Process Log Entry: 12/8 12/12

Goals From Last Week

Last week I wanted to have a mentor meeting, which I did (described more in the mentor
section). I also finished my research project and it was 13 pages including the works cited
(described more in research section).

Mentor

On December 9th at 8 pm my mentor and I had a meeting. I told her about what I had gone over
in my speech (everything from the original speech then adding hypoxia, coral propagation, my
product, holes in my research, lionfish, and where I was going next). I also told her that our 10
page research paper was due on the 12th and that I was currently finishing that and I would email
it to her on Friday, which I did. Next, we talked about my product, which is a biodegradable net.
She told me that I should look up how most fishing nets are made presently and what they are
made out of. Then, I should gather a list of possible materials that I could make a net out of.
Then, make a chart of pros and cons of each type of material. For example, how fast each net
would degrade, the strength and durability of each material and if it can be mass produced. She
suggested sea grass to make the net because it is made from the Earth and not man made so even
if it was in the ocean for a long time it would not harm any fish. She also told me that even if the
net didnt degrade for 30 years that would still be a large improvement from nets that take over
100 years to degrade. So, we decided that these would be my upcoming steps in the new week.

Research

This week I had to finish writing my ten page research paper. I looked up information about
where hypoxia is present as well as ways that individuals and organizations have been taking
efforts to reverse the harm that has been done to coral reefs.
Hypoxia is a term that means the levels of oxygen in sea water have decreased to amount that is
too low to provide a suitable environment for fish, crustaceans and all other sea life. Seawater is
too low in oxygen if there are less than 1.4 milliliters of oxygen per liter of seawater. Pacific
Northwest coastal waters, especially on the Oregon Coast, have been experiencing high levels of
hypoxia since 2002. Similarly, high levels of hypoxia are noticeable in the Gulf of Mexico.
Colleen Flanigan is an artist who creates underwater sculptures to recreate corals and help bring
the oceans dying reefs back to life. To do recreate the corals she uses the bio rock process. This
is a method that uses metal and low shocks of electricity to make water more basic by raising the
pH level, thus generating coral regeneration. These metal structures can also withstand
environmental stressors better than natural corals. She learned to scuba dive and went to the Bali
Sea to construct her first project. She as well as her group partners went out to the sea,
submerged the steel structure 20 feet below the surface, and attached coral fragments to the steel.
Once attached, the corals received small electric shocks which caused them to grow rapidly. Ten
years later, her coral nursery became one of the largest of its kinds-- spanning over 1000 feet.

Additionally, she is working on creating a 15 feet long DNA helicase sculpture which would
become part of an underwater Cancun Museum to help the severely endangered Mesoamerican
Coral Reefs.

Goals for Next Week

Next week I need to fill out my mentor meeting evaluation forms. But we have finals so I will
resume research after the winter holidays.