Jade Taylor's blog

This week has been quite stressful. I am still unsure about my final goal, and I do not know if I will have any results to present next week. I think for my presentation I am going to focus on the research that I have found, and my overall learning experience. It has been difficult to work on the project collaboratively, but I have learned a lot because of it. I have seen how difficult projects can truly be, which has been a valuable experience. 

This week was extremely stressful! Towards the beginning of the week I was making great progress on my survey. I had developed strong questions, and continued with my research. I was then working on recreating graphs and maps that focused on where the problem is. I also researched how Quinault actually tests for fecal contamination. It is a complex process, but basically the following tests are done; a Systematic Random Sampling, field sampling, and laboratory methods. This part of the week was great, and then I needed to e-mail Joe who works over in Quinault.

This week I mainly focused on building my survey. I researched other surveys that have been administered for issues like shellfish contamination. It was difficult to find information at first, but I eventually found useful information that helped give me ideas. In my survey I asked questions such as; which months do you harvest shellfish the most, how do you cook your shellfish, are you aware of the prohibited harvesting areas, are you aware of the summer precautions, etc. I think this is a very good start.

This week I met with Bill (my mentor) and received very helpful feedback. I narrowed down ideas about my survey, and discussed different possibilities. I am very excited about administering a survey to the public, and seeing if I can narrow down some possibilities for contamination. We also discussed different graphs that we have received from Quinault. Some of the terminology was new to me, so Bill informed me on quite a few new things. I also really enjoyed our trip to OHSU. I have been to OHSU quite a few times, but I have never ridden the tram so that was a lot of fun.

This week went very well. I mostly continued with my research, and worked on putting together a presentation. I think it was very helpful to hear all the interns projects. I did not know the focus of most of them so I thought it was very interesting. I also received great feedback from my presentation, and hopefully I will be able to contact someone that will be able to help me collect samples easier. I have also gotten in contact with my mentor, and we are scheduled to meet on Monday. This will be very helpful because I can ask questions and finalize details.

This week I continued to research my topic, in order to have a strong background. I want to be able to make a real difference for the Quinault Indian Nation, so I need to know the topic extremely well. I have learned what criteria is used by the Department of Health (DOH) to determine whether a commercial shellfish growing area is approved, conditionally approved, restricted, or prohibited.  DOH has taken samples, and they know that there is contamination present.

This week Vanessa, Bill Lambert, and I took a trip to Quinault. There we spoke to Joe Shumacker about possible projects. We initially thought that I would study the effects of shellfish intake on the Native Indian populations. However, when we met with Joe he told us of another issue that they need help with more. There is an issue of fecal contamination up the coast, which causes many problems for the tribe. Molluscan shellfish are extremelly important to the Native Indian Tribes. It is a part of their traditional lifestyles, and it positively impacts the economy.

This week I took Bill Lambert's class on Questionnaire Design and Data Entry using Epidata. I will most likely be conducting surveys and questionnaires for my internship. This class was helpful because it taught me how to identify a strong survey, and how to design one. I have never designed surveys so this was a crucial class. It was extremely helpful because it taught me the keys to a good survey and how to avoid mistakes. Together as a class we went though existing surveys, and identified what changes were needed and what was fine.

This week was short for me here at CMOP because I was finishing my finals at Portland State. However, I was able to come and get familiar with my project and mentor. I am so excited to begin this fantastic opportunity. I am looking forward to gaining resources and experiences that can prepare me for future career opportunities. I am very excited to begin Bill Lamber's class today, and to visit the Quinault Indian Nation next week with both Bill and Vanessa. I am ready for an awesome summer here at CMOP!

Thank you for this opportunity!