PhD student Anagha Payyambally featured in UConn Today

Posted on September 15, 2023September 15, 2023 by Manning, Cara

Our PhD student Anagha Payyambally was featured in UConn Today to celebrate her achievement of receiving the Quad Fellowship. Anagha is one of only 100 recipients out of over 3000 applicants to receive this fellowship to her graduate studies. This new fellowship program supports exceptional students who are citizens of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan to support their graduate studies in the United States and build collaboration among scientists and technologists.

Read the story here with quotes from Anagha and her advisor Dr. Manning. Congratulations, Anagha!

Long Island Sound Shell Day 2023

Posted on September 14, 2023June 19, 2024 by Lauren Barrett

Shell Day logo, credit: Austin Pugh, NECAN

On 24 August, 2023, 10 community science organizations, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT-DEEP) and the University of Connecticut collaborated to simultaneously sample total alkalinity in the embayments and rivers bordering Long Island Sound (LIS). Led by DMS PhD Candidate Lauren Barrett, the event was a regional repeat of the 2019 effort led across New England by the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN, http://necan.org/ShellDay).

The participating groups sampled for total alkalinity (TA) and hydrographic variables such as salinity and temperature during low, mid-, and high tides, meaning the spatial variation in alkalinity across the Sound. Seawater alkalinity requires high precision, expensive instrumentation and a skilled analyst, and thus typical observations of TA in LIS conducted by a single or a few researchers require that spatially separate samples also have a temporal difference. However, TA varies across diel and tidal cycles, so the spatial and temporal difference is important to parse. The collaborative effort of Shell Day allowed for a spatial identification of TA trends in LIS without the confounding temporal variation.

Shell Day 2023 was a successful event. Despite some mild rain in the afternoon, community scientists weathered the storm and still provided high-quality samples, which are currently undergoing TA analysis at UConn. The results of this work will be interpreted in the context of open LIS data (available through the Vlahos lab at UConn) and the data collected during Shell Day 2019. This work will be presented to the LIS Science Technical and Advisory Committee (STAC) this fall as well as to the participating organizations at a meeting which is to be determined.

Ann Bucklin Named U.S. Academic Delegate to ICES

Posted on August 31, 2023August 31, 2023 by Ann Bucklin

Ann Bucklin, Professor Emeritus of Marine Sciences, has been appointed U.S. Academic Delegate to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES https://www.ices.dk). This appointment, made by the Department of State on August 17, 2023, authorizes Prof. Bucklin to serve as one of the two U.S. representatives on the ICES Council, which is the decision and policy-making body in ICES. The U.S. Academic Delegate is focused on encouraging and coordinating ICES-related research and activities in the academic community.

What is ICES and its mission?

ICES is a leading multidisciplinary scientific forum for exchanging information and ideas on all aspects of marine sciences, including environmental, scientific, fisheries, wildlife, and conservation affairs, pertaining to the North Atlantic Ocean, including the Baltic Sea and North Sea. Principal functions of ICES, since it was established in 1902 and continuing to the present time, are to: 1) promote, encourage, develop, and coordinate marine research; 2) publish and otherwise disseminate results of research; and 3) provide non-biased, non-political scientific advice. The ICES mission and goals are guided by a Strategic Plan, which identifies and addresses critical themes in science, collaboration, advice, data, communication, and service support. See: https://www.ices.dk/about-ICES/how-we-work/Pages/Our-strategy.aspx

How is ICES organized?

The principal decision- and policy-making body of ICES is the Council, which consists of a president and two delegates from each of 20 member nations across Europe and North America. One of the U.S. delegates is a federal employee and the other represents the academic community. The mission of ICES is accomplished by various committees and working groups. The Advisory Committee (ACOM) provides advice on fisheries and marine ecosystem issues. The Science Committee (SCICOM) oversees all aspects of the scientific work. Steering Groups coordinate more than 100 expert groups covering most aspects of the marine ecosystem that work under them. The scientific work of ICES is done by a community of more than 1,600 marine scientists from research institutes and universities in member and affiliate nations collaborating in expert working and study groups.

What’s the focus of your research and its relevance to your appointment as U.S. Academic Delegate?

