them, though, and apparently really nicely prepared ones. Here arose a tiny culinary problem, namely the excessive amount of garlic in the pasta. And shame!- no chewing gum was included. The hikers also saw the notorious San Andreas fault, and Chris managed to turn the hike into a game by dividing the students into two groups- the Snails and the Rabbits. He distributed walkie-talkies so that those ahead and those behind could keep in touch. The mobile connection was not perfect, but it did help prevent major break outs of impatience. At the end of the hike an option to visit Canada popped up, but no, they didn’t go (at least Chris didn’t; I haven’t seen the others ever since…). However, the hike was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved; one of rediscovering both nature and fellow researchers! Read and Remember If somebody who signed up for our trip to Melrose will not be able to come, they need to email [email protected] ASAP, so that other people can come in their place. As of now, there is one spot left. Thank you for your great interest! *** <^>Big-Time Water Blast<^> A URC- sponsored trip to one of the ten biggest water amusement parks in the US, RAGING WATERS, will take place on July 14th. First come, first served basis. Signing up starts today. *** From today, Friday, June 22nd, as you come to pick up your checks at the URC, you are likely to be stalked by a suspicious Eastern European with a camera. The headshots which are to be taken will be used in the summer conference program. Calendar June 2- June 9 Calendar June 2- June 9 June 21- July 1, 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival Westwood Village Buy tickets online on http://www.lafilmfest.com/ June 22, 2007 10:00 am-8:00 pm Pacific Asia Museum Free Day Pacific Asia Museum 46 N Los Robles AVE Pasadena CA 91105 http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org June 22, 2007 6:30 pm Norton Simon screening of "The Chess Players" Norton Simon Museum of Art 411 W. Colorado Boulevard Pasadena, CA 91105-1825 626.449.6840 http://www.nortonsimon.org/ June 27, 200712:00 noon Dan Snowden-Ifft, Research on WIMPs Samuelson Pavilion, includes lunch June 29, 2007 7- 8 pm Student Film Festival Alumni Auditorium Popcorn and Soda for everyone Daniel Snowden-Ifft Professor Snowden-Ifft is performing a search for dark matter in our galaxy. Since arriving here, Professor Snowden-Ifft has actively involved several Oxy undergraduates in his research. His field of interest is Experimental Cosmology. Below is an excerpt from his NSF proposal submitted in the Fall of 1998. “The dark matter problem is one of the great puzzles in modern cosmology. Simply put there is much more dark mass than light- emitting mass in the universe. Though the existence of dark matter is no longer in doubt its nature has remained elusive. Decades of research by theorists and experimentalists have whittled down the number of viable dark matter candidates to a few, among them the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP). The goal of this project is to detect WIMPs.” On Wednesday he is going to talk about his research. Make sure you don’t miss it! Not everyone is doing their summer research on-campus. Some lucky ones are in Costa Rica- namely Evan Poirson, Joe Statwick, Case Prager, and Diana Hernandez (below). Because of their talent and initiative, students and their mentors- Dr. Beth Braker, Dr. Gretchen North, Dr. Victor Carmona, and Dr. Terry McGlynn, got to party in Costa Rica, too Okay, I lied here, their schedules are actually far from loose, and both students and professors are working hard on a 24/7 mode. After all, they have their ambitious projects. Evan Poirson, Detritivores and Plant Biodiversity at La Selva, Costa Rica Joe Statwick, Seedling Diversity in Tropical Reforestation Plots Case Prager, Variability in extrafloral nectary structure, herbivory, and ant attendance in the exotic plant Ricinis communis in Southern California and Costa Rica Diana Hernandez, Contractile Roots in Tropical Rainforest Epiphytes Evan, given the unprecedented biodiversity in tropical rainforests, your research topic seems quite broad. Quoting a favorite student source, Wikipedia, there exist nearly 2000 species of vascular (plants with specialized tissues for conducting water) plants in the La Selva habitat. How are you going to systematize the extensive data you are likely to collect from your field work? As for detritivores specifically, how are you going to explore their variety and import for the environment? I created 270 leaf-litter bags from fallen leaves of one common Costa Rican species, Cecropia obtusifolia. Those bags were dispersed in groups of fifteen to 18 different plots around La Selva. With different nutrient levels in each plot, I expect to see some variation of decomposition rates. Two of the most important nutrients I'm keeping my eye on are phosphorous and nitrogen; I expect higher levels of these nutrients to foster greater levels of both plant and detritivore (small organisms like ants, fungi and bacteria that consume leaf-litter) diversity, and contribute to faster decomposition rates. Of course, these predictions are hinged on the idea that more detritivores means more litter consumed. Joe, deforestation seems to be a most pressing issue given the much publicized debate