Category Archives: Graduate students

Graduate students

Congratulations 2010 GPMB Graduates!

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On Friday May 7, 2010 the College of Charleston held its Graduate School Commencement Ceremony.  Jared Ragland was recognized as an Outstanding Graduate for this spring’s graduating class.  GPMB graduate Joe Pollock was featured in the CofC Graduate Class of 2010: Spotlight section for his accomplishments.  The following GPMB graduates received awards for their achievements:

Jonathan Craft (marine biology) was awarded the Link Foundation/Smithsonian Institution Graduate Fellowship and the Lerner-Gray Grant for Marine Science. He also received the Student Presentation Award at the 2010 Benthic Ecology Meeting.
Jason Ferrante (marine biology) received the Slocum-Lunz Foundation Award and the Graduate School Research Presentation Grant.
Megan Kent (marine biology) received a second-place Best Poster Award at the 2009 World Aquaculture Society Conference and the first-place Student Oral Presentation Award at the triennial Aquaculture 2010. She also received the National Science Foundation’s East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes Fellowship and will study in Taiwan during summer 2010.
Jared Ragland (marine biology) received first place for his poster presentation at the Carolinas Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. He was also awarded the SETAC Student Travel Award.

Congratulations to the GPMB spring graduate class of 2010: Jennifer Fountain Baltzegar, Joy Gerhard, Kevin Huther, Megan Kent, Allison Kreutzer, Amanda McLenon, Lindsey Parent, Joe Pollock and Jared Ragland!

2010 Graduate Student Colloquium – September 24-25

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The Marine Biology Graduate Student Colloquium is scheduled for September 24-25, 2010. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Win Watson from the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Watson’s studies include neurophysiology, ecology and behavior of marine organisms. His keynote address will take place on Friday, September 24 followed by a poster session and social. Student oral presentations will take place on Saturday, September 25 followed by Dr. Watson’s closing address. Additionally on Saturday, there will be a Colloquium Social featuring Lowcountry Boil held at the Outdoor Classroom during which the new students will be introduced. Many graduate students in Marine Biology will be presenting their research. The 2010 Marine Biology Graduate Student Colloquium will showcase the student’s hard work and dedication to the marine science field. Please join us in supporting the students and the exciting research conducted in the Fort Johnson community. Follow the 2010 Colloquium link above for a detailed event schedule and to preview the poster and presentation abstracts. See your institutional representative for sign-up and payment for the Saturday evening social.

GPMB Student Featured in the College of Charleston Magazine

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Marine biology graduate student, David Shiffman, published an article titled ‘”A Sea Change” in the Point of View section of the College of Charleston magazine. In this article David discusses how his passion for sharks led him to pursue a career in marine biology. In addition to his research, David writes about shark biology and conservation in the blog Southern Fried Science. Many species of sharks are threatened from the results of by-catch and overfishing. David hopes to educate the public on the value of sharks in his upcoming book titled Why Sharks Matter: The Ecological and Economic Importance of Sharks, Threats They Face, and How You Can Help.

Graduate Students Receive Poster Awards

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The 2010 Graduate Student Research Poster Session was held on Thursday, January 28. Congratulations to graduate students Nathaniel Johnson (GPMB) and Katherine Luciano (MES) for their recent poster awards. The fourth annual poster session was a huge success, featuring the research of 35 graduate students. Please visit the College of Charleston Graduate School blog and facebook page for details and pictures of the event.

Spring Semester Begins

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Students are returning from their holiday break and preparing for another semester at the Grice Marine Lab. Classes begin for the 2010 Spring Semester on Monday, January 11th. Courses for this semester include Oceanography, Biometry, Marine Molecular Ecology, Physical Oceanography and Biology of Fishes. Graduate students who have completed their coursework will be working on their thesis research. Our students have research opportunities at Grice or with one of the Fort Johnson partners including the SC Department of Natural Resources, Medical University of South Carolina, National Institute of Standards and Technology or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We have a new student joining the Graduate Program in Marine Biology this semester. Leah Fisher, originally from Sullivan’s Island, SC, completed her B.S. at Duke University in May 2009. Welcome to the program, Leah!