My research focus is molecular analysis of biogeography and biodiversity of marine zooplankton, including population genetics of important species (especially copepods and euphausiids), local-to-global patterns of species diversity, and analysis of pelagic food webs based on DNA barcoding and metabarcoding. An important focus is time-series analysis of marine zooplankton species biodiversity, with applications for ecosystem monitoring and fisheries management on the NW Atlantic continental shelf. I have been a member of the ICES Working Group of Zooplankton Ecology (WGZE) and Working Group on Integrative Morphological and Molecular Taxonomy (WGIMT) since 2007; I served as Chair of WGIMT during 2014-2017. I am a grateful recipient of an ICES Service Award (2018) and an ICES Outstanding Achievement Award (2019). See: https://marinesciences.uconn.edu/person/ann-bucklin/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Bucklin

What are your thoughts about being appointed the U.S. Academic Delegate?

I have participated in ICES activities for many years. The ICES Annual Science Conference (ASC) is a valuable forum for the exchange of research results and exploration of important applications for ecosystem assessment and fisheries management. I am honored to have been appointed as the U.S. Academic Delegate and look forward to contributing to the ICES organization. A primary goal is to encourage broader participation from the U.S. academic community, including active researchers, Early Career Scientists, and students.

Best Poster at Gordon Research Conference 2023

Posted on July 11, 2023July 11, 2023 by Romero, Leonel

Mengyang receives best poster award. Photo credit: Molly James

Congratulations to Mengyang Zhou on receiving the best poster award at the recent Gordon Research Conference on Coastal Ocean Dynamics (link:https://www.grc.org/coastal-ocean-dynamics-conference/2023/) in June of 2023. His poster entitled “Constraints on the bottom water residence time in an economically-important embayment of the Southern Benguela Upwelling System” is work that is part of an NSF-funded project led by Pf. Julie Granger (link: https://granger.lab.uconn.edu/) and Pf. Samantha Siedlecki (link: https://samanthasiedlecki.wixsite.com/coastalbiogeodynlab/about-us) in partnership with colleagues at the University of Capetown. Mengyang ran a series of particle tracking experiments in a high-resolution simulation to quantify the residence time of bottom waters plagued with hypoxia. Interannually, years with short bottom water residence time experienced little hypoxia. This work is part of his Ph.D. dissertation research with Pf. Julie Granger.

Brendon Goulette awarded Connecticut Sea Grant Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Posted on June 30, 2023July 4, 2023 by Manning, Cara

Congratulations to Brendon Goulette, an undergraduate student in our department who was awarded a Connecticut Sea Grant Undergraduate Research Fellowship for the work he is doing with Professors Catherine Matassa and Samantha Siedlecki and PhD student Halle Berger. Brendon is researching how climate change is affecting sea scallops, a significant commercial fishery in New England.

Caption: Brendon Goulette measures scallop shells in Samantha Siedlecki’s lab at the UConn Avery Point campus.

Professor Siedlecki awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor

Posted on June 8, 2023June 29, 2023 by Manning, Cara

Congratulations to Professor Samantha Siedlecki who was recently awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor from the University of Connecticut! We are so proud to have Prof. Siedlecki as a member of our department and to see her awarded tenure.

Professor Siedlecki has been a highly valued member of our department since her arrival at UConn in 2017 and has played many leadership roles in our department and the broader scientific community. Dr. Siedlecki’s research group focuses on coastal biogeochemistry using a combination of simulations and observations to characterize historical and ongoing change and forecast future trends. A particular focus of her group’s work is on coastal carbon and oxygen cycling, including the impacts of decreasing ocean pH (ocean acidification) and decreasing oxygen (deoxygenation) resulting from climate change and other human impacts.

Her research accomplishments have been recognized through an Early Career Faculty Innovators Program Fellowship from NCAR and a Kavli Fellowship from the US National Academy of Sciences. Since her arrival at UConn, she has received approximately 16 grants totalling over $4 million in funding from organizations including NOAA and NSF, including serving as co-lead PI on a $1 million grant on assessing the vulnerability of sea scallops to ongoing ocean change.

Her teaching contributions have included developing two new courses, Ocean Expedition (a very popular course for our graduate students) and Biogeochemical Modeling, and teaching Environmental Reaction and Transport, a course that allows undergraduate students to develop their quantitative and problem solving skills. She has mentored numerous personnel in the department, and currently supervises two PhD students, one masters student, one research associate, one research scientist, and multiple undergraduate students.

