By: Madeleine King (REU student, Bowdoin College)

Greetings from the Wrigley Institute’s NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program! We are just now wrapping up the end of the first week of the REU program in LA and getting ready to leave early tomorrow morning for Catalina Island. The week has gone by quickly as we have all worked to get to know one another, connect with our mentors and grad students, and begin our projects for the summer. Each day has been split between time working on our projects and time spent exploring the city. Since USC’s campus is directly across the street from both the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and the Science Center, we spent many hours exploring both of them. Additionally, of course, we have also been taking advantage of LA’s food scene by having at least daily dinners all together. It’s been great getting to know everyone and learning about everyone’s different passions in the science realm and beyond.

REU students at the Hollywood sign, and walking to the CA Science Center

It has also been very exciting to learn about our projects for summer. This summer I will be working with Dr. Will Berelson, his lab tech, Nick, and his grad student, Abby, to carry out two different projects. The first project is to look at how atmospheric pCO2 fluctuates over time on Catalina Island and to determine what factors control the different fluctuations we observe. The data I collect will then be paired with data compiled here at USC’s main campus about pCO2 fluctuations in LA in the hopes of determining how the two influence each other and why they differ.

My other project is to look at the distribution and activity of carbonic anhydrase in the ocean. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is an enzyme present in all living beings that speeds up the reaction that turns CO2 to HCO3- (bicarbonate) and vice versa. This is incredibly important in biology as it turns the HCO3- in our blood into CO2 so we can exhale it. However, it is also important for climate science as CA can increase the rate of calcium carbonate dissolution in the ocean, allowing for greater sequestration of CO2. As CO2 levels continue to rise in our atmosphere, it is essential to find more sinks for it. If we can identify places in the ocean with high CA, they can serve as indicators of environments where a lot of CO2 sequestration is happening. Studies on this subject have been limited, so it’s very exciting to be able to learn more about this process.

REU student, Sam, in lab with her mentor, Lynn Dodd.

We’re all excited to head out to Catalina tomorrow and to continue working on our projects! I feel very lucky to be able to work on these projects with amazing people in a very beautiful place. We all can’t wait to continue our research, as well as hike and swim Catalina Island soon.

Stay tuned for more blogs from the REU students this summer!