on global warming and the huge number of species dependent on rainforests’ preservation for their survival (about half the world’s flora and fauna). Statistical research shows that 50,000 species become endangered with extinction each year due to depletion of forest resources. In this context, is your exploration of seedling diversity in reforestation plots aimed at classifying it or rather at generation of reforestation policies? What determined the nature of your research topic? Well, my project is sort of aimed at both classification and reforestation policy. In order to shape policy, it is important to first classify the success of different potential reforestation strategies. I decided to do this project after working here in Costa Rica last year and noticing some apparent differences in the types of seedlings found under different cultivation conditions. I thought it would be interesting to see how successful different conditions were at recruiting and rearing new saplings. Case, Ricinis Communis is called by the Latin-ignorant majority of humanity simply castor oil plant. After seeing the picture of the plant, I was like, “ Oh, I’ve seen this a hundred times!” And indeed, it turned out to be an extremely adaptive plant, which although native to the Mediterranean and Eastern Asia, establishes itself easily in various habitats. This environmental flexibility resolved the mystery why you are doing research on it in Costa Rica. Why did you pick up this exact plant; was your choice affected by its popularity and various uses or did it generate your biologist’s interest with some specific characteristics? Ricinus communis is an invasive plant both in California and Costa Rica (as well as much of the world outside of its home range of tropical Africa and Asia). Ricinus is a highly chemically defended, successful invader as it produces Ricin, an extremely potent toxin and a variety of other secondary compounds. Thus, the fact that Ricinus produces extrafloral nectaries-- sugar producing glands that are known to provide nutrients to ants and in return the plant receives defense from the ants--is an interesting characteristic. This summer I am working with Ricinus in Costa Rica looking at the variability in plant architecture and extrafloral nectary structures across different habitats. Ultimately, this data, in combination with the data from our southern California study, will serve to draw a temperate-tropical comparison of the plant architecture of Ricinus as well as provide insights in to the potential conditional mutualisms this plant engages in with various ant species. Diana, epiphytes sound like an especially fascinating research object. What are the specific reasons why you decided to explore epiphytes? What are the goals that you have set for yourself in this project? My original project was to study root contraction in tropical epiphytic cacti, however, I am now studying orchids with relation to water uptake and loss. Epiphytes have interesting aerial roots that function both for anchorage and water absorption. Of these two functions, anchorage has been seen as the primary function for epiphytes since rainfall is abundant in the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica. However, aerial roots are in constant danger of dehydration when it isn’t raining. The roots have a velamen (layers of dead cells around the root) that absorb water and aid in slowing water loss. So, my goal is to determine if there is any relationship between the velamen thickness and its function and how this changes with elevation. You applied for funding with different projects, yet you are basically working together. Are there some overlaps in your work? How do you help each other and collaborate as a team? I am sure that being in Costa Rica is an extremely exciting experience. Don’t tell me it is all work! Evan: Each of our projects runs on a different schedule. For example, my decomposition project required a lot of work immediately upon arrival at La Selva, but is largely finished because the litter needs time to decompose. In the meantime, I'm helping Joe with his seedling diversity project in the Plagas plots, because that project requires a large amount of work sustained over a long period of time. We're having a great time -- the best part is seeing all the amazing animals of the rainforest concentrated around the Station! Joe: There is not a whole lot of conceptual overlap in our projects, except considering that everything in the tropics is inextricably tied together. However, each of our projects require different techniques and different schedules, such that when we are not busy with our own projects, we have the time to help someone else out on theirs. For example, the last couple of weeks, Evan and I worked almost exclusively on his project because he had some major deadlines to meet. Now that that is past, however, we have been working almost exclusively on my project. As for having fun, we do work very hard (including most weekends) but that doesn't mean we BROWSE CLASSES OFFERED BY THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT http://departments.oxy.edu/registrar/ catalog/bio.html
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Transcript of Of Garlic and Hiking Professor Craney’s hike became the reason why I turned green with envy on...
