End of Week 2

Hard to believe that school has been in for almost 2 weeks.  This semester thus far has been a whirlwind, with classes and other commitments.

I love my classes so far this semester... although it will prove to be a writing and oral presentation heavy semester.

Physics is turning out to be easier than I anticipated - although I am super confused on dimensional analysis (even in general chemistry was this a huge struggle) but I understand how to do most of the math.  The only downfall to this course is having to remember topics from my Algebra 2 class, which was 6 years ago.  The professor is a riot (although some people would say other wise). Dr. S started off the semester having us as a class guess what PhD stood for - - - his answer wasn't one I was expecting.  He told us, "PhD stands for permanent head damage."  He reminds me of the guys on the Big Bang Theory with his dry, nerdy humor, which makes the class enjoyable.  I also got the opportunity to learn a bit more about his (k-12) education background (He is from Malaysia) - which is a lot different than our education system here in the states.

Neuroscience - is going to be interesting class with topics but also intense.  It is a upper level major course (psych) and will reinforce written and verbal competencies for psychology majors (along with cognitive or social psychology). I am able to take this class because my minor adviser knew it would be interesting to me - so I took experimental psychology a year and a half ago as the pre-requisite to taking the class.  There will be 10 lab reports (4 whole ones and the others will have specific sections (introduction, methods, results, discussion) for us to complete), oral presentations (5 per person with alternating individuals), and a research paper and presentation. - And with all of this said, if I wanted to I could go post-bac and take 2 more psychology course (personality and social psychology) and have a second degree.

Capstone - well - it also consists of oral presentations and 2 thesis papers.  The first "mini" - thesis paper will be about coral bleaching and the second, full thesis paper will be on a topic of our choice. I am going to have the opportunity to write about a topic that was interesting to me from my internship at CHA this summer - and have it count towards my Independent Research semester hours.  - I definitely was excited about that, as well as Dr. H.

My other two courses are lighter and interesting.  I was worried about Hebrew Bible - especially since I never took a history/religion course on the college level, but Dr. Sa makes it interesting with the knowledge he has and incorporated into his own textbook. I am also glad I get to take Drawing 1 (although I never took an art class after 8th grade prior to intro to art last year) to hone in what I am able to do drawing wise.

I thought it was interesting how Prof, A.P. had us start off the semester with blind contour drawings. This was a hard task because you don't know what you are drawing, yet you can train yourself to look away while drawing and gain experience with detail (or something like that). The activity itself taught me to let go when it comes to drawing - because many times I shied away from attempting any art because of the sketch not being "perfect". The same goes for writing, music, etc. My mentor, K.S.E bought me a book, "Big Magic" over the summer that goes into Elizabeth Gilbert's journey to becoming "more" creative - and in the early part of the book - she talks about just letting go and writing.

Lastly - SI (upper level Spanish - intermediate).  It has been a different experience so far.  I went to training last week - learned how to lead group activities that basically reinforce what is being taught in the course.  So for this I get to sit in during class; I plan and prepare activities, and lead the sessions - we also have meetings a few times a month.  Thursday night was the first session and I only had one person show up.  It was awkward but I was able to help him better understand conjugation and to review previous material. I like how with tutoring and SI, I can help the individual tap into different learning styles.  Last fall, I tutored a basketball player - and I would have her write on the board - for oral presentation preparation. And with doing that - along with practicing speaking - she did much better with her presentations.  Same with the guy I helped last night - he understood conjugation patterns much better after writing them on the board.

Sappy First Day Post (Well kind of)

So, yesterday was my last first day of a school year (at least until graduate school). I definitely have some mixed emotions about it!

This year was the first time that I got the chance to help in the latter half with orientation for freshmen.  It was definitely a different experience, but I am glad I was able to help. I never understood the time it took to get everyone registered for classes in the fall - both for freshmen and transfers.  

This year starting school has been so different.  I came back and instantly had different plans with friends. I am much more laid back then I was in past years getting supplies and the right books (and I always overbought supplies).  Even when it comes to decorating my dorm - I didn't feel like I had to go all out like I have in the past. Also, it was great to see everyone again - good thing about going to a small school! 