Dr. Siedlecki has been highly active in departmental service, having served on several departmental committees, including the Advisory Committee to the Head, and was a founding member of the department’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee. She was recognized with a Climate, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award from the UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2022 due to her contributions to fostering an inclusive climate in our department and at UConn.

Outside of UConn, she has had substantial contributions to research organizations and activities at the regional, national and international level, including serving as co-coordinator for the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) and serving as a member of the international scientific committee for the 5th International Symposium on Oceans in a High CO2 World, and also gave an invited plenary presentation at this conference. Dr. Siedlecki makes stakeholder engagement and outreach critical components of her research program and has participated in numerous outreach activities with members of the aquaculture industry and management organizations along with members of her research group.

Dr. Siedlecki has co-authored approximately 36 publications and some of her recent publications are listed below.

Now that she has been awarded tenure, Prof. Siedlecki looks forward to finalizing her group’s work with east coast coastal communities through a regional vulnerability assessment of scallops and the communities who rely on them. She plans to conduct similar assessments in other regions with the international research community and is currently preparing a proposal with South African colleagues.

Congratulations to Dr. Siedlecki! We are excited to watch the future accomplishments by you and your team!

Recent publications:

“Seasonality and life history complexity determine vulnerability of Dungeness crab to multiple climate stressors” by Berger et al. (2021) in AGU Advances. This paper was led by Siedlecki lab graduate student Halle Berger.

“Coastal processes modify projections of some climate-driven stressors in the California Current System” by Siedlecki et al. (2021) in Biogeosciences.

“Projecting ocean acidification impacts for the Gulf of Maine to 2050: New tools and expectations” by Siedlecki et al. (2021) in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.

Prof. Siedlecki at the Avery Point campus

Prof. Siedlecki and PhD student Halle Berger in Norway following a research conference.

Prof. Siedlecki on the R/V Connecticut during the Oceanographic Expedition graduate course in 2022

Bridget Holohan – MVP technician

Posted on June 5, 2023June 13, 2023 by Hannes Baumann

Ewaldo: What was your academic journey before you got here?

Bridget: I grew up in Michigan, and I wanted to be an oceanographer. The only school close to where I grew up that had an oceanography program was the University of Michigan, and I wasn't quite ready to go across the country at 18. When I was finishing up there –this was before the internet so finding a job to apply for was harder than it is now–I didn't quite know what I was going to do for a job and decided to go to graduate school. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the best decision to go based on that. I went to the University of Rhode Island and got my master's degree. I thought about whether I wanted my PhD, but I decided that I like to be the one getting my hands dirty, not the one writing a proposal or writing the paper. I wanted to be the one doing it. So, I decided if I got a PhD, more than likely, that wouldn't be what I was doing. I stopped at a master’s degree, which was a good decision for me. As I was finishing up there, I saw a job in the state of Connecticut at the Williams Mystic program. They were looking for a TA.

Ewaldo: And how did you decide to be an oceanographer?

Bridget: I decided to become an oceanographer when I was the age of 12. My family went on a cruise down in the Caribbean and one of the things we did was snorkel. The first time I went snorkeling, I was blown away. I had no idea that there were all these amazing things under the surface of the water. No idea. I grew up in the Midwest. I knew about fish, we have the Great Lakes, but the organisms under the water in the Great Lakes do not look like in the tropics. It was just so incredibly fascinating. I wanted to study the ocean but at that point it was just a fantasy doing research on the ocean. I was planning to become a pharmacist because that seemed more sensible. However, when I started thinking about applying to colleges, I asked myself: why would I be a pharmacist? What I really want to do is oceanography.

Ewaldo: Williams-Mystic program. What is it?

Bridget: It's an off-campus study program of Williams College, which is conducted at Mystic Seaport. And it's entirely based around the ocean. Students come in for one semester. It's like a semester abroad, only it is a domestic program which is focused on the ocean. And they take either marine biology or oceanography. They also take maritime history, marine literature, and marine policy. They read Moby Dick, as you might imagine. They totally get immersed in the program.

Ewaldo: That’s super interesting. What was your master’s degree in?

Bridget: My master's research was on the ecology of Ceriantheopsis americanus, which is a burrowing mud anemone.

Ewaldo: And why didn't you follow up on that particular topic?

Bridget: There's not a lot of jobs for that particular topic. So, I found a job that was mainly education. But it was a horrible salary. Like a third of what you students make. So, in the summer, I went to an oceanography summer camp and worked there. Then after a couple of years, I was like: “Okay, I cannot make a living at this”. I was searching around not being so successful. In the meantime, I did another environmental education job down in Virginia, which was fun.

