Blog Post #3

Content: Through this study, I was able to further research the relationship between pH variation and the absorbance of CDOM produced by Chaetocoros muelleri, and the resulting findings even supported my hypothesis that a reduction in pH would result in a reduction of absorbance by CDOM, remaining consistent with previous studies on DOM. Potential reasons behind these observations could be that like what has been theorized with DOM, CDOM degrades slower at higher pH levels than at lower pH levels. With this content, next steps would consist of replicating this study once again under longer time frames and with access to more precise scientific instruments to produce more reliable and trustworthy data. 

Product: Producing a scientific paper and presentation based of my study taught me the foundational skills of transforming the findings of a project into an easy-accessible form for audiences. I was forced to reanalyze my observations, omitting unnecessary pieces of information and prioritizing results contributing most to my final conclusions. When writing my paper, I learned how present my thoughts through scientific language and vocabulary, an experience I had not had much before. When producing my presentation, I not only gained an ability to demonstrate my research process through graphics and visuals, but also orally. As someone who would like to continue participating in scientific research in the future, these skills are vital for success.

Process: This project pushed me to grow in ways I never expected. From finding a gap in the current scholarly conversation to executing my experimental design to presenting my conclusions, I stumbled upon challenges almost every step of the way. I exercised patience due to the lengthy time frames of my cultures and the need to wait weeks before even startin data collection. I practiced flexibility, as set backs in my culturing processes and timelines forced me to alter my experimental design and data collection multiple times. But most of all, I developed a greater sense of resilience than I have ever had before. My cultures have died, my setups have been dysfunctional, my use of scientific instruments had failed on multiple occasions, and more. Yet despite all these problems, I was able to push through and complete my research, no matter how tiring or frustrating it was, and that is what I'm most proud of. 

There are multiple people I would like to thank for assisting me throughout my AP Research project.

First is Ms. Wills, who offered me her classroom as an area to conduct my experiment and provided me with many of the scientific materials and tools I required, including a plant cart and culture vessels. Her generosity in allowing me to use her space when needed was vital in completing my study.

I would also like to thank Ms. Reilly, who allowed me to use her Vernier colorimeters in measuring the absorbance of my samples, as well as hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide to alter the pH of my cultures. Without her provision, much of my project would have been impossible to execute.

Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Dobos and Mr. McBride for being my mentors, advisers, and guides throughout this entire research project. Their efforts in breaking down the research process, checking in on each student, and supplying us with necessary references and tools have been crucial in facilitating the success of our studies. 

Abstract: Currently within the oceans, two large climate phenomena are becoming increasingly relevant threats towards the health and function of marine ecosystems: ocean darkening and ocean acidification. This paper aims to investigate the interactions between these two events, specifically through testing the connections between the absorbance of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) produced by the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri (C. muelleri) and the variance of pH conditions. Results demonstrated that a reduction in pH decreased the absorption by CDOM, findings consistent with previous studies researching similar procedures in dissolved organic matter (DOM). 

Academic Paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YecvOge8wF4DyIscUYMwlom0RcwpChXa/view?usp=drive_open

Academic Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xgz3S36p58xVd4cPscS_cJS_g4SCeyaR/view?usp=drive_open