Presentations and Working Out Logistics
Friday 05/02
Logistics and Organization: Settling on a Topic
Summary
Today, after another round of awesome presentations, we finally picked the topic that we want to hone in on!
Our group decided that our focus will be microbes and their impact on butterfly foraging preferences, and we
did a deeper dive into what we need to do to keep this project alive. We laid out a framework for how we can
keep this ABI machine well-oiled, and what we will need from everyone going forward. We’ll need our butterfly
team to continue being expert butterfly catchers, and also make sure our bugs are happy once they’re caught!
Our microbe team will keep the cultures alive by routinely plating and incubating, keeping enough colonies for
the experimental team to work with. And our trial team will watch the butterflies diligently while they make what
we would probably consider to be the most important decision of their lifetime. With enough effort from our great
class, we’ll have the yeastiest butterflies around!
Shout Outs
Manu- For being our super awesome MC!
Shiv and Sam- For putting in some great solo work to make some great presentations!
What We Did
10:00-10:02 - Manu introduces the plan for the day and we start presentations
10:02-10:12 - Sam's super awesome UV presentation
10:13-10:32 - Microbe group presentation
10:33-10:45 - Shiv's super spectacular spermatophore presentation
10:46-11:00 - Color preference group presentation
11:00-11:10 - Short break to let everyone deliberate on their vote
11:10-11:12 - Voting and decision
11:13-11:25 - Marshall's brief lecture on growing microbes and how we should structure the use of our time
in the coming weeks
11:25-11:50 - Laying out what needs to be done on Monday and in the near future to make our project
succeed. Assigning weekend homework for different groups.
11:50- Allocate duties and end class for the day!
Photos :D
Like a parent at a recital, you know I had to get pictures of everyone next to their hard work!!!
(Except for my group, bit of an oversight on my part. Sorry guys! Or you're welcome.)
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Reminders
Remember to update weekly reflections!
Coordinate with your group over Slack and make sure you know who the other members are, you will be working together all day on Monday!
Homework for each group:
Artificial Flowers: Read papers and find the best kind of artificial flowers to use to attract butterflies. What color and shape, what materials, how to make them, etc.
Flight Cage: Look into how to assemble with PVC and best ways to attach mesh to the frame. Look into the best way to create a door in the mesh.
Microbes: Definitely listen to Marshall on this one.
Treatment: Read papers that have done similar experiments and focus on the methods. Note which methods might be most feasible for our experiment and timeline.
Holding Pen: Look into the most suitable way to feed the butterflies and possible inclusions that would improve their enclosure.
Tentative Schedule for Monday, 02/05
10:00-10:10- Meet in Briggs Hall. Debrief and discuss plan for the day.
10:10-12:00- Break off into assigned groups to complete projects.
-Artificial flower group: Some people go to the store to get supplies while others gather the
materials we have on campus and decide on the best way to construct the flowers. When the
store people return, begin assembling.
-Flight cage group: Use the PVC and mesh to assemble a flight cage of an appropriate size, making
sure to include a door for easy access.
-Microbe group: Check on plates from Friday and see if there is any growth. Possibly work on
plating more cells or creating liquid cultures based on how much growth we have.
-Treatment group: Discuss findings and methods from previous studies and decide on the best
method for our experiment. Decide on exactly what we would like to test and how we would like
to test it.
-Holding pen group: Discuss findings on how we can improve our housing setup. Find or order
materials to include in the net cages, decide on the best way to feed the butterflies. Create a
schedule where people can sign up and volunteer their time to feed the butterflies.
12:00-12:10 - Short break, then reconvene in Briggs Hall. Some people from the treatment and flower
groups head to the BOG to meet Felicity Muth.
12:10-12:20 - Quick check in to see where each group is at, possible reallocation of duties if need be.
12:20-1:40- Finish up projects, clean up, and discuss what still needs to be done.
1:40-1:50- Let Courtney set the plan for our class on Friday!
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