culprit. This finding was used to generate a testable hypothesis: that the mucus-like colony was the one causing the abscesses on the host fish. The experiment performed helped us to realize that all of the bacteria are weak against one drug, and that if we introduce this into the water it should kill all three, or at the very least stop the bacteria from spreading to other fish.

During the experiment I utilized a series water quality tests by taking samples from the water and testing them to see if is of appropriate quality for fish to live in. Water tests were also used to detect the presence of any known parasitic organisms calling the water home. We also tested the water for acidity, alkalinity and pH balance. The water that was tested appeared to be fairly decent in all of the tests and seemed to be fitting for fish to live in. No known parasites were detected in the water tests.

On June 22, I participated in what can be called a mass dissection, which was done to test the health of fish in a community pond. We began by driving to an aquaculture farm on Bardstown road in Louisville Kentucky. We had obtained 150 fish samples in total and had been instructed to cut each one open, take liver and kidney samples, and put 5 samples of each organ into each vial. Analysis of the samples indicates that the fish were phenomenally healthy and seemed to be nearly perfect with the exception of one thing, parasites. The two types of parasites identified were the Yellow Grub and the Bass Tape worm. In spite of the parasite infections, the fish and the aquatic habitat were deemed to be reasonably healthy.

For these two weeks I have learned many things that helped change my look on KSU's role in the field of aquaculture. Some such things are checking fish for diseases, performing water quality tests, and identifying parasites. The experiments that we performed allowed me to push further into the medical sciences, and aided in my goal of gaining hands-on experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here at KSU and in the SAP program, and I am glad to have gained the experiences overall.