Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why? I'm proud of how much knowledge I have on the subject and have just realized it when it was so easy to talk about actual information when I treated the presentation more informally. I am also proud of the decorations in my room and how well it went with the activities and the activities themselves also seemed to be fun for the class. (2) Questions to Consider a. What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)? P+ b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)? AP+ (3) What worked for you in your senior project? The fact that I learned something that was completely applicable to real life was very helpful in keeping me motivated to finish things like the science project. (4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time? Start with reintroduction as my original topic and also find the AZA reintroduction guidelines sooner. (5) Finding Value How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples. This project has forced me to think formally in science and has forced me to do well in future science classes. This has also helped me to engage in the marine biology field and find many opportunities like my college of choice going into a JC then transferring into CSULB. I am also impressed with how well I was able to converse on reintroduction with an expert on reintroduction (Mike Schaadt).

Mentorship

Literal · Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aij2AloMrD2tdG9pcVBjTXRPNHRMSFJWVFVCcWVNZ0E#gid=0 · Contact Name & Number Andres Carrillo (714)390-0305 Interpretive What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why? The most important thing I gained from this experience is the experience of working in a lab setting where being scientifically correct and critical thiinking is encouraged. I have also learned many things about all kinds of marine life as well as a lot more on the type of habitats they live in. Applied How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain. As I explain in my ISearch, the first couple of times I went to the aquarium to volunteer I went to go reintroduce a small pipefish and more after that. That moment helped me reflect on my research and why that sort of thing would be important. Also just being in the environment with scientists I can ask questions at anytime about my topic and they would be answered with no problem and some proof as to what they answered.

Exit Interview Quetions

(1) What is your essential question? What is the best answer to your question and why? My essential question is what is the best way to reintroduce a marine animal? My best answer is my third answer which is to release them in a region formerly occupied by the same species. The reason why this is my best answer is because what my research has shown me is that the process that makes them learn their environment is not nearly as important as the pre-reintroduction screening.I say that this method is more effective just because it is more cost effective and less time consuming than the first, it is safer for the animal because of the lack of environmental hazards prereintroduction, and it is the best because the animals were made to survive in the environment that you are reintroducing them to and with this form of reintroduction you can focus on a whole population rather than one animal at a time,in the words of Mike Schaadt from the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, "It doesn't matter if the individual survives, it depends on the population, that is where the success lies." (2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer? The process I took to answer this was doing much research not on just the reintroduction of marine animals, but the reintroduction of any animals and i took that information and applied it to marine life as many scientists have before. I also had research on previous reintroduction efforts of various sources such as our very own NAVY who was using a part of the AZA's guide to reintroduction with their own twist to reintroduce dolphins. I also had very useful interviews with various scientists, but especially helpful was Mike Schaadt whom I had a 45 min long interview with where his experience with reintroduction really came to light. (3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them? In my project the biggest problems were that I couldn't find any mentors to do hours with and the fact that my science fair project died. Finding a mentor was one of the hardest things I have had to do. To find this mentor I had tried many places and people all of which denied me studying under them. Countless aquaria, programs, mission programs, rescues, and even professors had turned me down through Emails and phone calls. It seemed everyone was on edge for one reason or another mainly that the fall semester had started and school somehow affected everything I could ever try. Then one day tired of trying and very hopeless, I tried a very unprofessional approach and asked the 'Ask A Marine Biologist' section if I could have a mentorship opportunity and Mike Schaadt answered this call saving my entire senior project. My science fair project was probably the most frustrating thing i will ever do in my life. My supervisor and mentor Andres Carrillo had told me that their were ways which could induce strobilation in polyps of jellyfish. With my research still being for marine biology in general and not coming up wit my present EQ I was going to test what the effects of ocean acidification were on Aurelia aurita from the stage of polyp to ephyra. I should start by saying I started this project in late December. I had created different pH waters using 4M HCl (hydrochloric acid) and actual ocean water on a Monday of my winter break. I had cared for these jellyfish for months, feeding them and cleaning them and every couple of weeks they would show signs of strobilation but then regress. I would come to my mentorship with hope expecting them to be ephyra but instead they stood polyps. One week they showed a dark purple coloration which was a sure fire way of telling that their about to strobilate. When I came back I had been informed that a man came to change the handles on all of the doors and knocked the water out to let the polyps die. I solved this by informing Pittman and getting a recommendation. Another problem that I had which was more of an ongoing struggle was finding research. Since reintroduction as a field is still in its infancy stage there was little to no research on it, but the fact that it was still an emerging field was a privilege I will always feel. I dealt with this by researching deeper. (4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why? My two most significant sources are the AZA Guidelines to Reintroduction and Mike Schaddt, director of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. The AZA guide showed me the specific needs to be met by all animals whether marine or not, with good reasoning behind their rules I decided to apply these to all of my answers to see if they all fit the correct rules. My second biggest source was Mike Schaadt who answered all of the questions I had after research with in depth answers that gave me a huge insight to reintroducing animals. (5) What is your product and why? My product is that as of now I can engage in a scientific conversation with people about the affects of habitats on animals or just in general with my experience in mentorship. Another product I now have is the lasting knowledge of doing an experiment submittal where I had to come up with research,equipment lists, why you wan to try the experiment, the sciencebehind your project, a detailed instruction of how to perform the experiment, and I also learned how to speak professionally in a scientific environment especially when the jargon is absolutely necessary.

Final 3-Column Chart

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Byj2AloMrD2tMjZhcFo0c3R4V3c/edit?usp=sharing

Science Fair PROBLEM!

I now have a major problem with my science experiment. THEY JUST DIED! I believe it had something to do with a problem that I had with them the week before. I left the jellies alone in a drawer to induce strobilation, the problem started on a Tuesday when I wasn't there. The drawer handles were being replaced so that the aquarium looked more aesthetitically pleasing and were actually operational. The drawer was known to get stuck and the man got it stuck then decided to yank it out with force forcing the tray to fall and the water to empty. The man left all three of them empty for the rest of the week where the jellies were suffocating. However the jellies survived but weren't responding to food anymore and thats jellies died.

Independent Component 2

Literal a) I Elijah Armendariz, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. b)The man that helped was Jeremy Meadows a PADI divemaster who works in affiliation with Sport Chalet. c) d) I completed my Open Water Diver's certification course. Interpretive I know for a fact that I completed well over 30 hours of work because the course consisted of an online course which I spent 2 hours a day for 2 weeks on, 2 in class lessons which were 3 hours each, two confined water dives which were 2 hours each, then 4 open water dives which were each 45 mins- an hour off of Casino Point on Catalina's coast. Applied This component helps me and my project because as Mike Schaadt director of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium said one of the most important parts of the process of reintroduction is to watch the population after the reintroduction is done to make sure it was successful or if there are any ways to solve the issue of their failure. This is often the step that dictates whether the process was a success or failure.

Senior Project and ESLR's

1. I believe the ESLR that I am doing the best on currently in my science project is the effective learner.

2. I know I have excelled in this because just to even get the opportunity to conduct this experiment I have had to do some extensive research to find out what the polyps eat, how much they eat, how to get them to strobilate, what kind of acid I should use to correctly balance the sea water's pH along with how much I should use, I have had to look up strobilation strategies, as well as an entire guide on the life-cycle of the Aurelia aurita. In addition to this I have fed these every week and written instructions on cleaning and feeding for the rest of the staff. Just to create a proper university level hypotheses took critical thinking to word it in the right terminology as well as format. Everyday I am there I also take notes on them and record the changes that are taking place in the polyps.

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