This summer has definitely been one that I will never forget. I’ve learned a lot about computer coding, ocean chemistry, and myself over this remarkably short 10-week internship. Doing an internship during a pandemic was a very bizarre experience, but it showed me how to be resourceful and resilient. I learned how to take advantage of the resources I had available to me through Oregon Sea Grant as well as ask for help when I needed it, which was something I needed to improve upon. I also learned that I am far more resilient than I had previously thought, seeing as how I was still able to teach myself R while trying to navigate through finding affordable housing during a pandemic. Oregon Sea Grant and my mentor were extremely helpful and supportive through that whole process and I included a picture of me in my new workspace where I am surrounded by plants and one of my aquariums. I must say, the nicest part about working remotely is having the option to wear pajamas on a regular basis and I hope to gain the will to wear real pants again once we are past this situation.

Learning how to code in R was both challenging and rewarding and I cannot wait to see where this code will go. The thought of seeing my name in a publication for something I did over such a short period of time is so exciting and will be a huge asset to my future as a scientist. I am excited to continue working with Steve and the EPA on building a Shiny app so others can analyze their data quick and painlessly. Steve mentioned that YSI is one of the main distributors of ocean sensors so this app could potentially help researchers all over the coastal US.

I’m also excited to see where this code takes me, since I am going to be applying to graduate school very soon. I am hoping to get accepted into a PhD program without completing a Masters first, which sometimes requires having your name on some sort of publication to show that you’re ready. Now that I know R, I can help analyze data for my lab mates at PSU or ask my professors if they have any backlogs of data that needs to be analyzed. Having this type of skill will not only allow me to get a sneak peak at other people’s data, but I’ll also potentially be mentioned in any publications that come out from it. This internship has been an amazing learning experience and will be an unforgettable steppingstone on my journey to becoming a scientist.

I’ve learned a lot about how science plays an active role in policymaking since the beginning of my internship. One key point I’ve learned is how important communicating scientific findings to non-scientific crowds is. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity in the past to teach a small after school program about science to children in elementary school because it has taught me how to make complex ideas more accessible to others. Science can be especially intimidating and being able to explain things in a way that doesn’t go over the audience’s head or make them feel overwhelmed or inadequate is important but challenging.

My view of science policy has changed since the beginning of my internship and my mentor has certainly opened my eyes to what may lie ahead if I were to go into this type of work myself. In an effort to not be overly political, I have feared that if I were to go work for a government organization such as the EPA, that dealing with the frustrations of potentially having a boss who denies the problem I am researching even exists would be too much for me to cope with. My mentor has worked under two different administrations so far and has mentioned that even though there may be disagreements between the administration and the scientists working for them, everyone deserves their fair shot at making the world a better place according to their vision. Talking with my mentor about this has helped immensely though and has further inspired me to want to work for such an organization so that maybe I could try to help better explain the issues at hand in an understanding and non-threatening way.

My project is to look at the changes in various water conditions at the Tillamook Estuary. We are predominantly interested in ocean acidification and how the pH changes over time, but we are also looking into dissolved oxygen, salinity, and nutrient load. My project is focused on writing a code in R that allows us to analyze multiple datasets that have been accumulating data for the past three years. My project is fully remote, so having a routine is key. I start my day with some exercise since the rest of my day is spent sitting behind my computer. As you can see in my photo, I have a lot of furry friends to keep me company while I work. The place I am staying at has four cats and two dogs (one of which is only five months old!) so they help make sure I take breaks here and there to give them some pets. Since the majority of my work is spent trying to figure out how to properly format codes, taking many short breaks is necessary to avoid succumbing to frustration.

I meet with my supervisor twice a week and have a team meeting with the other intern involved with the project, McKenzie, once a week. McKenzie started her project shortly after mine so I’ve only just met her, but it is nice to have someone to share codes with and help troubleshoot problems we’re having. Having another person to share the challenges of coding with also helps keep me motivated, which is certainly more difficult given the current state of things. The main downside of my COVID-19 routine is not having the quiet workspace that I am used to having during the school year. I usually do all my work in a library or café, but with the stay at home order, it is increasingly difficult to separate my workspace from my rest space. Although, there are certainly positives to this situation. I love the fact that I can work whenever I want and take breaks when I feel like it. When I did my work at a library, I would usually try to power through it in order to get home as soon as possible. Now that I do my work at home, I’m able to work more at my pace and I’ve found that I am much more productive this way (even if it takes more time overall). I am also able to give in to my night owl tendencies and am realizing I am most productive in the evenings, which is not something I am able to do with in-person work.

The majority of my summer will be spent learning R which is a computer programming language used for statistical analysis. After learning R, I will go through a substantial amount of data and look for any significant trends in water parameters near Tillamook Bay. By analyzing the data at Tillamook Bay through R, we can visualize how ocean conditions, such as pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, have changed over the past few years. The data set is very large, so using a coding program like R will allow us to better organize the data and take out bad data points.

Once we have an understanding of these ocean trends, we can compare our results to other estuaries and see how this could affect oyster growth. Keeping track of how estuaries are responding to anthropogenic stressors, like excess carbon, is vital for maintaining the resilience of these ecosystems so they can continue to support the coastal community. This is essential to the Environmental Protection Agency’s mission, which works towards protecting both human health and the environment through writing, interpreting, and enforcing regulations. We hope to see how badly Tillamook is affected by ocean acidification which will allow policymakers to make informed decisions on how to combat the adverse consequences of climate change.