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Lets try this again. Today after class I stopped at an elm tree that was on my way to my vehicle. This was a smaller tree about 20 feet tall with a 10 foot crown (aproximatly). The tree seemed healty with no yellowing leaves or limbs without leaves. I did not see any leafminer activity on this tree but I was ony able to clearly see only a few layers of branches. Next I tried to use the campus tree finder to determine what species of tree it was. This is were an issue begain. My phone only wants to connect to the UMASS network. When it is connected I can get absoulty nothing from the internet. So I have to shut my WiFi off and use cellular data. Opening the page took a while and I found that I could not zoom in enough to tell what the tree was that I was stading next to. So hopfuly at least one of the phones in our group will be able to get this information or we will have to rethink out methods for sampling trees. We will need at a miniumn know what the genius of the elm is for our data collection. I was not trying to collect data at this time, this was just a dry run to try determine what complications that we may encounter. 

Today I had a great day. I woke up at 8am. I brushed my teeth and took a shower.  I started my morning off with some delicious Indian chai. After an hour I has eggs and some bread. After I finished eating I worked on my project for my writing class. I wrote some of this during that time. Then, I talked to my parents in India. We had an hour-long conversation. My dad said that he was proud of my progress in school. It made me really happy to hear that come out of my father’s mouth. When a parent expresses how proud they are of you it makes you feel very happy. After I had a long talk with y father I noticed I was running behind on getting ready for class so the first thing I did was to email my professor letting him know that I will be late. I got ready quickly after and took the bus at 12:49pm and came to class. Besides being late for class I had a great day. After class, I went home and relaxed. I watched tv and ate dinner and went for a walk out while listening to music and then spoke to parents. They said “goodnight Riya” and that’s where my day ended and I went to bed. Tomorrow I have to go to this research biology fair. It is going to be a long day but i can through it hopefully. I feel it will be fun to look at researches and meet post-docs and all. Actually I am excited for this event.

Today I had a great day. I woke up at 8am. I brushed my teeth and took a shower.  I started my morning off with some delicious Indian chai. After an hour I has eggs and some bread. After I finished eating I worked on my project for my writing class. I wrote some of this during that time. Then, I talked to my parents in India. We had an hour-long conversation. My dad said that he was proud of my progress in school. It made me really happy to hear that come out of my father’s mouth. When a parent expresses how proud they are of you it makes you feel very happy. After I had a long talk with y father I noticed I was running behind on getting ready for class so the first thing I did was to email my professor letting him know that I will be late. I got ready quickly after and took the bus at 12:49pm and came to class. Besides being late for class I had a great day. After class, I went home and relaxed. I watched tv and ate dinner and went for a walk out while listening to music and then spoke to parents. They said “goodnight Riya” and that’s where my day ended and I went to bed. Tomorrow I have to go to this research biology fair.

In science a study must be reproducible in order to be considered valid. As part of a Junior Writing Class, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I conducted a project to understand what affects the reproducibility of experiments. I looked to create a complex multi-panel image, write the methodology, have someone carry out the methods, record the differences, and identify factors that may have contributed to the differences observed. Certain aspects, such as the composition of the figure, were highly documented and detailed, while others, such as equipment used and general details of how the photo was taken, were left out or poorly described. Of the 26 recorded differences, 4 were caused by a change to the expirement site, ....

Abstract:

Background: The Stigmella multispicata was observed for the first time in Russia in 2014. There has been confirmed observations in the US but only in Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila). 

Need: Is this parasite yet another predator of the American Elm (Ulmus americana).

Research: Conformation of the presence of S. multispicata in U. americana by collecting leaves with leafminer activity that is consistant with the S. multispicata. Collect sample larve that can be incubated/grown in a labratory environment into adult form. Confirm that the tree is infact an U. americana. 

Significance: This would be the first observed and confirmed instance of S. multispicata in an U americana.

RESEARCH DESIGN

• Systematically check elm trees throughout campus, develop a sampling system perhaps look at all the leaves on a set number of branches and categorize activity that way? I saw a paper that deemed it necessary to rate the leaves locations from the trunk should we define sections either fractionally or with set distance and catalog that information as well?

• Sample leaves for surface area/ density with procedure from Walczak, which had density weighed on leaves next to leaf miners as to get pre infected values

• Note leaf symmetry on any infected leaf? You have both read that paper and I have not but I feel like we should just be cataloging infected leaves in their general properties as they are the ones that got infected presumably for their structure

• Catalog all data and look to see relationships if any for the various leaf miners and trees?

   

  SPECIFIC AIMS

  To collect data on leaf miners infesting elm trees, this would include trying to identify them in the book, and cataloging them

  To collect general data on elm leaves, this is probably mostly through literature, however, we can still go and make observations 

  To try and discern the causes behind the different leaf miners, with specific interest on the stigmella multispicata and the trees it may or may not have affected, this includes the different types of elms but we may also consider searching the nearby trees for evidence of the miner as well

   

      In response to the discovery of a leafminer Stigmella multispicata, in an American elm tree. This leafminer had only been observed in Siberian elm's to this point in the US. I began researching if there are enough similarities to the two trees but have not found anything that is very useful. The American elm is a large tree that grows from 65 to 100 feet tall and has dark green leaves that are 3 to 7 inches long(https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/trees/handbook/th-3-113.pdf). The Siberian elm is a smaller tree that grows from 25 to 50 feet tall with leaves that are 3/4 to 3 inches long(https://www.inhs.illinois.edu/research/vmg/sibelm/) Both trees have similar bark texture and color. Both trees seem to be highly susceptible to disease and insect damage. Both species tolerate poor soils and road salt which makes them popular shade trees to plant along roadways. At this point with my limited knowledge I cannot find anything definite to link the two trees to this species of leafminer. Further research is necessary for this topic. 

I have moved here to study at Umass Amherst. It has almost been a month but I haven’t found a job yet. I have applied to so many places but for some reason I am not getting a response. I have been very lucky when it comes to looking for a job but now I am struggling. I do feel it is because half of the summer as gone by and everyone is all set. Although, I have applied to so many places hopefully at least one person responds. It would be great to get a job as soon as possible because I have lots of bills because I am living alone. I hate when my bank balance goes down. I mean I don’t mind spending the money if I was earning at the same time. I need to find a job asap. I can’t live like this I like to be busy and have no time. But since the last month I am fed up of having so much time that I can’t function. Thankfully I am taking a class otherwise I would go crazy.

I have moved here to study at Umass Amherst. It has almost been a month but I haven’t found a job yet. I have applied to so many places but for some reason I am not getting a response. I have been very lucky when it comes to looking for a job but now I am struggling. I do feel it is because half of the summer as gone by and everyone is all set. Although, I have applied to so many places hopefully at least one person responds. It would be great to get a job as soon as possible because I have lots of bills because I am living alone. I hate when my bank balance goes down. I mean I don’t mind spending the money if I was earning at the same time. I need to find a job asap. I can’t live like this I like to be busy and have no time. But since the last month I am fed up of having so much time that I can’t function. Thankfully I am taking a class otherwise I would go crazy.

INTRODUCTION

Leafminer tracks appear as white or brown stria on plant vegetation. They can take on a swirled or drizzled appearance. These stria are from the leafminer burrowing inside the leaf. The leafminer eats the mesophyll within the leaf and eventually exits to pupate. This makes the leafminer larvae less susceptible to being eaten by animals that might just pluck the leafminer from the surface of the leaf. The purpose of this project was to create a multipanel figure of a leaf specimen that had been affected by leafminer activity and to create a METHODS section that another student or person could follow in order to recreate the same multipanel figure.