Ewaldo: All the way down! So when did you come back up to the Northeast?

Bridget: As I was finishing that up, my former boss said: “I got a Pew Foundation Grant, and I put in money for a research assistant. Do you want to come work with me?” I said yes and I went to work with him, but it was only a two-year grant. As that was coming to an end, I saw a job by a man named Evan Ward. I didn't really know anything about culturing phytoplankton, which was what he wanted. But I figured I could learn. Why not? Right. So yeah, that's how I got here. And that was in 1999.

Ewaldo: It's been 24 years! And what was your position then – and currently?

Bridget: I was a research assistant when I started. Now, I'm a research assistant three, but in a lot of ways, my job is very similar. The only thing that has really changed is that as funding got tight, I started to work for Rob Mason as well. I also worked with Claudia for some time, because her job was expanding. I like the fact that there's a lot of variety. I hate being bored.

Ewaldo: You have done a lot of different things and learned a lot of things in this dynamic way. What were your biggest challenges and also biggest joys here?

Bridget: You know, I really enjoy working with bivalves, I like running experiments. Even though sometimes they can be a little crazy. I like seeing the whole process, from what we are proposing to do, to making it happen, and analyzing the data. And then luckily, I don't have to write it.

Ewaldo: Would you have advice for grad students?

Bridget: Boy, that's a really good question. One of the things in this is just kind of funny, because writing is not my favorite thing to do. But people often get hung up on the writing portion, thinking to themselves: “Okay, I need to write the perfect sentence”. Sometimes you just need to write. The beauty of the computer is that you can delete it, you can move it, you can copy and paste it into a different document. So you just have to get your ideas down on “paper”, and then refine them later. Just write it down, get it on the computer, and then fix it.
Also, I recognize that there can be a weird power dynamic between students and professors. But with most professors, you can really just say, “I need help with this….” Rather than wasting a bunch of time, being afraid to ask. Professors will be more receptive than if you wait five months and say you haven't been able to get this to work for five months. That is especially true when students are first starting out, and I see that is an easy role for me to fill. Because students are more comfortable coming to me and saying: “Hey, I don't know what's going on here”. Usually I can point them in a direction or even facilitate the conversation. And of course, there have certainly been times that my advice has been about things having nothing to do with oceanography.

Ewaldo: This is all great advice. Thank you. Maybe the final question, what's the story behind the five cents for advice in your door?

Bridget: I came back to my office one day, and we had a new nameplate and my title was wrong. Nobody told us they were going to change nameplates. I was not happy, so I took it off. I, of course, calmed down. I was going to put the correct title and make it more legible by making our names bigger (I shared an office at the time). It wasn’t a priority for me, so I took my time replacing it. One day I came back to my office and the Lucy character from the Peanuts comic was there. In the Peanuts comics, she had a little booth where she gave advice for five cents. One of my colleagues put it in there because sometimes people come to me for things other than science related advice. I found out later that it was Jeff Godfrey. I thought it was super funny, so I just left it. And one day I came back and there was a little bag of nickels.

Ewaldo: Who did that?

Bridget: It was Lydia Norton

Ewaldo: I guess that sounds about right! Hehe. Thank you so much, Bridget!

Graduated Master and PhD students 2022-23

Posted on June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 by Hannes Baumann

The Department of Marine Sciences congratulates all our recent Master and PhD graduates! You worked hard, earned your degree, and enriched our community. Thank you, and best of luck for your next career steps!

Annalisa Mudahy (M.S. 2022)

Major advisor: Craig Tobias

Thesis: Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Water Column Respiration in an Urban Estuary Revealed Using Automated Respiration Chambers

Mathew Holmes-Hackerd (M.S. 2022)

Major advisor: Hans Dam

Thesis: Naupliar Exposure to Acute Warming Shows no Carryover Ontogenetic Effects on Respiration Rates, Body Size, and Development Time of the Copepod Acartia tonsa

Annette Carlson (M.S. 2022)

Major advisor: Samantha Siedlecki

Thesis: Quantifying Interannual Variability of Shelf Nutrients and Associated Hypoxia in St. Helena Bay with New Metrics and Tools

Lingjie Zhou (Ph.D. 2022)

