12 Jul Akira Smith, UCSB Bob Miller Lab, Week 2

Hey everyone!

This officially marks my first week working in Bob Miller’s lab at UCSB! I’m just starting to get into the rhythm of daily life in the lab, and because I’m new (and a bit of an unexpected addition), I’ve actually had the opportunity to work under two different PhD students.

My first day was spent crushing rocks into a fine powder for Billy Ray, who is my primary mentor. His research focuses on the populations of rock-boring clams that live along the Santa Barbara coast. Although these clams make up a huge portion of the seafloor biomass, scientists still don’t fully understand the role they play in the rocky reef ecosystem. So Billy is studying how much water these clams filter through their siphons (the tube structures they use to suck in and expel water) and how that filtering process transfers nutrients from the water column to the seafloor, where they become available to other marine organisms.

Where the clams are kept

I’ve been helping with a variety of tasks for his project, lots of labeling test tubes and cleaning equipment, but I’ve also had the chance to get out into the field. We visited the area near Campus Point where the burrowing clams are being kept for experiments, which was really cool because we were able to observe their inhalant and exhalant siphons in action. We also helped design and set up a system to monitor the clams by measuring water levels and pressure while making it possible to observe them in the dark. We also had to clean the clam tanks.

Some sea anemone kept in the lab

I’ve also been working with another PhD student, Inez Mangino. Her research focuses on epifaunal invertebrates, the tiny animals that live on the surface of kelp, such as caprellids, gammarids, and isopods. My job has been to sort and identify these organisms according to their species and taxonomic characteristics. Inez is investigating how the physical and functional traits of different algae influence which communities of organisms choose to live on them.

The species of worms, shrimps, and clams I was sorting

Outside of the lab, living in Santa Barbara has been incredible. I’ve been to the beach almost every day, and the sunsets have yet to disappoint. I’ve also gotten to spend time with Vito and some of his friends from his host family. One evening we watched Pretty in Pink at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, which was such a fun experience. I also wandered through the downtown farmers market, picked up some local ingredients, and, of course, did a little shopping.

To top it all off, my entire family unexpectedly flew down this weekend to celebrate my grandpa’s 80th birthday. It was such a fun surprise and made for a really special weekend.

Overall, it’s been an amazing first week, and I’m excited to see what the rest of the internship has in store. I can’t wait to keep learning and getting more involved with the research!