Sitrep

Every morning this week, I have eagerly opened my email and scanned the messages for one word: "Sitrep." It's a short-hand for "situation report" that is typically used in military operations. And it's what I'm living for right now. 

Calvin and Evan collecting samples in Saipan. Photo by
Jen McKinnon.

Some of you may recall that I sent a team into the field recently. I never told you what the project was about, but now that the operation is underway, I have the freedom to share a bit more detail. The field team is in Saipan, and they're trying to find out whether environmental DNA (eDNA) could be used to locate human remains at underwater sites left by past U.S. conflicts. In this particular case, they're looking at three airplanes from WWII. 

This project is different from anything I've ever done before, and it's my first time working with the DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency). My lab was approached initially because we are one of the few research labs across the country that integrate biology and archaeology and have extensive experience working in the ocean. We're also collaborating with the University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center and East Carolina University. 

It's different for me to be geographically separated from the field operation, but I still feel very involved. On more than one occasion, my phone has chimed in the middle of the night with a question. At one point, Calvin hand-drew a sampling scheme that was slightly modified from my original idealized scenario and sent it to me for approval. Another time, I texted asking for an update at what must have been an obnoxious hour in Saipan. The 15-hour time change is a challenge, but we're staying connected. 

Calvin and Evan deploying flags to mark sampling locations
at a site in Saipan. Photo by Jeremy Borrelli.

So far, the team has laid out sampling schema at all three target sites and collected samples from two. All the samples are being processed and packed in the field, and then they'll be shipped to UWBC for sequencing and analysis. The ECU team will remain in the field after eDNA sampling is complete to fully excavate one of the sites. That way, we can ground-truth our results against the occurrence of remains. 

You may not know this, but I actually struggle sometimes with my role as a scientist. I question whether what I do is valuable or whether it contributes anything positive to the world. When it comes to the eDNA project, though, I do not question the value at all. If our methods work, it could result in more efficient means to localize, identify, and recover human remains from the wreckage of past wars. I'm proud to contribute, even in a small way, to bringing service members home.