Rebecca Varney, PhD
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    • Convergent Traits in Arthropods
    • Chitons: Iron teeth, many eyes
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  • Research
    • Convergent Traits in Arthropods
    • Chitons: Iron teeth, many eyes
  • News
  • Publications
  • Outreach
  • Teaching
  • Resources
  • About Me
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8/11/2021 0 Comments

Getting used to being in person again at UCSB

It's crazy, but I've been here a month already! Time truly does fly when you're having fun, and I spend most of every day pretty ecstatic. 

All told, it was 8 HOURS of safety training (not kidding. I counted) across various videos. I am very grateful that UCSB required me to upload my vaccination card before coming onto campus; we're back to masking indoors as well and I am very happy to be at a university that values my safety. 

I still occasionally get lost on campus, but one of my amazing lab-mates is always game to get snacks/coffee so the three of them make sure I get home safe.

Check out the projects listed under Research as they continue to expand!
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8/9/2021 0 Comments

Pipetting jellyfish

Picture
I have a new favorite game. 

Aide, another postdoc in our lab, is working with tiny box jellyfish called Tripedelia. We have tiny baby polyps growing in the lab, and last week, we spotted our very first medusae. But the medusae have to live in a special tank, with waterflow angled to keep them from getting stuck in a corner. So we get to move them.

You roll up your sleeves, you grab a plastic Pasteur pipet, and you stand over the polyp tank until you see a medusa float by. And then you suck it up and run it across the room to the other tank. You gently release the jelly into the tank, and watch long enough to see him pulse his bell to swim away from you. Repeat. 

It's meditative. It's hypnotic. It's ridiculously fun. I'm not alone in this opinion; let's just say multiple people a day are moving medausae now ... just in case... wouldn't want to miss one... 
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