Graduation Ceremony: Chemistry and Biochemistry Department (26 May 2019)

Probably the main reason I even bothered to attend the departmental graduation ceremony for San Francisco State University’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department was to be able to see Dr. Pete Palmer again.

Under Dr. Palmer’s guidance I completed an independent project for the Biochemistry portion of my Bachelor of Science degree in which I tested lead levels in household paint and dust using MP-AES (microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy) during my final semester last fall. He also helped me test soils at Oyster Point Marina in South San Francisco for arsenic and other heavy metals in a separate class.

Every semester Dr. Palmer tries to work with high school students from the economically depressed Fruitvale neighborhood in Oakland to test their dwellings for lead and inform their families on how to mitigate potential harm if the levels are dangerously high. He’s a great example of a person who uses their scientific expertise to empower people in underserved communities and advance environmental justice. He was also a great advisor and helped me navigate the system in order to graduate with Biochemistry as a second major to Marine Biology.

Thanks to my mom and to Bradey for taking the photos above, and to my friend Sabrina who recorded the entire graduation ceremony! The video is below:

Humpbacks and Empty Nets

Check out this video I took a couple weeks ago! It's a short clip of humpback whales that I saw while out on a boat with my Marine Resources class. We were out in the ocean, just outside the Golden Gate.

Also, if you have an hour's worth of time for TV, check out "Empty Oceans, Empty Nets," a PBS documentary on overfishing. Although this documentary first aired in 2002, the problems faced by fisheries and by the world's oceans 16 years ago are no different to the ones they face today; in fact, the problems are often much worse. Overall the documentary provides a strong, educational, and still timely summary on the state of seafood and commercial fishing.

Fabulous Wetlands with Bill Nye The Science Guy

I think Bill Nye is great but as someone who works in a lab that works on several wetland restoration projects I was extra excited to find this old video!

Thirty years ago, Bill created this short video about Washington State's wetlands called Fabulous Wetlands. In it, he shows us why it's important to preserve estuaries and to reduce pollution:

This video was sponsored by the WA Department of Ecology. You can clearly see precursors to Bill Nye the Science Guy here. The same humor (and the same outfit!) is already there.