My classes are a mix of challenging and gen. eds - so the course load isn't too terrible, but time consuming. My physics and neuroscience courses will be the main ones that are time consuming.  I am also finally taking a couple of classes that are interesting (and outside my major).  I am super excited about learning techniques for drawing and hope to improve skills drawing and learning more about the origins of the Bible (Hebrew).  My professor for that class actually just published the textbook that he is using this semester. 

I also have some other things coming up this coming year.  This semester I lead Supplemental Instruction (SI - basically group review sessions) for Intermediate Spanish 1.  I am excited but nervous for the turn out (I definitely was nervous yesterday when I said my name super fast and my professor had to say it again - at least I remembered to say my name - unlike the first time I went to interview someone for PR - super embarrassing!!!!) .  I am planning on doing some engaging activities and help people with their confidence with our Spanish courses - and practice bribery. 

Also - PR. I am interviewing and gathering information on our First Year Seminars and working on getting information from psychology majors again this semester for/with one of my former psychology professors.  I also am going to write about my internship experience - which leaves me with mixed feelings. - Although I  did blog some of it - and we had some cool adventures - so it shouldn't be too bad.  And not sure what other topics to write but hoping to do some fun ones!

I am also a secretary for ECO (Environmental Catawba Outreach - or something similar) - and get to work alongside my friends. Although when we had the meeting, I never expected to offer to do it - and everyone jumped right on voting me in.  I am always apprehensive of being in a leader position but I can step up when I need to.

And working on looking biodiversity between types of habitats for mosquitoes - that will be pushed into next semester - I will do some work gathering papers on the topic and miscellaneous things - and will probably write about it for Capstone, but most of the work will be done next semester when I have more time and C.S is finished with ID'ing and trapping for Cabarrus County.

Here's to my final fall semester! Will be posting different topics and my adventures throughout the semester.

End of Summer!!

Hard to believe I am moving into my dorm tomorrow.  This summer has flew by with working at my internship and the other activities and trips.

So today was the final day of my internship at CHA.  I will definitely miss the people there, both environmental health and other departments.  

The last few weeks have been setting out light traps, permanent sites, practicing ID'ing, and passing out literature. I also got the chance to work with the data (to see what exactly I wanted to compare) and played around with some statistical testing.  I did run some t-tests (comparing two groups) for larval habitats - tires and plastics-but ended up with a large p-value (chance of there being a true difference between groups/treatments).  I think this is due to the means being similar between the groups and the fact that I used a small sample size for data.  But I will probably go and see if Dr. C can help me out with it whenever classes start. 

Also, on Tuesday I decided to wait outside for the gas to pump while T ran in the gas station. And when the gas was done pumping, I tried to put it back. However, the pump wasn't going back the way I was used to (T told me that the older gas stations have different pumps then somewhere like Wilco/Speedway or others) and I managed to get a ton of gasoline sprayed on me.  And I did try to deal with but it irritated my skin the way sunburn does and T took me back to change into some different clothes and wash the area (and it went away fairly quickly).

I also got to visit Green Mountain last week with family for the first time.  It was really nice there - although I managed to get sunburnt (although never did at the beach) - on my scalp and shoulders. I also go to Ch daughter some insects and tried to show her mosquito larvae (but it squirmed away).  I love how interested she is in seeing this stuff and being dirt and water!

Looking forward to moving in tomorrow - ready to start my final year at Catawba!!! 

Some Thoughts About my Final Year of Undergrad

The internship at CHA working with mosquitoes has taught me so much in just 2 months.

First off, I was planning on doing independent research in upcoming semesters but couldn't seem to find an area to focus on with mosquitoes and wasn't confident enough in my own abilities.  The research that takes place on campus is both field work (setting out/picking up the traps, taking larval samples) and molecular work (looking for certain disease RNA in the mosquitoes DNA).  This internship taught me to more about field work (as well as public health) and ID'ing. Also - it helped me realized that I am meant to do some type of research.

Second, the people at CHA and establishing new connections (in terms of references). I was impressed when I first was oriented to CHA how friendly everyone was and how welcoming the HR department made me feel.  I learned early on my mentor's (Dr. H) mentor worked with my boss with mosquito identification and public health, even after the funding was cut for vector borne disease control.  And speaking of my boss - she has been a great person to work for and learn under.  She is very animated and passionate about mosquitoes - and educating others. 