Of Garlic and Hiking
Professor Craney’s hike became the reason why I turned green with envy on Thursday after seeing the pictures Gabi Gavrila took and kindly sent to me (hapless e-mail!). My condition worsened as she sat with me for a chat and shared the rather saucy, or shall I say garlic-flavored, details of the trip. In short, the trip was a successful combination of a good work-out, spectacular views, and an accident with a classy restroom on the way down (I hear that Jenn Phan was involved here, but we’d better let sleeping dogs lie). Apparently Chris was not completely honest when he said the hike is going to be “a piece of cake” because the just-a-little-more-left moment did come, but in the end everyone was happily tired, and a few people even managed to take a nap at the mountain top. The hikers spent a whole two and a half hours there, but contrary to the plan, could not really make out the naval base in the distance. There were lunches packaged to console them, though, and apparently really nicely prepared ones. Here arose a tiny culinary problem, namely the excessive amount of garlic in the pasta. And shame!- no chewing gum was included. The hikers also saw the notorious San Andreas fault, and Chris managed to turn the hike into a game by dividing the students into two groups- the Snails and the Rabbits. He distributed walkie-talkies so that those ahead and those behind could keep in touch. The mobile connection was not perfect, but it did help prevent major break outs of impatience. At the end of the hike an option to visit Canada popped up, but no, they didn’t go (at least Chris didn’t; I haven’t seen the others ever since…). However, the hike was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved; one of rediscovering both nature and fellow researchers!
Read and Remember
If somebody who signed up for our trip to Melrose will not be able to come, they need to email [email protected] ASAP, so that other
people can come in their place. As of now, there is one spot left. Thank you for your great
interest!***
<^>Big-Time Water Blast<^>A URC- sponsored trip to one of the ten
biggest water amusement parks in the US, RAGING WATERS, will take place on July
14th. First come, first served basis. Signing up starts today.
***From today, Friday, June 22nd, as you come to pick up your checks at the URC, you are likely
to be stalked by a suspicious Eastern European with a camera. The headshots which
are to be taken will be used in the summer conference program.
Calendar June 2- June 9 Calendar June 2- June 9 June 21- July 1, 2007Los Angeles Film FestivalWestwood VillageBuy tickets online on http://www.lafilmfest.com/
June 22, 200710:00 am-8:00 pmPacific Asia Museum Free DayPacific Asia Museum46 N Los Robles AVEPasadena CA 91105http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org
June 22, 20076:30 pmNorton Simon screening of "The Chess Players"Norton Simon Museum of Art411 W. Colorado BoulevardPasadena, CA 91105-1825626.449.6840http://www.nortonsimon.org/
June 27, 200712:00 noonDan Snowden-Ifft, Research on WIMPsSamuelson Pavilion, includes lunch
June 29, 20077- 8 pm Student Film FestivalAlumni AuditoriumPopcorn and Soda for everyone
Daniel Snowden-Ifft
Professor Snowden-Ifft is performing a search for dark matter in our galaxy. Since arriving here, Professor Snowden-Ifft has actively involved several Oxy undergraduates in his research. His field of interest is Experimental Cosmology. Below is an excerpt from his NSF proposal submitted in the Fall of 1998. “The dark matter problem is one of the great puzzles in modern cosmology. Simply put there is much more dark mass than light-emitting mass in the universe. Though the existence of dark matter is no longer in doubt its nature has remained elusive. Decades of research by theorists and experimentalists have whittled down the number of viable dark matter candidates to a few, among them the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP). The goal of this project is to detect WIMPs.”On Wednesday he is going to talk about his research. Make sure you don’t miss it!
Not everyone is doing their summer research on-campus. Some lucky ones are in Costa Rica- namely Evan Poirson, Joe Statwick, Case Prager, and Diana Hernandez (below). Because of their talent and initiative, students and their mentors- Dr. Beth Braker, Dr. Gretchen North, Dr. Victor Carmona, and Dr. Terry McGlynn, got to party in Costa Rica, too Okay, I lied here, their schedules are actually far from loose, and both students and professors are working hard on a 24/7 mode. After all, they have their ambitious projects.
Evan Poirson, Detritivores and Plant Biodiversity at La Selva, Costa RicaJoe Statwick, Seedling Diversity in Tropical Reforestation PlotsCase Prager, Variability in extrafloral nectary structure, herbivory, and ant attendance in the exotic plant Ricinis communis in Southern California and Costa RicaDiana Hernandez, Contractile Roots in Tropical Rainforest Epiphytes
Evan, given the unprecedented biodiversity in tropical rainforests, your research topic seems quite broad. Quoting a favorite student source, Wikipedia, there exist nearly 2000 species of vascular (plants with specialized tissues for conducting water) plants in the La Selva habitat. How are you going to systematize the extensive data you are likely to collect from your field work? As for detritivores specifically, how are you going to explore their variety and import for the environment? I created 270 leaf-litter bags from fallen leaves of one common Costa Rican species, Cecropia obtusifolia. Those bags were dispersed in groups of fifteen to 18 different plots around La Selva. With different nutrient levels in each plot, I expect to see some variation of decomposition rates. Two of the most important nutrients I'm keeping my eye on are phosphorous and nitrogen; I expect higher levels of these nutrients to foster greater levels of both plant and detritivore (small organisms like ants, fungi and bacteria that consume leaf-litter) diversity, and contribute to faster decomposition rates. Of course, these predictions are hinged on the idea that more detritivores means more litter consumed.