Major advisor: Senjie Lin

Dissertation: Estimate Phytoplankton Carbon Biomass using DNA

Mary McGuinness (M.S. 2022)

Major advisor: Penny Vlahos

Thesis: Examination of Controlling Parameters for Total Alkalinity in Long Island Sound Embayments

Yipeng He (Ph.D. 2023)

Major advisor: Robert Mason

Dissertation: Air-Sea Exchange of Mercury and Its Species in the Coastal and Open Ocean

Patricia Myer (Ph.D. 2023)

Major advisor: Robert Mason

Dissertation: A Critical Examination of the Factors Controlling Methylmercury Uptake into Marine Plankton

Josie Mottram (M.S. 2023)

Major advisor: Julie Granger

Thesis: Refining the Use of Cold-Water Corals as a Proxy for the Marine Nitrogen Cycle Through the Comparison of the δ15N of Diet, Tissue, and Skeleton of Balanophyllia elegans

Michael Mathuri (Ph.D. 2023)

Major advisor: Julie Granger

Dissertation: Physiological Mechanism of Nitrogen Isotope Fractionation During Ammonium Assimilation by Marine Phytoplankton

CT-NERR is fully staffed and operational!

Posted on June 5, 2023June 20, 2023 by Hannes Baumann

By Ewaldo Leitao

Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our esteemed researchers, the University of Connecticut now hosts the Connecticut National Estuary Research Reserve (NERR). The NERR System is a network of 30 coastal areas designed to protect and study estuarine ecosystems. The NERR System is a program of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and recently Connecticut was added to this group. These reserves serve many purposes, and Long Island Sound is a large economic contributor and recreational area. Considering the importance of coastal and estuarine ecosystems, the Connecticut Reserve is an important program that fosters management guided through information collected by scientists. Some of the sites selected include Bluff Point and Haley Farm State Park. You can read more about it here.

While the initiative and leadership was spearheaded by Prof. Jamie Vaudrey within the Marine Sciences Department, the office now counts with many new names and faces. You will find them located in offices on the second floor. But we want to make sure to give them all a proper welcome! You can find their full bios and contact information here.

Jamie Vaudrey - Research Coordinator - CT NERR

Jamie is a marine ecosystems ecologist and modeler, interested in the impacts of humans on coastal waters. She received a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Philosophy from Wellesley College, MA; moved on to study environmental education in the Florida Keys, then in Oregon; then on to graduate school at the University of Connecticut. Jamie was the UConn lead, shepherding the establishment of a NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve in Connecticut and is currently the Research Coordinator for the Reserve. Jamie is also involved with EPA’s National Estuary Program, serving on the science advisory committees of the Long Island Sound Study and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. You can learn more about her research interests by visiting her website: https://vaudrey.lab.uconn.edu/. Her favorite reserve is the Mumford Cove! “I first ‘met’ Mumford Cove as a graduate student, 24 years ago – the study location of my dissertation. In 1999, eelgrass was just starting to recolonize the Cove and I had the opportunity to document the progress of its return, working with a team of fellow grad students and undergrads who are still some of my best friends today. Amazing how much a small Cove has to teach, and how many opportunities it provides!”

Larissa Graham - Education Coordinator - CT NERR

Larissa has worked in the environmental field for nearly 15 years, sharing science-based information with a variety of coastal audiences. She worked for the New York Sea Grant as the Long Island Sound Study Outreach Coordinator, and for the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and, most recently, the Student Conservation Association as the Alabama and Mississippi State Director. Larissa is looking forward to settling back into her New England roots. She spent a lot of time boating and fishing with her family as a child, which fostered her love for the Sound.

Ashley Hamilton - Research Assistant - System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP)

Ashley graduated from the UConn Avery Point community with a B.S. in marine sciences, and completed a master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island, where her research focused on the impacts of anthropogenic stressors to commercially important bivalve species. Since 2016 she has worn various hats in the shellfish and seaweed aquaculture industry, including farm hand, hatchery production and researcher. Ashley is excited to guide the next generation of undergraduate researchers. Ashley shared that her “NERRdiest” thing is to get tattoos of the organisms she works or studies, which includes a (scientifically accurate!) anatomical eastern oyster. She shares: “Next on my wish list is a blue mussel shell in celebration of finishing my thesis, and I can see some marsh plants and critters in my future as I venture into the CT NERR monitoring program!”