As for this coming semester, it will be a busy one.  I am taking 5 classes plus sitting in on one for my SI position.  I am taking physics, neuroscience, biology capstone, drawing, and intro to Hebrew Bible.  I have a feeling that the latter 3 won't be as intense as physics and neuroscience.  I do have some apprehension about physics - but I am decent at math, so it shouldn't be bad (general chemistry was a challenge because I need application to understand the material better).  Neuroscience, one of my interests in psychology, will have lab reports but I am sure it will be fine.

I am also excited to continue my work study in public relations - to continue to grow as a writer and push myself out of my comfort zone.  I also got an Supplemental Instructor position earlier in the summer - which I sit in on the classes - and basically do group tutoring sessions 2 x  a week, as well as other miscellaneous paperwork. 

What exactly is Zika?

So... my internship has been focused on mosquito collections - both ID'ing and trapping, as well as educating the public about preventing breeding of larvae and passing out literature to educate the public about proper precautions. This has been important because we are helping to contribute to data on mosquitoes, especially the species that can carry the Zika virus. The particular species we are looking for is Aedes Aegypti. 

After talking with a couple of people, one being my boss and the other a medical entomologist (who is also tied in with my school) - NC programs for mosquito control used to be funded before 2006. 10 years later, the state started funding again for mosquito control - this time because of Zika. (My boss, C.S. started with mosquito work after West Nile started, and has continued to pursue public education, collections, and control since then).

Mosquitoes carry many diseases - including both viruses and parasitic infections.  The Zika virus is an abrovirus, further classified as a flavivirus - which are commonly carried by mosquitoes (Baylor College of Medicine, 2016). 

Zika has been found all over the world, ranging from Africa, Asia, to North and South America (Baylor College of Medicine, 2016). The US has had cases that stemmed from traveling (Baylor College of Medicine) and now is occurring in Florida (CDC, 2016).

Like with most illnesses, Zika can cause ambiguous symptoms, which include: fever, malaise, rashes, and muscle aches. This leads many healthcare providers to misdiagnose the patient, unless they mention to the doctor that they traveled to another country.  On the other hand, a person can be asymptomatic (many of us carry many different viruses and bacteria on us without having symptoms of an infection - unless our immune system is under any type of stress). (Baylor College of Medicine, 2016; CDC, 2016; WHO, 2016)

The concern with this particular virus, aside from being endemic (or epidemic) - is that like rubella and toxoplasmosis - this virus can cause birth defects.  The most common one is microcephally - which is means a baby will have a smaller than normal head circumference. The other concern is that there is a probable change that Zika can lead to neurological issues, such as Gullian Barre Syndrome. (Baylor College of Medicine, 2016; CDC, 2016; WHO, 2016).

Right now, there are no treatments for these types of viruses. If a person contracts the illness, it is the same process as other viruses, to rest, hydrate, and ease symptoms with NSAIDs. (CDC, 2016; WHO 2016).

Prevention is key with this virus, as well as other vector borne diseases.  In order to prevent mosquito breeding, it is best to get rid of any standing water (tires, plastic bins, kiddie pools and slides, abandoned pools). Through this internship, I have learned there are 3 ways of treating areas with mosquito breeding that aren't able to be tipped over or gotten rid of. They include gambasia (fish), MMF (a spray with a specific molecular formula that prevents breeding), and mosquito dunks (which are Bti - a bacteria that is used to stop the larvae from turning into adults).

Other precautions include wearing long sleeves and pants, certain repellents, and avoiding certain times of day that the mosquitoes are most active.

Sources:

https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefense/zika

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/intheus/florida-update.html 

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/overview.html - What is Zika?

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/

End of July - Updates

Hard to believe school starts in two and half weeks! This summer has flown by for sure!

The internship is still going well.  I finally have an idea of what I would like to pursue in terms of research.  I want to compare mosquito biodiversity between the school's nature preserve and areas in the next county over.  Time permitting - I want to do some molecular work with the samples we had collected this summer.

