By Audrey Schneider, UC San Diego
Hi! My name is Audrey, I am a rising fourth year majoring in Marine Biology at the University of California, San Diego. I grew up in Chicago for ten years, then moved to Denver for another eight years, before deciding to attend school in San Diego. Being from such land-locked states I often get asked why I decided to pursue Marine Biology. As cliché as it is, I had a very specific turning point in my life that drew me towards wanting to protect our marine ecosystems above all. It was a moment that resonated with me so deeply I knew I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to such a mission. During my Biomedical Sciences class in my second year of high school, a guest presenter came in to discuss, essentially, why we as a society should stop eating meat. She had three main reasons, but the reason that struck me the hardest was that the manufacturing of meat produces an astonishing amount of pollution, contributing to the destruction of many ecosystems, including the ocean. I have always had such a connection and empathy with animals and the environment, but I don’t think I really fully grasped how much danger they were in, hadn’t really perceived climate change as the overwhelming threat it truly is until that day in class.
After that, I started paying close attention to the news, researching what exactly is happening in both our literal and political climate, and trying to figure out where I would best fit into the environmental movement. I easily decided on University of California San Diego, which houses Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the most prestigious schools for exactly the career path I wanted to take. That path being one which is focused on contributing to research that will ultimately help implement solutions to protect our marine ecosystems. And so I landed at UCSD, which opened up a world full of opportunities, for both my academic and personal life. In my personal time, I adore playing ultimate frisbee with my UCSD club team, through which I’ve met some of my lifelong friends, who remind me that there is hope for our generation and the future of this planet. I also enjoy scuba diving, going to the beach, journaling, or doing something creative, including but not limited to painting, crocheting, and baking. I also enjoy working at the campus recreation centers with my coworkers, and walking dogs in the neighborhood.
During my first year, I met PhD student (now Dr.) Sho Kodera, who introduced me to the world of the microbiome, which is the community of microorganisms that exist in any given environment. I quickly learned that the microbiome is extremely important and influential to any organism’s health as these organisms play a vital role in nutrient cycling and production, and protection against pathogens and other stressors. Sho’s research and collaboration with Professor James Reimer at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan led me to applying for the Tyler Center Fellowship for International Studies.
During my time in Okinawa, I will be sampling zoanthids, which are an order of understudied cnidarians that contribute to coral reef ecosystems. Zoanthids provide habitats for marine organisms, and also have been shown to decrease erosion of dead corals, which is important as corals bleach due to global warming and algae try to take over the skeletons. Once algae settles and takes over bleached coral skeletons in a reef, it can be extremely difficult for corals to revive. My zoanthid of interest is called Zoanthus sansibaricus, which has a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthallae, photosynthetic microorganisms that provide the Zoanthus with more than 90 percent of their nutrients. Hence why it is so important that these colonies have access to light. I aim to study how the microbiome varies as a function of light availability. Not only has it already been established that this particular species has different symbiotic
relationships and morphological characteristics depending on both light availability (i.e. shaded vs nonshaded) and depth in the water column, the results will also be insightful because anthropogenic factors have contributed to water pollution and sediment disruption, which limit light availability for these organisms that rely on light.
While I am in Okinawa and completing my own research, I also hope to gain further insight into the different realms of the science world. I am eager to learn about other fields of research beyond microbiology to help me gain some clarity about what I want to do my future PhD on, and where. One of the most exciting parts for me about getting to travel for this research program is being exposed to new techniques and perspectives, along with overall new types of research. I have been in a microbiology lab for my whole undergraduate career so far, so I am eager to see how else you can research reef ecosystems. I am excited to meet people from all over the world, as Professor Reimer’s lab is the host to many international researchers, and form connections and long lasting friendships. I also hope to get many chances to explore the underwater world of Okinawa in my free time, as I love to scuba dive and go to the beach. Thank you very much to the Tyler Center Fellowship for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and getting to experience research abroad!
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