For this project, we were to choose a problem that affects the world. After we spent time researching this problem, we had to come up with a biotech solution that we would present to a biotech company (The Buck Institute), asking for their support. My group and I chose coral bleaching as our world problem, because they are a key part in the lives of half a billion people, and support a quarter of all marine species. To solve this problem, we are going to add iron fertilizer to the reefs in order to foster phytoplankton blooms. Coral bleaching is caused by stress that cause coral to expel the symbiotic zooxanthellae that provide them with necessary nutrients, this makes the coral turn white, as the zooxanthellae provide the coral's color too. The iron encourages the growth of phytoplankton, which then draw zooplankton (their predators) who offer an alternate food source for the coral who have released their zooxanthellae.
Concepts: Coral bleaching - the loss of color in corals when they expel the zooxanthellae living within them, usually due to stressors; this was the problem that we focused on Biotechnology - the use of biological processes to improve the well-being and health of the Earth and its inhabitants; without coral reefs, 1/4 of marine species won't have a place to live and the ocean will suffer, greatly affecting our daily lives Symbiotic Relationship - an interaction between two organisms, where both are benefited; the coral polyps and the zooxanthellae have a symbiotic relationship (the coral provide the zooxanthellae with protection, while the zooxanthellae provide the coral with necessary nutrients) Ocean Acidification - the change in the chemistry of the ocean's water by an increased intake of carbon; the phytoplankton will help take in more of this carbon, and the changing acidity is affecting the coral reefs Zooxanthellae - a photosynthetic algae that lives within corals' tissues and provides them with their colors and necessary nutrients; this is a main part of coral bleaching, and a key player in our solution Climate change - the change in global temperatures due to the increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; this increases the temperature of the oceans and ultimately causes the coral to bleach Phytoplankton - plankton containing microscopic plants; this is what our iron fertilizer will be encouraging Zooplankton - plankton containing microscopic animals; this is what the coral will be feeding on instead of the zooxanthellae nutrients
Reflection My group and I were all close friends, so we worked well together. We all wanted to do well on this project, so we didn't slack off. We continually asked questions to help us further understand this project. I still need to continue working on my presentation skills. For our presentation this project, I had to practice what I was going to say a lot, but when it came time for the real presentation, I still stumbled a lot. I want to get more comfortable with my presentations. I will also work on doing as much work as the others in my group. For this project, this was a slight issue for me, because I had two people that work really hard on all of their projects. I work hard, but did not stay on task as much of the both of them, something that I should work on in the future. I learned that throughout this year, I have learned that it is good to reach out to others. We had to find a mentor for this project, and my group got a lot of helpful replies, from 2 different people at an organization focused on saving coral reefs. I learned that I shouldn't be scared of asking people I don't know for help. I also learned that organizing scientific tests is difficult. I didn't realize how intricate this process is, and my group had to work hard and ask a lot of questions in order to get it even remotely close to being presentable.