We have continued to set out and pick up traps in various locations, collected ovi-traps, and went to "investigate" complaints and find new areas to trap. Last week, we got to go to a graveyard and find larval samples. It was interesting to check out the graves themselves as we looked in the urns for any standing water.  (I talked with C.S about the names and graves - and she mentioned bringing the older names back). We have also gotten to learn more about a type of mosquito treatment and been able to treat some areas with a mosquito dunk, also known as Bti (a bacteria that is used to prevents the mosquito larvae from becoming adults)

With this internship, I have gained a new mentor, C.S. I am glad that I have gotten the chance to get to know her better recently.  She really knows her stuff on mosquitoes.  She fields all my questions and has taught me so much this summer in regards to mosquitoes.

I also got the chance to help at Vacation Bible School this past week.  I was with the my normal bus route I help with during the school year and another route in the evenings.  It was great to see a lot of the kids and teens on route 5 (the normal route). The other day, one of the teens (who always seems distant Sunday mornings) - came to me when the kids were playing games - she gave me a hug.  After, I got to know her a little better.  She is about to start high school and has mixed feelings about it (I remember the apprehensive feeling about high school).

I also got the chance to work with 6 year-old boys again for 3 of the days and then helped with the 6 year-old girls the last night. The 6 year-old girls class had 5 of my bus kids - and they were super glad to see me.  During the last night, I had 2 by my side the whole night, and then 2 or 3 more during and after game time by me.

Lastly - I got to go to North Myrtle Beach with my friends.  And this was my first time booking a hotel - and there is all kinds of things I didn't realize were important in purchasing a hotel (taxes, check-in ages, and rates for weekdays and weekends).  Overall, the hotel was nice.  We got to go to the beach (although not many people were in the water - sharks, jellyfish galore, and levels of bacteria being through the roof), we swam, went to Boardwalk (a shopping and activity place), and ate at some different restaurants. Johnny Rocket will be forever my favorite place to go to in Myrtle - the staff actually stops and breaks out into song and dance!

The final leg of summer

So hard to believe that summer break is almost over.

I love my internship - I have learned so much this summer and am looking forward to continuing with this particular topic (mosquito - vectors) for independent study this coming school year.

We have been setting up traps and gathering ovitraps in different areas all over the county the last few weeks. Recently, we went to old permanent sites to deliver notices about checking for mosquito larvae.  These places ranged from Kannapolis, Harrisburg, and Concord. We had 4 or 5 places that were non-existent from 10 years ago, since C.S last visited these sites (funding for monitoring abroviruses/other vector borne diseases was cut back in 2008 and they started funding again because of the Zika virus threat).

We have also gone to check on complaints. Yesterday, we followed-up (with CS) on a complaint near CHA, and found a surprising breeding ground on the premise with mosquitoes. The person lived next to someone who put old cans of soda in a plastic bin filled with water from the recent rains,  Yet - when the larvae samples were dead - due to someone putting pertherin (not sure on spelling) or another similar insecticide in the bucket to prevent other insects.  The other complaint we went to had breeding all over - including a storm pipe, water on a trailer, and some miscellaneous buckets filled with water.

It was also interesting to learn how to control mosquito breeding - which they use 3 types (I only remember 2 off the top of my head).  MMF - is a layer of molecules that inhibit growth of mosquito larvae (Larvae stage is the stage before the mosquito is fully grown) but isn't harmful to other insects.  C.S had a bottle of this (looks like cleaner) but has told us that they stopped making this particular kind of insecticide.  The other control method is using gambusia - which are fish that eat mosquitoes (I am not sure if it is larvae or adult).  (Disclaimer: we don't do the control methods as interns).

In other news,  I was able to eat lunch and catch up with my high school creative writing/English teacher (and mentor) K.S.E. It is hard to believe that it has been 2 years since I last saw her and 8 years since I had her the first time in high school.  She was the one who went up with my graduating class in our English classes (she taught every English class except for Freshman English when I went to Carson) - so she watched me and many others advance through high school.  She also encouraged me to finish school (I questioned school as a freshman in high school) and saw the potential in me, both in life and with my creativity (along with the only time I ever got in trouble in school was her and only because she cared).

Funny to think of our conversation today and much of what she used to tell me is similar to me and Dr. H's conversations.