Jason Krumholz - Stewardship Coordinator - CT NERR

Jason is an Associate Professor at UConn and the Stewardship Coordinator for the Reserve. In this role, he helps to facilitate resource inventory, conservation, and restoration goals in concert with federal, state, and local partner organizations as well as contributes to scientific research, outreach, and education efforts at the Reserve. He served with NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center as the Liaison Ecologist to the Long Island Sound Study, where he worked with a wide range of partner organizations at the interface of science and policy on several efforts to improve the transmission of scientific data into management. He is the Chief Scientist for two small non-profits; The Reef Ball Foundation, which uses designed artificial reef technology to facilitate coastal restoration, and Slow No Wake, which works on marine debris removal and education in the recreational fishing sector. He is also a founding board member of Remote Ecologist, a non-profit organization designed to remove the barriers to participation faced by independent and unaffiliated research scientists. Jason recounted that once he got roped into diving off of Pine Island to collect green crabs in the middle of the winter for a colleague. "It was so cold that ice was literally forming on our gear. It was one of those moments that was pretty miserable at the time, but the memory of it is somehow very positive… one of those moments where you realize that if you like what you do enough to do THIS, then you’re probably going to really enjoy doing it for the rest of your career.”

Katie Lund - Coastal Training Program Coordinator - CT NERR

Katie joins the Reserve from her previous position at UConn’s Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation where she led engagement activities and managed municipal and research grant projects to increase resilience of Connecticut’s communities to the growing impacts of climate change. Katie has worked for over 20 years on a variety of coastal management topics – including the Northeast Regional Ocean Council and Long Island Sound’s marine spatial plan and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management’s special area management. Katie holds an M.S. in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University. “One of my favorite memories of the Reserve is the first walk I did on Bluff Point with my kids when they were very young”, shared Katie. “After we’d gone a couple miles and they were ready to turn around, I saw a small side trail to the right and convinced them to try it. We popped out onto a beautiful beach…such a surprise – I had no idea there was such a BIG and quiet and beautiful beach as part of Bluff Point. Over ten years later, I now work for the NERR and this beach is part of our new reserve!”

George McManus - Interim Manager and UConn Center Director - CT NERR

George is a biological oceanographer. He received his PhD from Stony Brook University and worked at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the University of Maryland, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab before coming to UConn, where he has taught for 28 years. His research is focused on microbial plankton, including bacteria, phytoplankton, and ciliated protozoa, documenting their diversity and distributions in the coastal ocean. He is currently serving as the Interim Reserve Manager and Center Director. One of his fond memories of the Sound is when he was fishing with his son and a seal popped up next to the boat with a fish in his mouth. “We just stood there watching and marveling at this bit of the food chain taking place before our eyes”, said George.

Sam Stadnick - Fiscal Officer - CT NERR

Sam joins the Reserve as its Fiscal Officer after working in the Connecticut House of Representatives where he assisted elected officials with their constituent service and legislative responsibilities. He is thrilled to use his experience in public affairs to protect the natural areas of Eastern Long Island Sound and the Lower Connecticut River Valley where he has been a longtime hiker and boater. Sam is also very proud to return to UConn, where he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science. Sam mentioned that: “When fishing near Millstone Point with my father, we would often catch Tautog, or blackfish – one of the most beautiful (and delicious) fin fish in Long Island Sound. The rocky outcroppings that lie off of Millstone Point provide great habitat for the fish and great recreational fishing opportunities.”

Brittany Sprecher continues science in Germany and California

Posted on June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 by Hannes Baumann

By Ewaldo Leitao

Brittany Sprecher finished her PhD in December, 2020, and soon after she moved to Germany to continue her investigations on phytoplankton molecular biology. In her PhD, Brittany was able to develop molecular techniques to begin to help explain the complexity of dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates are small eukaryotic cells that can photosynthesize and produce their own energy or, sometimes and, be heterotrophic, eating even smaller cells such as bacteria. Their complexity does not end there. Their genomes are astoundingly large, varying from one third up to 90-fold that of the human genome size. This complexity translates into lots of unknowns on their molecular characterization, that Brittany has bravely shed some light on during her PhD.

Ewaldo: Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed. First, can you give me a brief explanation of your work conducted while in UConn?

