Publication from my REU experience
The context:
In 2021, I graduate from Brown University with a passion for marine biology. I knew I wanted to study marine science, but the COVID-19 pandemic had dramatically altered by ability to gain field experience as an undergraduate. After a semester abroad at the University of Otago in 2019, opportunities to conduct fieldwork disappeared as the world went into quarantine. Yet after my graduation, an opportunity arose, supported by the generosity of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF was extending their Research Experience for Undergraduates to students who, like me, had their ability to conduct research impacted by the pandemic. I had the unique privilege of conducting fieldwork on tropical coral reef systems in French Polynesia.
The project:
I went to the field curious about pattern formation. My artistic background informed my scientific inquiry and I dove into literature that focused on how patterns emerge in nature. While snorkeling the shallow reefs of Moorea (French Polynesia), I noticed was seemed to be a pattern in the way the patchy reef was structured. Patches seems to be elongated, following the direction of strong flow from the reef crest. Curious, a question emerged: do these reef patches form non-random structures? This question blossomed into a research project, the outcomes of which were shared at the Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium in the summer of 2023. Following the symposium, I had the opportunity to publish my work in the proceedings. The resulting paper is linked below!
