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Summer 2004, Vol. 13, No. 5 | Return to Table of Contents
Local Student Earns High Marks at Science Fair, Is Mentored by Bay Paul Center Scientist
Janina (Nina) Kanin, a former Student Helper in the Josephine Bay Paul Center, earned high marks at this spring’s local, regional, and state science fair competitions. Kanin was mentored by Bay Paul Center Staff Scientist, Linda Amaral Zettler. Also assisting in the project was MBL Corporation Member Aimlee Laderman.
Kanin’s molecular biology project, “Microbial Diversity in Extreme Environments,” used RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms) data to compare and contrast eukaryotic and bacterial diversity in two Atlantic White Cedar swamp sites—Cumloden Cedar Swamp off Cumloden Road in Falmouth, and the Marconi Cedar swamp on the Cape Cod National Seashore. Atlantic White Cedar Swamps are considered extreme environments because they have a low pH, generally around 4, but it can be lower. Kanin also looked at one non-extreme site—Ice House Pond off of Sippewissett Road in Falmouth. In addition to molecular biology, Kanin, a Falmouth Academy sophomore, spent time at the microscope photographing protists she saw in sediment and moss samples that she and Amaral Zettler collected.
“Nina had never done any sampling of this kind nor had she ever done any molecular biology,” said Amaral Zettler. “In fact, she was just starting to learn what DNA is when we started the project. By the end, she was aligning DNA sequences.”
Kanin is the second Student Helper that Amaral Zettler has mentored for a science fair. “It is a unique opportunity to work one-on-one with a student, serve as a role model and provide them with a unique and challenging experience,” noted Amaral Zettler. “Alex Papa—soon to be a sophomore at UMASS Amherst—was the first student I mentored. She is now pursuing a biology major and works as a biology lab assistant at UMASS.”
Kanin received an honorable mention at the Falmouth Academy Science Fair, and placed first in the regional, and second in the state competitions. Her project was made possible through the Astrobiology Education and Public Outreach Program at the MBL. Amaral Zettler is one of 12 co-investigators working on the program, which is led by Mitch Sogin.
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