I have finally arrived. After driving and playing at being the tourist for several days across the USA, I am finally at the Horn Point Laboratory, (HPL), in Cambridge, Maryland. This is my first visit and I'll be here for six weeks for research and developing an educational module to go with the others already on the COSEE Coastal Trends website. It has been an exciting week here, but, unfortunately, a rather disconnected week. I am just recently again connected to the internet. So I have quite a bit of catching up to do in Web Tools and my chemistry course, as well as get up to speed on all the interesting things going on in my PI's lab. Next week, I'll be in the Chesapeake Bay, on a "cruise" helping to gather samples and data on what is going on with plankton and bacteria in the Bay. As in the gulf, there has been quite a rise in the hypoxic area in the Bay and this has lead to some interesting observations, such as bacteria using sulfur instead of oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor. In other words, using sulfur instead of oxygen to respire.
I'm working with Jamie Pierson, the Principle Investigator, and a graduate student and an undergraduate student. Together, we will be writing an educational module using a content management system that the IT people have written here at HPL. So I think, in a way, it fits in a bit with the Web Tools class. I'll be using Inkscape to bring together diagrams using pictures we take and pictures developed by the group Integration and Application Network, (IAN). I've already learned the difference between a roster or bit map image and a vector image and how much more versatile vector images are.
I'm excited about the coming weeks, but a bit anxious about the intermittent internet. I'm sure it will all work out as most things do: a lot of worry over problems that don't really happen.
This sounds great! I'm glad you posted this. Please keep us up-to-date on what you're doing. It sounds interesting. I live in southern PA, where our farming is considered one of the major sources of pollution to the Bay. Good luck with your work.
ReplyDeleteCarol,
ReplyDeleteSounds quite interesting and I actually have 2 questions for you, if you have the time to answer: the first is: What is the difference between a bit mao image and a vector image? and the second is what is Inkscape and is it specific to your program, or can anyone use it?
Mary,
ReplyDeleteSorry it's taken me so long to respond. My access to the Internet has been very sketchy.
A bit map image is pixellated, and can't be resized easily. In other words, when you enlarge it, you lose resolution. Whereas with the vector image, there is no resolution loss with resizing. I believe it gives you a lot more flexibility. Inkscape is a free program that allows you to build diagrams much like Adobe illustrator. Anyone can use it.
Wow this sounds awesome. I look forward to hearing everything that you can share with us. I am in Harford County, MD (at the northern portion of the bay)- obviously for myself and my students the bay is extremely important.
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