Brittany: I had the great opportunity to work under Prof. Senjie Lin and Prof. Huan Zhang. My work primarily involved developing transformation methods for dinoflagellates, a complex group of organisms. Additionally, I utilized transcriptomics to gain insights into the molecular characteristics of a recently discovered dinoflagellate. It's fascinating how much we still have to learn about these organisms, as many of their genes remain unknown in terms of their functions. Even key pathways like toxins and bioluminescence, which have significant ecological importance, have missing or poorly understood genes. To address this knowledge gap, I focused on establishing a method to introduce foreign DNA, such as the green fluorescent protein or an antibiotic-resistant gene, into dinoflagellates with the goal that the cells would take up and express the introduced proteins.

Ewaldo: This is super interesting. So where did you go after your PhD? And how did the work at Uconn allow you to get there?

Brittany: After obtaining my PhD, I had the opportunity to do a Postdoc in Germany, which turned out to be an incredible experience. Interestingly, my focus remained on method development, but this time I shifted my attention to diatoms who are endosymbionts of dinoflagellates. The transformation methods for diatoms were comparatively more straightforward, allowing me to complete the method development in just one year, whereas it took four years for dinoflagellates. I believe that the valuable experiences and challenges I faced during my PhD greatly contributed to my success during the Postdoc. The obstacles we encounter along the way ultimately shape us into stronger scientists with enhanced troubleshooting abilities.

Ewaldo: This seems like a great experience, to do your Postdoc abroad.

Brittany: Absolutely! It was truly fascinating to observe the research and graduate school culture in Germany. One aspect that particularly stood out to me was the tradition of having lunch together as a lab. Initially, I found it a bit strange, feeling the urge to quickly return to work. However, I soon realized the immense value of these interactions. During these lunch sessions, we would engage in discussions about science, troubleshoot any issues we were facing, or simply delve into various aspects of life outside of work. This time proved to be exceptionally productive and nurturing for our mental well-being, fostering collaboration and support among lab members. The experience of sharing meals together truly enhanced our ability to collaborate and assist one another with our projects. On the whole, my time in Europe was an enriching experience that expanded my scientific network and broadened my perspective on research.

Ewaldo: Indeed. What are you up to these days?

Brittany: Currently, I have the privilege of working at the University of California, San Diego, on an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology. I'm actually continuing one of the research chapters from my PhD, focusing on a dinoflagellate species that exhibits native green fluorescence. My project involves utilizing analytical chemistry techniques to determine the structure and potential function of this fluorescent molecule. While analytical chemistry is slightly outside my expertise, I am fortunate to be part of an institution that fosters collaboration, and I have been able to connect with several supportive chemists who are aiding me in this discovery. Additionally, I'm conducting laboratory experiments to identify the conditions under which the green fluorescence changes, and I'm collecting samples from the Scripps Pier to assess the prevalence of this blue-green fluorescence among dinoflagellates locally and hopefully globally by the end of this fellowship.

Ewaldo: Incredible expertises. So what are your next steps? Do you have anything in mind?

Brittany: I'm deeply passionate about dinoflagellates and diatoms, and my aim is to continue delving into these fascinating organisms. Consequently, I will actively pursue academic positions that allow me to further explore and contribute to this field. Additionally, I plan to continue applying for fellowships and grants that can support my research endeavors. My ultimate goal is to make meaningful contributions to our understanding of these organisms and their ecological significance.

Ewaldo: Since you mentioned the struggles of a PhD student, do you have advice for grad students and / or early career?

Brittany: One of the most valuable pieces of advice I received before starting my PhD was to invest time in getting to know my cohort. I cannot stress enough how important this has been for me. The support, camaraderie, and collaboration that I have shared with my cohort has been invaluable in navigating the ups and downs of graduate school. Additionally, I highly encourage graduate students and early career scientists to actively seek out and apply for fellowships and grants. These opportunities not only provide financial support but also open doors for networking and collaborations. Lastly, remember that collaboration is key. Engage with your peers and colleagues, seek opportunities to collaborate, and leverage the collective knowledge and expertise around you. Together, we can accomplish so much more than we can individually.

Ewaldo: Finally, what are your hobbies?

Brittany: In my free time, I absolutely love surfing. Living in California provides me many opportunities to ride waves, and it's always a special experience when I find myself sharing the ocean with playful dolphins or witnessing the graceful dives of brown pelicans in search of food. I am also incredibly lucky to be reunited with Dr. Lingjie Zhou, who has been an incredible support in my life. It has been wonderful to spend time with her again both within the academic setting and in our personal lives.