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Tuesday 20 May 2008

Fishpond, Heat and Blood

I was at a fishpond today. No, I am really talking about a real fishpond and not the new office which some of us called Fishpond.

I was helping out with a project that was teaching primary school students about pond life. My job was to video the students while at work. There were four stations - temperature-taking, pH reading, turbidity reading and microbes. I had lots of fun while videoing them because I was re-learning my Science too!

At the Microbes station, I think I was more excited than the students lol. I was actually lining up too to look at the microscopic organisms through the microscope. :) It was so fun to see them moving around! I meant the microbes lah, not the students hahaha. :P
I only learnt how to measure turbidity today. :) Never be ashamed to admit to the learning of something for the first time. This is how you will learn, lol.
pH reading was another joy. Told the students to just stick the paper into the pond rather than wait for the test tube to collect the pond water. It is the same result at the end, isn't it? So skip one step lor, get the results faster lol.

Temperature taking of the pond water made me realise how HOT it was out under the sun. Can you believe that the surface pond water was a whopping 35 degrees Celsius??!!!! The weather forecast said it was a max of 34 degrees Celsius today. A quick Science lesson: In a pond or lake, when the sun's rays heat up the water this heated water, being lighter, rises to the surface and loses its heat to the atmosphere. The net result is that the pond water remains at nearly atmospheric temperature. So if the surface pond water was 35 degrees, it meant the max temperature was at least 35 degrees! No wonder I was losing liquid like anything through my pores lol. :P

When our group gathered at the school, I realised everyone was wearing pants except for me, I was in a dress. My boss said she forgot to tell me to wear pants. I thought, no sweat, lol. No puns intended lol :P. Then I realised why. The mozzies were having a field day at the fishpond, attacking me! I have never donated so much blood before, all in the name of Science hahaha. :P Next time, I will wear pants hahaha.

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