By: Ivan Langesfeld
Here we are at week 5 of the REU (Research Experiences for Undergrads) program, just over halfway done and I’m feeling both excited and sad about it. Excited because with all that we’ve done in the first half I can’t wait to see what is in store for the rest of our time. Sad, of course, because it means we are that much closer to leaving the island. This place that we are calling home has been a welcoming haven, a place where the lunch break entails hitting the cove for a quick swim (with leopard sharks numbering in the hundreds plus a couple bat rays to boot!) before rinsing and returning to work.
The greenhouse is where I’ve spent most of my time until now, though more and more I’m starting to use the lab facilities. I work on the Squid-Vibrio project with Dr. Josh Troll, something that I’m continually grateful for and constantly surprised with as it has been everything I could have hoped for. Did I mention that we got a first hatching of 47 baby squid last week?!
So here’s a little insight into our project: We’re working with the Hawaiian bobtail squid, a tiny little guy (~2 inches long full grown) who is super interesting as a model for animal-bacterial relationships since it harbors a bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio fischeri) that it uses at night to counter illuminate its underside against ambient light so that it casts no shadow. A handy trick for avoiding the hungry predators below!
We’re studying how this squid responds to heat stress with the aim of understanding how the squid-vibrio symbiosis holds up to elevated temperatures. This has far-reaching implications as global ocean temperatures continue to rise due to climate change and may also give us an idea of how other marine animal-bacterial symbioses will fair (corals and their bacterial partners, for example, are one of many organisms that may be affected similarly).
The next critical step to open up the squid-vibrio model for further research is to develop genetic tools to modify the squid. We are narrowing down on the squid’s heat shock parameters (the temperature range where we see a stress response from the squid) in order to then develop genetic techniques that specifically target temperature-dependent gene promoters as a way of selectively activating an introduced gene. Basically, you can tag a gene onto a heat shock promoter so that the foreign gene is expressed only when you want, at a certain temperature.
I can feel how the connections I’ve made so far at Wrigley and through the REU program are going to be something I look back upon as foundational and formative in whichever paths I find myself on in the future. If I continue with research later on, I now know I’m interested in microscopy and bioimaging in addition to my prior interests, which were more along the lines of ecology and working with animals. But aside from shifting interests, the program also spoils us with resources and experiences that open up crazy new doors you never knew would be available. For example, I may end up going into the field next year to collect adult squid in Hawaii with my mentor. I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii and could have never guessed that the opportunity would arise from working out here on Catalina.
As for the REU experience in general, I’d advise people to apply to ones you are genuinely interested in but, more so than that, reach out to the person (or people) you’d be working with ask them about their work. That is often a much better way to get an idea of what you can expect your experience to be like than whatever blurb you could find online. If you’re considering an REU or other program at Wrigley, I can’t express how happy I am with the experience of being here as a part of this program.