2012 Emma Grobel
Mentor Company - Health Sciences Centre, University of Calgary
Where Will Science Lead You?
What comes to mind when you hear the word “science”? Is it that lesson on plants you had today in science class at school? Or is it that new breakthrough treatment for cancer that you just heard about on the news? Perhaps it is the book you have read that tells you how to attract hummingbirds to your garden. So what is science? Well, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it is “an area of knowledge that is an object of study” or “knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through the scientific method”. That definition shows that science is diverse and can encompass many things. Little did I know how my mentors from Operation Minerva would expand my definition of science, impact my understanding of science and confirm my love of science.
For my Operation Minerva job-shadowing day experience, I was placed at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Centre located near the Foothills Hospital.
Thirteen other girls and I were greeted by two of our mentors, Taya Forde and Lisa Hensel. I happily followed them upstairs with anticipation about my day.
Taya Forde, a PhD student in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine gave a presentation on wildlife. She was currently studying wood bison as well as caribou. Some of her colleagues had set up cameras at Fish Creek Park, as well as other areas around Calgary, to study wildlife. She explained how these cameras were instrumental in studying animals in their natural habitat because most animals try to avoid humans and/or come out more at night. Using this technology, they captured photos of animals such as lynx, coyotes, wolves, white-tailed deer and mule deer in Fish Creek Park as well as in other areas around Calgary. There was even one picture of a black bear. From Taya’s presentation, I learned the difference between the white-tailed deer and the mule deer. Spending time with Taya and listening to her study on wildlife made me realize how her job in science could be so challenging, exciting and rewarding all at the same time. Her enthusiasm about Science was infectious!
After Taya’s presentation, I went to a comparative anatomy workshop led by Karen Liljebjelke, who is a professor with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. In the workshop, four tables were set up to compare the skull, arms, feet and hearts of various animals with that of humans. The animals we compared to the human’s anatomy were the horse, the boar and the dog. I found it interesting when Karen explained how the skull is not just one bone, but many bones that grow and eventually fuse together. On the horse and boar skull, each bone was painted a different color so we could see exactly how many different bones made up a skull. Observation is a valuable tool in science. Karen made learning about anatomy so interesting. I will look at my dog a little differently when I get home tonight!
Next, I went into a lab and did a workshop with Jill Steele, who is a Master’s student. Haeyong Rho, who was also a Master’s student, was assisting Jill. As soon as I heard the details of their workshop, my heart started pounding! The topic was DNA! Jill told us about how every living thing has DNA and how DNA is the building block of life. Jill explained the process of collecting DNA. She told us that we were going to do a DNA extraction on either a piece of kiwi or banana. I chose to do the DNA extraction on the kiwi. I eat kiwi all the time. I never thought about kiwi having DNA. It made me really appreciate how science is all around us. How exciting it was to follow in Jill’s footsteps. I successfully collected the kiwi’s DNA in a vial and could not wait to show it to my family. Jill encouraged us to be inquisitive and she explained how the possibilities in science are endless.
Soon after, I spent some time with Alex Rogers, Sarah-Joy Haggstrom and Rebecca Ng, who are all graduate students. After they gave a very interesting presentation about cells and explained how to stain blood smears, it was off to the lab for some more hands-on experiences. I was able to take a slide with a chicken blood cell and dip it into various solutions to make it easier to see the details of the chicken blood cell. Next, I examined human muscle cells and liver cells under the microscope. The muscle cell was thin and had lots of mitochondria (the energy storehouses for cells) because the muscles need energy to move our skeleton. The liver cells were more rounded as well as tightly compacted together because the transfer of information from cell to cell can only happen quick enough if the cells are a certain distance apart. This made me realize that not only is science present in the things we can see with the unaided eye, but also in the things too small for us to see. Alex, Sarah-Joy and Rebecca showed that science is a collaborative effort.
It was hard to believe that half my day at Operation Minerva was complete and that it was already lunchtime. Where would science lead me this afternoon?
In the afternoon, Gui Verocai, a parasitologist working on a PhD, gave us a presentation on the different types of parasites. Gui told us that parasites can be external (fleas, ticks, mosquitos) or internal (tapeworms, roundworms). Gui informed us that about 40% of the living organisms on Earth are parasites, a fact which really surprised me. Gui was studying how parasites affect certain animals. The caribou winter parasite was of special interest to Gui. I was given the opportunity to watch parasites move using a microscope. Gui expressed that science is relevant to our life and allows us to use our problem-solving skills in a meaningful way.
Does “bacterial Gram staining” come to mind when you hear the word “science”? Well, it was new to me too! I went with Agata Dzwonek, a Master’s student, to learn about bacterial Gram staining. It is a way to stain bacteria to help identify bacteria. Agata showed us swabs of bacteria taken from such places as a door handle, toilet, mouth, foot and inside a running shoe. I swabbed one of the bacteria colonies onto a slide. I held the slide over a Bunsen burner until the bacteria dried out. Then I dyed it with crystal violet iodine and other special chemicals. I placed it under the microscope to examine the cell’s color. My slide turned purple! Agata explained that if the cell turned purple, it was “Gram-positive” and had a thick cell wall. If it turned pink, it was “Gram-negative” and had a thinner cell wall. Agata gave me a greater appreciation for bacteria!
Next, we went upstairs where Lisa Hensel, a PhD student in the Department of Biology, taught us about plants and their pollinators. Lisa explained how flowers reproduce through pollinators and how animals as well as wind are a big part of the pollination process. She told us how honeybees are not native here and how you can tell which animal pollinates a flower by looking at it. Colorful flowers are pollinated by bees because they can see well and strong smelling flowers are pollinated by moths because their sense of smell is great. I thought this was another great example of how science is all around us. Lisa was a great role model. She was so passionate about science.
As the day with my mentors came to a close, I knew that I had experienced something special that I would remember for my entire life. Being with my Operation Minerva mentors gave me exposure to some of the many meanings of the word “science”. They taught me that science can be used to help explain, explore and improve the life around us. Most importantly, they showed me that science allows you to pursue your passion in life. Participating in Operation Minerva was a great experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend the day with so many positive, enthusiastic women who love their careers in science. Science.....a small word that evokes so many meanings and that can take you in so many interesting directions. You never know where “science” will lead you!
