Being at Uni

Kia Ora!

I wanted to update with a post a bit more about life here in Auckland, specifically my classes, to mix it up a bit from all the pictures!

First let me say that I absolutely love my classes. I think they are all brilliant in their own way and I am learning so much. I began this semester with 5 weeks of field camp. I had never really done anything even kind of like field work, I've worked in labs but even that couldn't compare. Yes I could see what was happening but I wasn't out there 'doing it,' designing my own procedure, looking at things in the real, outside world. I learned so much being out there in the field. We did a lot of different activities and I learned a lot more about different subjects than I had ever had the opportunity to before.

We began field camp in Rarotonga, as described below, doing units on Coastal Geomorphology (the structure of the coastline; in Rarotonga this is actually quite interesting because around the island the beaches are quite different in terms of length and sediment size. This all has to do with where the reef is located in relation to the beach, farther away and the shore will be more protected and consequently it will be a lower energy system, etc), Reef Biology (studying with a post-doc from the University of Hawaii who taught us about the different reef ecosystems and had us out in the field, counting coral, fish, invertebrates and estimating at populations. We also looked at the differences in population of these species between Ra'ui, or protected areas, verses non-protected beaches. Our next unit led us to studying with the pre-eminent humpback whale scientist Nan Hauser. We learned so much from her, from details about the whales themselves to their environment and migration patterns. Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity! Finally on Rarotonga we hiked up and down a local watershed, taking water samples. We then examined them for potential contaminants, to see the concentrations in pristine areas verses developed areas. We also had a bit of an introduction to animal migration (turtles, whales, birds, etc) from a professor at the University of Canterbury. This topic is especially fascinating to me; I've always been interested in sea turtles and their migration patterns. Green sea turtles actually return to the beaches they are born at to lay their own eggs; how do they find these beaches? It's actually theorized that these turtles have magnetite, (yes it actually exists, and in humans as well!), within their bodies and they can literally detect the magnetic field at their specific beach. Experiments with controlled electric fields (say to location A which is north of HOME), the turtles actually know to swim south. Fascinating stuff!

After Rarotonga we headed down to New Zealand to meet up with the geology students also in my program. For a week we spent learning about cultural landscape, particularly of the North Island. (Cultural landscape basically equates to the combination of modern science and procedure with indigenous knowledge and stories; providing centuries of 'data.') During this time we did a lot of traveling hearing a lot of stories about the land and the Maori who live there. Next we headed down to Rotorua to explore all of the geothermal activity! This location, in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, has numerous hot pools, springs and even geysers. We had a chance to see some of these amazing phenomena up close (yes I can post pictures!) and learn about the systems that create them. We finished up by learning about geothermal energy here in New Zealand and visiting several geothermal energy plants. Next we moved on to water quality experiments and geological data gathering. For water quality, we took many water samples along the Tarawera River, which is affected by a local pulp and paper mill. We won't get to see the results until May, but it was hard work filtering the water from all of the dirt, what a great forearm workout! Then we used Ground-Penetrating-Radar technology with a University of Auckland staff member to look at the surface and subsurface of an area where there may be a fault line. Finally we spent the last week relaxing, camping and enjoying the scenic views at Lake Tarawera and then at another beach campsite. Here we finalized our plans for our semester long projects. Learning in field camp was an amazing experience and truly taught me the value of learning 'out in the field.' You can try and simulate things in a lab, but it will never be the same as being outside actually doing it.

I've decided to continue my studies in water quality, specifically looking for hard metals, or cations, in the samples. I am taking this a little farther, designing my own set of experiments to look at the solid waste generated at this pulp and paper mill. Basically I will be mixing this solid with liquids of different pH levels trying to see when hard metals, contaminants, leach out. By doing this I hope to see under what conditions contaminants do leach out, and once identified, if they are similar to what is found in the nearby Tarawera River. I'm really excited for this project, but it is so different from what I am used to! During college I have worked in a lab, but only with very specific instructions and guidelines. Being told to design the experiment? I'm really excited to get started! I have a great set of mentors, staff at the University of Auckland, and am excited to see what kind of results I get. It's been a lot of work already, reading the currently published literature and designing my own experimental protocol, but I am excited to see what comes of it!

My other classes are likewise going well! My Art History class, Images and Ideas, is definitely my favorite for a few reasons. The first is simply the class itself, I've met one of my best friends in lecture and in our tutorials. Though she is a Kiwi we have so much in common; favorite books, foods, and our love of procrastinating on our homework using Solitaire and Facebook! I also really enjoy hearing from my professor; she has been to many of the sites we discuss and has her own personal interpretation and anecdotes which I really enjoy. Furthermore, she is always quoting people, artists. A few of my favorite are listed below, at the end of this post. If you know me you know that I love quotes so I enjoy that immensely! The subject matter also is incredibly interesting. This is just an introductory course and covers both art and architecture, beginning in Ancient Egypt and Greece and going through the Renaissance. I love art so I enjoy just looking at the pictures and learning about the artists and methods of buildings, but also the perspectives the artist must've had when creating their masterpieces.

I am also immensely enjoying my Environmental Science class: Effects and Management. It's such a great course because every day we do something so different! My favorite topics so far have been on Air Pollution and it's effects on human health. I had never really thought about how much environmental science will matter when I'm a doctor, but it more than anything will be a determinant of human health on the global scale. It's been so interesting to learn about vehicular air pollution and other sources and what this means for humans, in addition to just how difficult it is to measure! Furthermore we have covered many topics covering urban planning. For example; a new highway is being built through Auckland to connect many of the existing roads. This has many positives, including reducing congestion and air pollution, but to be built must destroy 200 (mostly state) houses and reduce greenspace and local parks. We had an opportunity to take a field trip to go see many of these sites. What is the best thing to do? There is a lot to be examined when making such a decision; one of our course projects it to pick an area of interest and examine what effect the project will have on it. I have chosen to focus on the mangrove forests; such an amazing tree that reduces pollution, absorbs nutrients from the air and can survive in salt water, but is being threatened by the project. If some of the trees are destroyed, will the others survive? If groundwater is redirected, what will happen to the salt concentration in the estuary, will the trees survive? I've been doing a lot of research and am excited to continue, though I am afraid to find out that these amazing plants will not survive in this region.

Finally I am enrolled in a New Zealand Geology class, covering everything from the supercontinent that used to contain New Zealand, to the fossil record, to the evolution of life on New Zealand and even my favorite topic, DINOSAURS! We have a field trip coming up over fall break that I am very much looking forward to, an opportunity to see geology in action! (Haha) This class has really been a joy, continuing on in the spirit of field camp, covers a diversity of topics that all must come together. It's interesting how here a lot of my classes have been very interdisciplinary, a good thing I think. Everything is connected!

That's it for now; I'll update with pictures from NZ field camp soon!

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all quotes paraphrased by my teacher, sources unknown

"Eyes are influences most by the things we cannot see."

"...You couldn't have a conservation with a Greek Sculpture, but a Roman sculpture, now they would have something to say."