By: Ben, Sonja, and Parker

Did you know that store bought mac and cheese can contain a small amount of BPA in it? Luckily, according to Dr. Jack Bell, you would have to consume many boxes a day to feel any effects.

Dr. Jack Bell

Creating mussel extract

Early in the morning, Dr. Bell came to the Spring Street International School lab to help us create samples to run in the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) machine at the Friday Harbor Labs. We were testing for BPA levels in mussels, who are known to be early warning organisms since they are filter feeders. To make the sample, we crushed mussel tissue and a variety of chemicals using a pestal and mortar. We then put the sample into a centrifuge and then pressed it through a filter. Later, at the labs we ran the samples through the HPLC machine which did not reveal any traces of BPA in the mussel tissue.

HPLC Machine

In the afternoon, Will King taught us how to use certain statistical tests for our final projects. We learned about T-tests, linear regressions, and Chi squared tests.

Stats with Will King

For dinner, the guest of honor was our own Tim Brogdon. He gave us a valuable and relevant presentation about life skills that can set us apart when looking for a job.