Diving into Aquatic Research

I’m Henry Anderson, an Environmental Studies - Geology major from Beaverton, Oregon. I’m also a first-year student. I began searching for alternate job opportunities after work-study positions began filling at rates faster than I could apply for them. Jess Hernandez, the Director of Fellowships and Grants, suggested the idea of possibly working an internship, and getting paid while doing it. Lindsay Szramek introduced me to Alexa Maine, the director of the Aquatic Propagation Laboratory located at the Water and Environmental Center on the Walla Walla Community College campus– owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).

So for the first semester of my first year I would take the bus three times a week, conveniently picking me up outside of my dorm and bringing me to the community college. Every day, my routine started with basic system checks at the lab, which meant checking that there was air flowing, water flowing, and the temperature was right for each system, as well as removing any mortalities. I’d feed the rainbow trout, freshwater mussels, and Pacific lamprey larvae using specific formulas of algae and fish food. Once while blending up a mixture for the lamprey, I unscrewed the container wrong and it exploded, covering me and everything else with a fishy-smelling liquid.

The mixing and settling sumps in System 1 and 2 fill up with debris over time and have to be siphoned out, and that’s my job. The water in the static tanks (when there’s no water input/output) needs to be changed and replaced, filters need to be changed, and the backup generators need to be run weekly to make sure they’re working properly in case of a power outage. The water quality in every system is tested weekly, and I got faster over time by using test strips to find the water hardness, pH, nitrate/nitrites, ammonia levels, and alkalinity. Mopping, cleaning, and sanitizing come at the end of the week to set up the lab for the weekend.

The Aquatic Propagation Lab is part of a larger “First Foods” mission that CTUIR has adopted, working to revitalize regional ecosystems and restore them to pre-colonial levels by focusing on keystone species. Lamprey and mussels held significant culinary importance for the tribes in the Columbia River Base up until their population began to decline in the 1900s. These species are important water regulators; mussels can filter toxins from over 15 gallons of water per day. As keystone species, they transform their environment, playing a vital role in both the ecosystem and the tribe’s lifestyle. Beyond serving as a site for artificial propagation, the lab is also a place to research and study the species close-up.

I haven't settled on a major yet, though I'm leaning towards Envs - Geology, and as for my career plans, I don't have a specific path in mind. Working here gave me the opportunity to have hands-on laboratory experience, which will help me decide what work environment I would like to be in; lab, field, office, etc. On top of the valuable work experience, it has added to my

resume and helped give me access to a much wider range of connections and resources, as well as hopefully increased my competitiveness with larger research programs, like Research Experiences for Undergrads (REU). I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity and the Whitman Internship Grant, which allowed me to work an off-campus internship without prior experience. Without it, it just wouldn’t have been possible to take on an unpaid internship this semester.