College of Science

MSCI Student's Summer Research Secures Award at recent SACNAS Conference

December 4, 2018

Charles Nye, a Marine Science student, recently received a Student Presentation Award at the National Diversity in STEM Conference for his summer research project. Put on by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), this conference allows students to share their research in a professional setting, network with STEM professionals, and attend professional development sessions.

Charles' summer research focused on marine metapopulation structure; specifically honing in on Tegula funebralis, a common intertidal marine snail found in the Eastern Pacific. By extracting, amplifying, and sequencing mitochondrial DNA from snail tissue, Charles was able to determine a source of genetic variation in their population.

Reflecting on his research experience, Charles remarks

Understanding how marine organisms’ populations connect and interact is an important pillar for informing management, and we hope that future work capitalizes on the power of coalescent theory

Congratulations on this well-deserved award, Charles!