COSAM E-newsletter, May 2011
Three Cal Poly Grad Students Receive Marine Science Research Awards
Johanna Weston, Anniken Lydon and Carolyn Ewers
Three Cal Poly marine science graduate students have received $1,500 awards to support their research projects this summer.
Johanna Weston, Anniken Lydon and Carolyn Ewers will each receive the Summer 2011 COAST Student Award for Marine Science Research. The California State University Council on Ocean Affairs, Science and Technology grants the annual awards.
Weston’s master’s thesis research involves characterizing and quantifying water quality in the Morro Bay Estuary, with a focus on the nitrate sources. She has been identifying sources of nitrate there, and how nitrate exits the estuary. At high levels, nitrate is toxic to fish and humans. To conduct the survey, she’s been collecting data from three transmitting monitors at different locations in the bay, and has conducted 17 survey missions of the bay by boat. Her research is part of the San Luis Obispo Science and Ecosystem Alliance's (SLOSEA) Water Quality Initiative.
Lydon’s master’s thesis research centers on kelp, a vital marine resource. She is studying migration patterns between different populations of kelp off the Central Coast by extracting and then sequencing their DNA on new equipment recently acquired by the university. She’s seeking a better understanding of kelp population dynamics and how marine conservation affects the ecologically important species.
Ewers’ master’s thesis research focuses on effects rising sea levels may have on eelgrass in Morro Bay. The flowering marine plant is an important habitat for many local fish species, and also helps recycle nutrients, improve water quality and stabilize sediment in the bay. She’s currently taking samples of eelgrass in different conditions around the bay, and will create a model of future Morro Bay eelgrass distribution during the next 25, 50 and 100 years. The goal is to predict where eelgrass beds may die off in the future and which areas may be good locations to plant new beds to make up for the loss.
All three are working on master of science degrees in Cal Poly’s Biological Sciences Program. Lydon and Ewers received their bachelor’s degrees in biological science from Cal Poly. Weston earned her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Dallas in Texas.
All three students are conducting research through the Cal Poly Center for Coastal Marine Sciences.
For more information on CCMS, visit its web site at:
http://www.marine.calpoly.edu.