I am a M.S. student of Hydrology at the University of Reno Nevada, and I am thankful to have the chance to work on this project.  In addition to being involved in the training of Guatemalan students, I am also starting the data-collection process for my Master's thesis.  Yesterday, I learned how to collect lake water for heterotrophic bacteria bio-assays.  I learned how to practice careful methods which ensure a clean lab space while on the boat, in order to reduce contamination of my samples.  I also learned other techniques which make the process of studying bacterial oxygen demand, smooth and precise.  We are using a really nice TSI oxygen meter to look at the amount of oxygen in our samples at "time zero".  I will then treat our samples with a variety of treatments to try to isolate which variable is contributing most to bacterial growth by investigating the amount of oxygen consumed over time.  I will check the amount of oxygen in our samples after 5 days of incubation, to see the reduction of oxgen over time. Ultimately, I want to see which factor is contributing most to bacterial growth in Lake Atitlan.
-Alecia Brantley