Bringing you the latest news from the Gerdon Research Group
After shadowing Jake for a couple of weeks and working with calcium phosphate, Stephanie has now started her own experiments having to do with calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate experiment requires some serious pipetting skills and masterful organization. This allows Stephanie to get away from the stress of every day classes, focus on research, and catch up on new music which she listens to while doing...
While many of the GRAB Lab students work on cutting edge biomineralization research, others work throughout Boston on environmental issues plaguing the city. Connor is continuing a lab completed at Emmanuel College in the Analytical Chemistry course where the Muddy River of Boston was tested for heavy metals. The lab tested a small portion of the river, but Connor is working to determine the health of the entire river, by measuring copper, lead, iron, and chromium at 13 different locations! Going from Jamaica pond all the way to the Charles River, the City of Boston can improve the ecosystem of the River known to all in the Fenway with this...
The students of GRAB Lab have had reason to celebrate with Halloween, the Red Sox World Series win, and National Chemistry Week! The Emmanuel College Chemistry Club hosted a pumpkin carving event in the spirit Halloween. As the secretary of Chemistry Club and a member of the research team, Marielle carved her own pumpkin as well as assisted on the one pictured. Marielle just recently learned the technique to make dry ice needed for lyophilization. This technique was brought from the lab to the club’s event as a way to combine Halloween with chemistry and entice students to become involved in National Chemistry...
When the students of GRAB lab are not in class, studying, or doing research, many of them work as lab assistants. Katarina works as a lab assistant in a general chemistry lab and this week the students were creating their own abbreviated activity series. Working as a lab assistant is a good opportunity for Katarina to review her knowledge of basic chemistry principles, which often times can be applied to her own research. Having Katarina in the lab allows the underclassmen to have someone they can talk to about future research opportunities or ask what being a chemistry major...
After researching the morphology of calcium phosphate, Alex will now move onto studying calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is a common mineral found in the ocean. With increasing climate change, more carbon dioxide is absorbed in the seawater, causing chemical reactions to occur that lower the pH of the ocean and the concentration of carbonate ions. Carbonate is a main component in sea organisms’ skeletons and shells. The lowered pH and concentration of carbonate can harm sea life and Alex hopes he can uncover information about the morphology of calcium carbonate to help save the sea...
The members of Grab Lab are reflecting back on the summer as they look for inspiration for research during the fall semester. They attended and presented at the Emmanuel College Summer Research Poster Session to share the progress that has been made. They also explored research projects going on in other departments. For example, in the Biology department several groups are studying how chemical pathways are related to genes in model organisms. Reflecting on their own research and other’s was a good way to get motivated to have a productive semester in research. ...