A Week in Woods Hole
June 20, 2024 | Mara Neace | No Comments
An early morning flight landed nine fellow students, Sam, and myself in Woods Hole—a small village in Massachusetts—to study marine biodiversity at the Marine Biological Laboratory during spring break. Dr. David Mark Welch, a biochemist, and Dr. Hillary Morrison, a molecular biologist and microscopist, taught our course which specifically focused on the microbial biodiversity of water sources in Woods Hole.
Throughout the week, we participated in numerous research opportunities like collecting water samples from sources throughout Woods Hole, running lab analyses like PCRs and gel electrophoresis, and performing bioinformatic analyses with VAMPS and BLAST software. At the end of the course, we presented our weeklong research to Sam, our instructors, and some MBL faculty members.
In addition to research opportunities, we were visited by guest speakers who lectured about their work and research. Some examples are Dr. Blair Paul, who presented his research on bacteriophages and marine microorganisms, and Dr. Jessica Mark Welch, who showcased her work in studying the spatial organization of microbes. We also toured two labs at the MBL, where axolotls and lampreys were used as model organisms to study brain and spinal cord regeneration. At the Marine Resources Center, we learned about various aquatic life at the MBL and saw (and also held!) horseshoe crabs, spider crabs, cancer crabs, sea anemones, and more.
When we weren’t performing research, we explored Woods Hole. Several people and I visited Coffee Obsession, a small coffee shop with amazing London Fogs, and Pie in the Sky, a local bakery with fantastic pies and pastries. We also visited the nearby beach and the waterfront park and saw beautiful views of the ocean, being sure to take photos for the calendar photo competition hosted by the MBL. We visited the gift shop, where several people bought tee shirts, axolotl plushies, and socks. On days when we were not exploring, we watched Avatar and Monsters University in the presentation room, ate meals in the dining hall, and played trivia in the common spaces.
Traveling to Woods Hole and the Marine Biological Laboratory was an incredible experience filled with amazing people, hands-on research, immersive lectures, and derpy axolotls. While the flights were long and the weather was chilly, I can’t imagine a better way to have spent my spring break.
