Speaking on Science
Speaking on Science
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As someone who firmly believes that environmental support and change in human behavior can come from education, I have found that science communication has been an incredibly rewarding and engaging activity.
I authored, edited, designed, and contributed an article to the UW Undergraduate Journal FieldNotes Spring 2024 edition. FieldNotes discusses the world around us, and dives deeper into social and economic issues that pertain to environmental and climate justice. The journal takes publications and research from UW researchers and writes articles to make them more digestible for the average reader. Working closely with other students and researchers, I was able to dissect their research to identify topics that needed to be simplified for fluidity and accessibility and create a written and visual story of their work.
As a writer, I collaborated with undergraduate researcher Aly Liu to produce the article “Tracking invasive lionfish migrations using otolith microchemistry." This experience enhanced my writing skills, and helped me become a stronger editor and designer. Writing for FieldNotes enabled me to understand how science can be effectively established in a community, as clear communication, collaboration, and awareness can help encourage people to learn about the environment around them.
As an editor, I wrote comprehensible, accessible, and reader-friendly blogs about research topics of my choice. I chose to analyze the implications of different grass types in Seattle and on UW’s campus, and to investigate the environmental impacts of the Russian and Ukrainian war. Not only was I able to communicate these topics to a broader audience, I was also able to efficiently co-write with my peers, and learn more myself.
As a designer, I chose the front cover page, helped edit the journal format, as well as designed the page formats.
From this opportunity, I have determined that environmental education and science communication are roles that I would love to further participate in. Working for a journal that encourages teamwork and shared efforts has made me a stronger storyteller and collaborator. Continuing to work with my peers around me is an aspect of my work ethic that I would certainly bring with me throughout my academic and professional paths, as well as cultivate into my future career.
Poachers and Phylogeny
Poachers and Phylogeny
Evolutionary Biology can tell us lots about the surrounding environment, providing clues into how an ecosystem has developed, supported life, and evolved. By examining different species' evolutionary history, a new story can be revealed, where we discover how organisms have changed over time. To be a part of this new story is magical, as evolutionary biology can help propel science into the past and the future.
I studied evolutionary biology by constructing a phylogeny for a family of marine fish, the Agonidae (poachers) in the UW course Marine Evolutionary Biology. My research examined the species global distribution, substrate, and the correlation between spine morphology and geographical habitat distribution.
Using a sample of dried fish tissue from ~60 Agonidae, I was able to successfully extract DNA, sequence it through PCR, identify species, and construct a phylogenetic tree. From my data I determined that Agonidae historically colonized demersal, bottom, waters throughout the North Pacific and the Arctic (Amphiboreal); however they have since extended their range into the Eastern North Pacific, Western North Pacific, and the Amphiboreal region (warmer Arctic region of Northern Pacific and Northern Atlantic). I also found that geographical distribution, spine morphotypes, and substratum type were not correlated across species, suggesting that evolution may not drive these traits or habitat behaviors.
The research itself was very engaging, and I really enjoyed the exposure to a new topic. From this experience I gained independent research skills in lab (PCR) and computing (MEGA 12), enhanced my scientific writing, and learned more about evolution in marine species. The figures below illustrate my work.
Figure 1. Image of gel electrophoresis results of the CO1 gene extraction from one agonid fish. Each lane represents the amplification of DNA. The longer the lanes are, there is a higher base pair count, and the brighter the land, the higher the concentration of DNA. After prolonged dark lighting and running for 36 minutes, the DNA extracts in row A were present, whereas the PCR fragments in row B were not. Row A shows DNA fragments present in all the wells with similar heights, aside from well 6, whereas row B demonstrates faded PCR throughout the gel. The base pair labels 1k, 3k, and 6k for both rows A and B show how long the DNA fragments developed. Through the sequencing, I was able to construct a master phylogenetic tree by utilizing my PCR and my classmates.
Figure 2. This phylogenetic tree of Agonidae is compiled from the CO1 data I obtained and shows the Distribution, Spine Morphology, and Substrate the species are found in, based on information from primary literature and FishBase In the Distribution column species appear to have evolved with each other to share the same general locations as they are closely related, however there are a few exceptions. This pattern is similarly followed in the Spine Morphology category as there are distinct clades where some morphotypes are more prevalent than others as they are clustered in phylogenetic groupings, with the small spine being the most prevalent, and the bumpy ridge the least. In the Substrate column, some clades inhibit the same substrate patterns, whereas other clades diverge. This can indicate that evolution is not directly correlated to substrate type, rather Agonidae will inhibit a range of habitats.
Featured Portfolio Project - Claudia Stile - Final Research Project - MARBIO 370.docx
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