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Habitat for Humanity Grant Writing Intern
No full textMy internship this summer was with Habitat for Humanity of Whatcom County. Habitat Whatcom is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, which operates in communities around the country and world. Habitat Whatcom’s main goal is ensuring everyone has a decent place to live. This means having housing that is safe, affordable, adequately sized, and accessible. To accomplish this goal, Habitat partners with low-to-moderate-income residents, both building new homes and repairing old ones, increasing the amount of quality affordable housing available. In addition to providing housing help, Habitat Whatcom also operates a store on Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham, provides a variety of volunteer opportunities for the community and is currently developing the Nooksack Youth Center in Eastern Whatcom County
Puget Sound Express Deckhand/Crewmember Aboard Glacier Spirit
No full textDuring the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to return for a third season working with Puget Sound Express (PSE), a family-owned whale-watching company based in the Salish Sea region. This experience deepened my passion for marine ecosystems, science communication, and vessel operations. PSE’s rich history, rooted in three generations of the Hanke family, and their commitment to both environmental stewardship and guest experience, created a work environment that was both educational and inspiring. As a deckhand aboard the Glacier Spirit, I developed critical skills in marine safety, public outreach, and whale identification. I also gained hands-on experience with vessel navigation and emergency preparedness. Beyond technical growth, this role affirmed my desire to pursue a career connected to the ocean. The most rewarding aspect was witnessing the joy and wonder in passengers experiencing marine wildlife—often for the first time—and playing a role in fostering their appreciation for the Salish Sea. This internship not only supported the academic goals of my Environmental Science degree, but also provided personal fulfillment, professional growth, and a sense of purpose that will guide my future endeavors
Seasonal Differences of Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) Embryo and Larval Metrics are Small, but Developmental Stage Drives Significant Proteomic and Physiological Variation.
No full textSpawning biomass estimates are variable from year to year for the 21 recognized spawning populations of Pacific herring in the Salish Sea. The population decline of the late spawning Cherry Point population is notable and motivated this investigation of seasonal differences in larval morphology and lipid provisioning of embryos and larvae. Proteomic analysis was performed to identify mechanisms of observed differences and uncover additional subtle changes in physiological state. Embryos were collected by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and cultured at in-situ temperature conditions to measure potential differences in total hatch and morphology across the season. We compared cohorts from the Semiahmoo Bay population collected in February, March, and April of 2023 and 2024. No spawn was detected in either target late spawning populations (Elliot Bay, Cherry Point). While significant temperature differences were expected across the seasonal gradient, a lack of late spawning samples resulted in a small temperature range between 6 and 10°C. Cohorts through the spawning season were similar in most measures, including total hatch, lipid provisioning, and yolk sac size at hatch. LIMMA identified 32 differentially abundant proteins out of over 2000 total proteins in the early and late-season embryos, demonstrating that the proteomes of early and late season embryos were broadly similar. The low number of differentially abundant proteins supports the observed similarity between cohorts seen in other measures. Development did have significant impacts on yolk sac area and the proteome of embryos. Image analysis revealed a progressive decrease in normalized yolk sac area over the course of embryogenesis, consistent with expected developmental patterns. A total of 1,586 proteins were differentially abundant between embryos at developmental stages B and H. Later stage embryos exhibited an increased abundance of proteins associated with protein homeostasis, cell development, and lipid metabolism. Development of these methods and ongoing analysis of these data should help guide hypothesis testing regarding the resilience of embryos to environmental conditions as they develop. Overall, these observations suggest that Pacific herring embryos can cope with the small range of temperature variability observed (between 6 and 10°C) without significant molecular or physiological changes, and significant changes occur in embryos throughout development
Ensolum LLC Environmental Consulting Intern
No full textAt Ensolum, I’ve been working on projects focused on environmental assessment and remediation in La Plata and San Juan County. In person, my in the field focus has mostly centered on mapping a naturally emitting methane gas seepage along a coal seam. The goal is to figure out where the gas is coming from, how much is being released, if it is capable of capture, and what impact it’s having on the environment. Recently I have been working on getting my Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) certification. I have trained on site for monitoring wells on oil pads and once my certification is done, I will be able to evaluate and sample groundwater for quality and spill prevention to support long-term sustainable remediation strategies. My role as an intern in the office and remotely has been to contribute to data collection, analysis, mapping, and documentation, for both the Durango and Denver Ensolum Office
Composition and Structure of Axial Seamount Microbial Mat Communities Following an Eruptive Event
