What’s in the Water? Interns Claire & Zion Dive Into Water Quality Testing

Investigating Pollution Through Fish Embryos

Interns Zion and Claire, with support from advisor Brooke, spent four months working with the Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute. Alongside lab researcher Coco Lu, their mission was to explore how pollutants from the Tijuana River Estuary impact aquatic life, specifically how different concentrations of contaminants affect the development of medaka (a small fish species) embryos.

Claire and Zion conducted hands-on experiments alongside graduate students and lab professionals. By exposing medaka embryos to various pollutant levels found in local water samples, they observed clear developmental changes. Embryos exposed to higher pollutant concentrations developed more slowly and showed a higher occurrence of tubular hearts, an indicator of potential heart deformities. These patterns highlighted the possible long-term effects of pollution on vulnerable species in the estuary.

Claire shared how the experience opened her eyes to the full arc of the scientific process:

“In partnership with the Boz Institute, Zion and I worked with lab researcher Coco Lu to observe the effects of pollutants in different concentrations on the development of medaka embryos. The results showed some trends, such as a generally lower developmental stage in embryos exposed to higher concentrations of pollutants, as well as increased rates of tubular hearts (which is like a type of heart deformation). Although these results weren't statistically significant in the end, it was really cool for me to explore the scientific process from beginning to end, as well as visualizing our data by constructing graphs from raw data.”

For Zion, the work held personal significance beyond the lab bench:

“Claire and I, with support from advisor Brooke, spent four months working with the Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute to evaluate water toxicity of the Tijuana River Estuary and its impact on the species that live there. We got to perform laboratory experiments alongside graduate students and professionals to expose fish embryos to different amounts of pollutants found in the water, and see how that related to the development of the embryos. We had a great time learning technical skills in the lab and in data analysis. We are proud to have helped with the lab’s preliminary research into how the sewage crisis at the estuary impacts the surrounding ecological communities and the fight for its restoration.”

Claire and Zion are proud to have played a role in the lab’s preliminary research and are motivated to continue the fight for the restoration of the estuary and the communities it supports. Their journey exemplifies the power of youth-driven research and the role young scientists can play in addressing today’s most pressing environmental challenges.