Lab Intern with the Wrigley Institute

Jack Chen, Spring 2023

Hey everyone! My name is Jack and I’m a junior majoring in environmental studies, with an emphasis on oceans and people. I’m currently interning with the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, working as a lab intern under senior scientist Dr. Diane Kim. The Wrigley Institute engages in research and education to inspire global environmental solutions. Classroom time is always valuable, but the environmental internships program has given me the opportunity to actually apply what I’ve learned and get a hands-on experience with environmental studies and the scientific process. I’ve spent the past semester working closely with Macrocystis porifera or giant kelp, in preparation for experimentation with them.

Our goal this semester was to experiment with the gametophytes of giant kelp in order to establish a relationship between their fluorescence and biomass. My work included performing a spore release with live kelp tissue collected from the field and designing a procedure to prepare gametophytes and later measure their fluorescence. Working in a new lab environment was certainly challenging, but the difficulty is also why it’s incredibly rewarding. I’ve been able to engage directly in the actual scientific process and have now gained experience with a host of equipment and procedures in the lab. I’m extremely thankful to have had this opportunity, and I think everyone’s education and professional experience would benefit greatly from the program!

Inspecting a drop through a refractometer to see if any kelp spores are present in our artificial seawater solution.

Measuring the fluorescence of chlorophyll within samples we diluted using a fluorometer.