Joe, deforestation seems to be a most pressing issue given the much publicized debate on global warming and the huge number of species dependent on rainforests’ preservation for their survival (about half the world’s flora and fauna). Statistical research shows that 50,000 species become endangered with extinction each year due to depletion of forest resources. In this context, is your exploration of seedling diversity in reforestation plots aimed at classifying it or rather at generation of reforestation policies? What determined the nature of your research topic?Well, my project is sort of aimed at both classification and reforestation policy. In order to shape policy, it is important to first classify the success of different potential reforestation strategies. I decided to do this project after working here in Costa Rica last year and noticing some apparent differences in the types of seedlings found under different cultivation conditions. I thought it would be interesting to see how successful different conditions were at recruiting and rearing new saplings.
Case, Ricinis Communis is called by the Latin-ignorant majority of humanity simply castor oil plant. After seeing the picture of the plant, I was like, “ Oh, I’ve seen this a hundred times!” And indeed, it turned out to be an extremely adaptive plant, which although native to the Mediterranean and Eastern Asia, establishes itself easily in various habitats. This environmental flexibility resolved the mystery why you are doing research on it in Costa Rica. Why did you pick up this exact plant; was your choice affected by its popularity and various uses or did it generate your biologist’s interest with some specific characteristics? Ricinus communis is an invasive plant both in California and Costa Rica (as well as much of the world outside of its home range of tropical Africa and Asia). Ricinus is a highly chemically defended, successful invader as it produces Ricin, an extremely potent toxin and a variety of other secondary compounds. Thus, the fact that Ricinus produces extrafloral nectaries-- sugar producing glands that are known to provide nutrients to ants and in return the plant receives defense from the ants--is an interesting characteristic. This summer I am working with Ricinus in Costa Rica looking at the variability in plant architecture and extrafloral nectary structures across different habitats. Ultimately, this data, in combination with the data from our southern California study, will serve to draw a temperate-tropical comparison of the plant architecture of Ricinus as well as provide insights in to the potential conditional mutualisms this plant engages in with various ant species.
Diana, epiphytes sound like an especially fascinating research object. What are the specific reasons why you decided to explore epiphytes? What are the goals that you have set for yourself in this project? My original project was to study root contraction in tropical epiphytic cacti, however, I am now studying orchids with relation to water uptake and loss. Epiphytes have interesting aerial roots that function both for anchorage and water absorption. Of these two functions, anchorage has been seen as the primary function for epiphytes since rainfall is abundant in the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica. However, aerial roots are in constant danger of dehydration when it isn’t raining. The roots have a velamen (layers of dead cells around the root) that absorb water and aid in slowing water loss. So, my goal is to determine if there is any relationship between the velamen thickness and its function and how this changes with elevation.
You applied for funding with different projects, yet you are basically working together. Are there some overlaps in your work? How do you help each other and collaborate as a team? I am sure that being in Costa Rica is an extremely exciting experience. Don’t tell me it is all work!Evan: Each of our projects runs on a different schedule. For example, my decomposition project required a lot of work immediately upon arrival at La Selva, but is largely finished because the litter needs time to decompose. In the meantime, I'm helping Joe with his seedling diversity project in the Plagas plots, because that project requires a large amount of work sustained over a long period of time. We're having a great time -- the best part is seeing all the amazing animals of the rainforest concentrated around the Station!Joe: There is not a whole lot of conceptual overlap in our projects, except considering that everything in the tropics is inextricably tied together. However, each of our projects require different techniques and different schedules, such that when we are not busy with our own projects, we have the time to help someone else out on theirs. For example, the last couple of weeks, Evan and I worked almost exclusively on his project because he had some major deadlines to meet. Now that that is past, however, we have been working almost exclusively on my project. As for having fun, we do work very hard (including most weekends) but that doesn't mean we don’t have fun. There was a big salsa/meringue party tonight, for example, to help everyone relax and get a break from work.
I want to thank Dr. Beth Braker for her assistance, and Diana, Case, Joe, and Evan for the fast responses. I know that you are busy and I appreciate your involvement. Good luck with your projects, and have a wonderful time at Costa Rica!
BROWSE CLASSES OFFERED BY THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT http://departments.oxy.edu/registrar/catalog/bio.html