Grice Research Featured in the College of Charleston Magazine

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In the Fall 2009 edition, a photoessay on the work spaces around campus highlighted Dr. Karen Burnett’s collaborative research with NIST colleagues and the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility at the Hollings Marine Laboratory. In the Life Academic section, an article titled A Sucker for the Little Guy focused on our resident parasitologist Dr. Isaure de Buron. She works closely with the SC Department of Natural Resources studying parasitic worms in Southern flounder and spotted sea trout. Another feature story, Guardian of the Sea, profiled GPMB graduate student Courtney Arthur and her work as a research analyst for NOAA. She is studying marine debris and its biological impact on marine ecosystems.

Marine Biology Colloquium

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The Student Research Colloquium of the Graduate Program in Marine Biology (GPMB) was established in 1998, with the goals of increasing awareness of research activities by students and faculty affiliated with GPMB; providing graduate students with experience in making scientific presentations; and promoting interactions among faculty and students conducting research in marine biology. Dr. Erik Sotka stepped in the give the opening talk for Dr. Scott France of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Previously part of the CofC Department of Biology and Grice Marine Lab, Dr. France was unable to attend. A poster session and the Friday social was held on Septemer 25th, 2009. The poster presenters attended their posters from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the posters remained on display throughout the Colloquium. Several students received honorable mentions for their posters. On Saturday, student talks ran from 9-3:30, followed by the closing address at 4pm by Dr. Geoff Scott of the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research and the Hollings Marine Lab. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed Lowcountry Boil and the new students to the GPMB program were introduced to the Fort Johnson community. Melanie Hedgespeth won the award for best oral presentation. Please see theColloquium Program for a detailed schedule and presentation abstracts.

The Colloquium gives the students an opportunity to practice their presentation skills and provides them with feedback to make improvements; it also allows faculty to recruit new students to their labs, and allows new students to review the research going on in various labs and consider their own future research. Also, undergraduates interested in graduate school can get a sense of what graduate school is all about.

Very nearly all marine graduate students, except those in their first year, presented their research this year – as you will see in the abstracts, it is an impressive array of marine research!

Oral Presentation Award

Melanie Hedgespeth

Distinguished Recognition for Colloquium Poster

Lindsey Parent and Joy Gerhard

Distinguished Recognition for Colloquium Poster of Proposal

Ryan Joyce and Tessa Bricke

GPMB Student David Shiffman Interviewed by NPR

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David Shiffman, a second year student in the Graduate Program in Marine Biology at the College of Charleston, was recently interviewed by NPR. As co-author of the blog Southern Fried Science, his article “The Ecological Disaster that is Dolphin Safe Tuna” raises questions about the impacts of this fishing technique on other marine species, including sea turtles, sharks, and billfish. The interview titled “Do We Care Too Much About Flipper?” was conducted by Patt Morrison on July 29, 2009. David also wrote an article on this topic featured in Beyond Blue magazine.

Molecular Core Facility Integrated Into Curriculum

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The Molecular Core Facility (MCF) located in room 210 at the Grice Marine Laboratory provides Molecular Biology services that support onsite research and varying curriculum needs here at the College of Charleston. One class in particular, Dr. Erik Sotka’s Marine Molecular Ecology Course (Bio 503), become regular visitors to the MCF throughout the Spring semester. The goal of the course is to introduce graduate level students to the genetic tools that can be applied to a wide variety of ecological topics. This semester projects included identifying cryptic species of Blackbelly Rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus), determining the primary reproductive mode (asexual vs. sexual) of the invasive alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla, and quantifying the degree of genetic differentiation among populations of the tropical reef-building coral Porites asteroides and the mudflat periwinkle Illyanassa obtusa. The students became proficient on several instruments within the MCF including a thermocycler and a digital imagining system as their projects progressed. Additionally, they received demonstrations and personal reviews of their DNA sequencing, microsatellite, and applied fragment length polymorphism data as it was generated by the Genetic Analysis System housed at the MCF. Results from these projects have spurred several individuals to continue their working relationship with the MCF in regards to their thesis research and additional side projects.

Loren Danese Joins the Sotka Lab

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Loren Danese is a new research technician in the Sotka lab. She is a 2009 graduate of CofC, where she earned a B.S. in Marine Biology and was given the Navy League award for most outstanding junior in Marine Biology. She is the veteran of two Research Experience for Undergraduate summer programs (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in 2007 and the CofC in 2008). During her stay in Marie DeLorenzo’s ecotoxicology laboratory, Loren published an article from her work with pesticides and larval shrimp. Loren is an avid diver, likes wearing flip-flops to work, and knows where to get the best Philly Cheesesteak in town. Please welcome her when you get a chance.