College of Science

Jake Cline, current Applied Marine and Watershed Science student, recently defended his thesis during the Natural Sciences Weekly Seminar Series.

Jake has spent the past three and a half years as a Graduate Research Assistant under the supervision of Dr. Cheryl Logan, examining the molecular responses of rockfishes to future oceanographic conditions predicted for the California Current ecosystem. His work in Dr. Logan's Lab included assisting with the husbandry of larval, juvenile and adult rockfishes, processing seawater samples for carbonate chemistry analysis, and mentoring numerous undergraduate researchers through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC). In addition to these tasks, he spent his time instructing middle- and entry-level biology and chemistry courses, as well as developing molecular protocols for use in the Logan Lab.

His thesis research focused on examining gene expression and metabolic enzyme activities in juvenile blue rockfish under simulated ocean acidification (OA) and hypoxia. Through his research, Jake determined that blue rockfish may be physiologically resistant to moderate levels of these stressors. As a result of these findings, he was able to highlight species-specific responses as an area of particular relevance for fishery managers in the near future.

I am thoroughly excited to employ the skills I have acquired at CSUMB - both in the lab and policy realms - to help answer pressing biological questions posed by climate change

On behalf of the School of Natural Sciences - congratulations on your thesis defense, Jake! We wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors.