put the Lyme in the coconut..

For the Zoonotic Disease course I'm TAing (for lack of a more accurate term), we took the students to a local elementary school to take part in a mock survey of the rodent population, as though we were looking for Hantavirus. We trapped mice and took measurements and blood samples.

I think it's interesting how I've overcome some of my aversion to field work. The summer I worked catching odonates, I was absolutely miserable...I couldn't stand the heat, the mosquitoes, the poison ivy, or the millions of larval lone star ticks. I definitely, definitely still prefer lab work, but I've become more comfortable with working in the field...particularly with dealing with ticks.

During the field exercise, we came across many adult blacklegged ticks. This species of tick, also known as the deer tick, is the one that can potentially carry Lyme disease. Some of the undergrads freaked out, but I didn't. Working with ticks every day, I now know how to keep from getting bitten:

• Be a lab rat. Not a viable option for most people, but if you're like me and prefer a nice dark lab to the great outdoors, there's much less chance of being bitten. ;)
  
• If you do venture out for a hike, avoid walking through leaf litter, where the humidity is high and ticks thrive. Try to stay on marked paths and short grass if you can.
  
• Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants. Ticks crawl up from the ground. By tucking everything in, you ensure that they crawl on the outside of your clothes, instead of the inside. It's also a good idea to wear long sleeves and light colors, so you can easily see the ticks against your clothing.
  
• I'm personally not a fan of chemical warfare, but repellents are an option. There is commercial pre-treated clothing available, or you can treat your own clothing with a permethrin-based product (try looking in camping supply stores). DEET is great for mosquitoes, but doesn't really do anything for ticks.
  
• Check yourself daily. Infected ticks need to be attached for about 24 hours before they transmit Lyme. So if you make it a habit of inspecting yourself every day...say, before bed...you'll catch any ticks before they have a chance to infect you.
  
• Invest in a pair of fine-tipped tweezers...the pointier the better. If you do happen to find a tick on you, use the tweezers to grab it as close to your skin as possible, where its mouthparts are. Pull it straight out. Stick it in a plastic baggie in the freezer, just in case you start to come down with symptoms.
  
• If you happen to come down with flu-like symptoms or a bullseye rash, get to a doctor pronto and get tested.
  

Nothing too difficult, and most of it is common sense. TickEncounter.org is a very good resource if you want to arm yourself with even more knowledge. My favorite part is the tick ID guide:

.....which is available from http://www.tickencounter.org/education/tick_identification/. (You can click to get zoomed-in views of the ticks on the original site. Look at the fully fed lone star tick! They are enormous!!).


Time to get back to studying...I hate how finals are held during the peak of allergy season...

new computer!

I'm writing this from my desk, using my new laptop! I loove it so far, even though Vista is still a little awkward.

I spent a good part of today trying to figure out what I have to do for this silly grant proposal. I still have no idea. I arranged a meeting with SK, and I came out even more confused than when I went in! I guess I have to somehow piece together a genomic/proteomic proposal, but not really go into ticks...in fact, not even mention ticks. I guess it can piggyback off of one of our existing projects, either the microRNA/cDNA library, or RNAi of neuropeptides. So I have to read these other proposals...

Furthermore, I don't have any idea how to go about starting to write a proposal, period. SK and TM keep saying no problem, it'll be easy. Maybe for somebody who's done it before!

Finally, rather than deal with all that, I filled out some nice specialized mouthpart diagrams. It's really amazing how diverse insects are... piercing sucking mouthparts of cicadas, or siphons of butterflies, or sponge-like for houseflies. The labium is heavily modified in the cicadas and flies, while it's the maxilla in butterflies. neat.

too cold!

When the thermostat is turned down in our lab, the air conditioner turns on. I'm not saying 65 degrees is unreasonable...but isn't having the a/c on in the middle of February, when it's 20 degrees out, a little...ridiculous?

This is why I'm going gray at 23.

Harmonia axyridis

Order Coleoptera
Family Coccinellidae

The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle is a non-native species. It was purposely introduced as a biocontrol against aphids. Now it is well-established and can even become a nuisance as it overwinters in homes.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/397

Boisea trivittata

Order Hemiptera
Family Rhopalidae

The first addition to my collection is the Eastern Boxelder Bug. They feed on the sap of trees, including boxelders and maples. Since their primary food is not of economic importance to us, they aren't generally considered pests. However, sometimes they are considered a nuisance if a large group of them overwinters in houses.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/3598

It's been a while

So the last month or so has been quite the whirlwind. I suddenly was admitted, and just as suddenly my life became extremely hectic.

I'm taking Zoonotic Diseases (which I'm TAing for my major professor), Insect Physiology and Morphology, and Statistics. They are easier than I thought they'd be.

I re-joined the school's ultimate team, only now it's no longer co-ed. Plus, the women's team is virtually all new people. Having played for going on 5 years, I'm by far the most experienced player. I sort of like having the opportunity to share something I really love, but it gets a little frustrating at times. It makes me really look forward to league on Monday nights.

Ah, speaking of league. I got involved with DC. Then, last Monday after league, he said he wanted to just be friends. I'm actually pretty certain we will remain friends, but not entirely certain I'll ever really get over him. We'll see what happens there.

So that's what I've been up to. Grad school seems like a good fit for now. Just settling into a new routine.

Happy New Year

still no word from the grad office! and still the supplies I ordered from BioQuip haven't arrived. I did however receive my second insect display case.

I went into work today, to do the second half of the GeneRacer protocol. it was really quiet. weird-looking-super-tall-guy-from-geology and I were the only ones in the building for most of the day, then SP came in and inoculated some cultures for an hour or so in the afternoon.

I felt really depressed when I got home. I got lost in Link to the Past for several hours, and that seemed to help.

My New Years Resolutions are:

1. be the perfect grad student. be on time for every class, do all my work, and get a 4.0

2. continue to lose weight... 10 pounds down, 20 to go.