I was recently down at the Columbus Center of Science and Industry (COSI) for the Portal to the Public event. To get kids (and adults) more interested in microbiology, we set up all the necessary equipment to make Winogradsky columns. After incubation, these columns can often look really colorful. With some sediment from the Olentangy River, chalk, sulfate, newspaper, and river water, we sent about 150 columns home with various families from across Ohio. Hopefully some will get the sunlight they need to bloom….

The Winogradsky column assembly table, post-event….

Overlooking the Rifle site in western Colorado

While Paula was battling the elements in North Dakota, Bob Danczak and I traveled to Rifle, Colorado, to carry out some sampling in the shallow aquifer. We were able to get dissolved oxygen concentrations from lysimeters located in the vadose zone, and characterized the geochemical profile across the hyporheic zone at the Colorado River/Rifle site interface. All in all, a successful trip. Thanks to Ken Williams and Chad Hobson (LBNL) for all their help at the site!

Bob measuring dissolved oxygen concentrations in groundwater at the site

Paula Dalcin Martins just got back from a wild week in Jamestown, North Dakota, where she was sampling prairie pothole lakes with Yo Chin, Brandon McAdams, and Rachel Anderson. Somewhat inevitably, North Dakota in early May was rather brisk, although warmer temperatures towards the end of the week made sampling more agreeable. Many sediment cores and lake water samples were collected…