Journals 2008/2009

Maria Gomez
Dr. Theodore Alexander Science Center School, Los Angeles, California

"Sound Localization in Plainfin Midshipman Fish" Bodega Bay Marine lab, Bodega Bay, California July 17 - July 26, 2009

Journal Index: July 17-18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22        23 - 24 - 25 - 26

July 19, 2008
Meeting with our Research Team and Dr. Andrew Bass

Since our research was not starting until Monday we had some free time to explore the area. After breakfast Dr. Sisneros offered to show us around the small towns in the area. One small town we visited was Bodega. Bodega is famous because it was used as a location site for the 1960s film, The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. I remember seeing that movie when I was younger so I was pretty jazzed to visit the church and schoolhouse that were used in the movie. After our tour we went back to the dorm area and later that evening we all gathered at Dr. Sisneros's place for dinner. That night we met Peter, a graduate student working with Dr. Sisneros. We also met Dr. Andrew Bass and his wife, Midge. Dr. Bass is a scientist from Cornell University and he is the foremost expert on the midshipmen fish. His wife is a professional photographer and researcher as well. Dr. Bass has been coming to the California and Washington coasts for over 20 years completing his work on the midshipmen fish. Dr. Sisneros worked at Dr. Bass's lab at Cornell University and has been collaborating with him on their work with the midshipmen fish. Dr. Sisneros explained to Daphne and me that for the next week our group would be leaving the dorm area and going to a different beach at low tide to collect specimens for their research experiments. Then, later in the evening we would go to the marine lab and assist him and his team with the experiments. Since we needed to be at the beach at low tide in the morning, Daphne and I went back to our dorm early to be up early and ready to go.

Dr. Joe Sisneros and me collecting Midshipmen fish

Visiting the Bodega Bay Marine Station