Fred Rayburn's TRUE Page

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In the Lab

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In the Field


for the Teacher Research Update Experience Program.


I teach school at Asotin Junior-Senior High School located in Asotin, Washington. Asotin is a small town located in southeastern Washington. During the 1998-1999 school year I will be teaching AP Precalculus, AP calculus, Physics, and Physical Science.

I spent the summer of 1998 working in the vertebrate reproduction laboratory in the Department of Zoology at the University of Florida. My director, Dr. Louis Guillette, Jr., specializes in the study of endocrine-disrupting contaminants and their effect on wildlife reproduction. He is an expert on alligator reproduction. The highlight of my 7 weeks in Florida was working with Dr. Guillette in an air boat on Lake Woodruff learning about the female alligator and her maternal instincts. Alligators don't lay eggs and abandon them. They stay to protect the nest and nurture the young gators after they hatch.

During my seven weeks in Florida I have had the opportunity to learn many lab techniques from my mentor, Edward F. Orlando. Mr. Orlando is a doctoral student who specializes in fish reproduction, especially the Gar. I have preserved and sectioned tissue, mounted and stained microscope slides, collected data on ovarian and testicular tissue, and analyzed this data using computer software. Mr. Orlando has taught me the joys and rewards of scientific research.

A special thanks to Dr. Andy Rooney, the graduate students, and undergrads who displayed exceptional patience in explaining laboratory protocol and lab techniques to a teacher with many questions.



  Ed Orlando

EFO@zoo.ufl.edu
who was my personal mentor for my research project on Gar.

If you like this page, have comments, or bug-reports,
send e-mail to FRED

frayburn@clarkston.com

This page was designed with HTML by
Fred Rayburn.