No full textMicrobial mat communities are prevalent across deep-sea hydrothermal regions, providing chemolithoautotrophy that drives greater ecosystem development. Despite their ubiquity, connectivity and succession of these microbial communities are poorly understood. Capitalizing on the frequent sampling effort of the New Millenium Observatory (NeMO) expeditions, this study assessed SSU rRNA taxonomic composition of 37 microbial mat communities from a diverse range of habitats around Axial Seamount following a major eruption. This included four- and five- year repeated samplings of two communities developing within the newly deposited lava flows, representing one of the longest observations of microbial mat succession in a deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystem. Microbial mat communities across the Seamount presented varying degrees of similarity, manifesting into four hierarchical clusters that provide insight into thresholds of hydrothermal vent microbial taxonomic composition. Three of these clusters were spatially and temporally heterogenous, indicating environmental conditions and stochasticity may play a major role in community structure in these habitats. While most communities were dominated by Campylobacterota, they were differentiated by extensive diversity at lower taxonomic levels. Most prevalent were the sulfur- and hydrogen-oxidizing Sulfurovum and Sulfurimonas, which appeared to fluctuate independently despite little known separation in the metabolic abilities of cultured representatives from these genera. Indicator ASVs were found in association with each of the four clusters, helping identify potentially deterministic microbial mat community members and combinations of taxa that may serve as “fingerprints” of community structure. This includes the iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria, which appeared exclusively in communities presenting high ASV richness and diminished Campylobacterota abundance. This study establishes one of the broadest taxonomic surveys of microbial communities across an active seamount, providing essential direction for a future metagenomics investigation at Axial Seamount
Coastal and Marine Fish Ecology Lab Intern
No full textFrom April to June of 2025, we conducted bi-weekly sampling sessions, targeting various neuston species using nets at low water levels and the surface of the channel. My role in the field involved assisting Sean by carrying equipment, recording data, and collecting samples. We deployed the nets at ten-minute intervals, during which I measured key water parameters—salinity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature—using a YSI probe. Additionally, we employed a flow meter to assess the channel\u27s flow, which allowed us to estimate the density of invertebrates per volume at that time
VP Associated Students Intern
No full textMy daily tasks consisted of office hours with students that were held in the Centers on campus (VU 7th Floor), responding to emails from administrators and students, and representing the interest of students in all applicable spaces. The Centers space that I held my office hours in is home to the Ethnic Student Center, Blue Resource Center (Serves our Undocumented, DACA and Mixed Status Students on Campus), LGBTQ+ Western and the Disability Access Center. This past quarter I focused my work on quite a few areas. I had previously worked with our Survivor Advocacy Center on campus during my previous term as the VP for Diversity. During this term, I focused on working with the director to increase events held on campus. I had gotten feedback from students requesting some in-person activities. This can be tricky due to the center not wanting survivors or community members to feel as if they attended an event, they would be publicly labeled as a survivor of sexual abuse or domestic violence. A great solution was found by myself and the director to hold yoga sessions on campus with an instructor that had a background in trauma therapy. The event was well attended and received positive feedback. The Center also made an effort to table on campus more so students would be more aware that services like the Survivor Advocacy Center is available to students
Art and Algae: Turning Algae into Art
No full textAlgae produce over half of the oxygen in the world that we breathe, but people don’t consider algae much. With my capstone project, I want to highlight the importance of algae and how anybody can physically incorporate algae into their life. I experimented with creative techniques and found a method that works best to turn algae into watercolor paint. I collected it, cleaned and dried it, then grounded it into a powder to mix with gum arabic and water to create algae-based pigments. These colors can be used to create beautiful, biodegradable paintings. By turning algae into art, I hope to connect people to this amazing resource that they may not have considered using before.
[A painting portfolio is included as a supplementary file with this page.
Autistic Joy and Allistic Failure
Get PDFAutistic joy is a unique sense of euphoria that has been pervasively under-researched and undervalued in the medical and academic communities for decades. Autistic joy is the counterbalance to the thoroughly studied and pathologized melt and shutdowns experienced by autistic people, yet not seen as a valid tool in managing or preventing said melt/shutdowns. The science behind it has not been researched, while depression in autistic people is the subject of countless studies. This data gap harms people in and outside of the community, as knowledge about the chemical processes involved could prove useful in managing depression in the allistic community. Failing to see autistic joy as an asset and viewing autistic people from a deficits-based lens in general further disenfranchises the community. Autistic joy has been an integral part of the neurotype\u27s definition since it was first formally identified in 1943 and continues to be a powerful aspect of the identity and community today
Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project 2022/2023 Report
Get PDFThis report describes the results from the 2022/2023 Lake Whatcom monitoring program conducted by the Institute for Watershed Studies at Western Washington University (https://diatom.cenv.wwu.edu/).
The major objectives of the 2022/2023 Lake Whatcom monitoring program were to continue long-term baseline water quality monitoring in Lake Whatcom and its major tributaries; collect storm runoff water quality data from representative streams in the watershed; and continue collection of hydrologic data from Austin and Smith Creeks