Efrain Ruiz

I am a UCSC graduate with a degree in Environmental Geology. I enjoy exploring my environment and learning new things about it. I like plants and enjoy a sunny day put gardening. Rainy days aren’t to bad as we get to see a whole new side to our world.

This summer I will be working at Elkhorn Slough in an effort to restore the marsh/swamp area back to its original state after having been used for farmland before salting of the land due to the ocean water intrusion in the land. I will be collecting soil samples and determining carbon levels given samples and other methods.

I am hoping to gather more field experience and get to know how to survey an area and what to look for in data. I also want to learn more about the marshlands of Monterey Bay and what has happened over the years and what we can do to make it better. With this I hope to work in a National Park doing research for environmental conservation as well as all the flora and fauna. I would also like to be a geologic consultant.

What have you learned in your internship so far? (week 3 update)

Since most of my internship has focused on collecting field data what I have learned about are the important steps that there is in field work. I learned that you have to be carrying a lot of equipment and there are lots of measurements to keep track of, so it is better to write everything down, even if you think you wont need the values. It is important to communicate with everyone in the field and assign roles so that the collecting of data can be a little bit faster. I feel like I have gotten a very good understanding of using a Greenhouse Gas Analyzer and gathering data. I hope to get a bit more understanding in analyzing the actual data and making sense of what I am analyzing. I have also gotten good at taking core samples and pore water samples. I take the core samples and prepare them for analysis in an oven and take a couple of measurements before and after. For pore water analysis, I gather the pore water, then I take the values using a measuring tool for salinity and PH and various other things. After I record the values, I then have to filter out the water using an air pump filters and flasks. After they are filtered they are then analyzed again to see what was changed. I have strengthened my skills in field work and gathering field data. I feel like my communication skills are also improving and I am able to carry out more tasks independently.

How will attending AGU advance your academic and career goals?

I think that attending AGU will be beneficial as it is a perfect place to learn about all the different types of research that people are doing out there. This is exposing me to different options of where I can take my career in the future. I think that I can also talk to the people involved with these projects and see what it is they look for in people to be part of their team. I will be around my peers too so it should not be as intimidating to walk up and start asking questions as they have been through the same process that I went through. I am also thinking of continuing my educational career so hopefully I can find or reach out to different institutions/ programs that can help me get into a program or lead me in the right direction, as well as giving me different options. I think also just learning about what everyone has been doing during the summer and all the different places they worked at and talking to them about their experiences can be good as I can get more information than just the general overview.

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