By Adam Eldeeb, Team STREAM:

This week was once again a very eventful week.  I finished helping the visitors from the Naval Research Crew and went on to help them move their cart as well as take down the four cameras that were set up around the stream.  In regards to my actual research project, I made some progress as well.  This progress included collecting more macro invertebrate samples from the stream, however not collecting the samples in my usual way of collecting them.  This was directly hands on rather than using an actual net to capture the small water insects.  A rock vein was implemented into the outdoor stream lab last Friday when I left for Duluth and Lake Superior.  When I returned, early on in this week, I collected the samples from this rock vein directly following the turn up of the flow to 199 ml per min all the way to when we had turned the flow all the way down to 15 ml per min.  When doing this I received a few good samples.  I collected tons of samples and later brought them to the lab for analysis and observations.  All in all I was very productive this week and I am very excited to begin another amazing week in the Outdoor Stream Lab!!!

Nothing went wrong this week, however I am disappointed on my progress of my report as well as my progress on my poster.  Although I might not have to complete these two aspects by this week, I would still prefer that I get a better grasp on my project next week.  Another aspect regarding my research project that did not make me that happy was that the samples that I brought back to the lab after collecting from the rock vein were pretty much all dead and deteriorated when I went in to observe and take notes on them in the lab.  This might have been caused by the lack of alcohol (for preservation) that was in the container that I had put them in.

Next week I am planning to go to Eagle Creek Stream and help out with an enormous project with graduate students Mark and Amy. A professor from the Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior department might be showing up with his graduate and undergraduate students that are working with him on a stream restoration project!  This should be a very exciting opportunity!  Also, I plan on getting a much better grasp on both my report and my project in general.  My mentor will be helping me along in this process, and she has already given me access to a few great articles on sediment, stream restoration, and stream capability in the United States, which are all along the lines of what I am focusing on already!  I am very excited to start the upcoming week, as well as getting a better grasp on my project!!