A successful first symposium!
We concluded the Spring 2024 semester with a very successful symposium. This was the very first research symposium put on by the Aquatic Sciences Center and we are already planning another for the fall. Thank you to our students for all of their hard work and keep an eye out for more information!
First Annual Aquatic Sciences Center Symposium
Please join us tomorrow, April 26th, from 3-5PM at the Kenneth S. Saladin Integrated Science Complex for the first annual GCSU Aquatic Sciences Center Symposium. This symposium will feature both poster presentations and oral presentations. The oral presentations will start at 3:30, 3:40 and 3:50 pm in room 102. The posters will be ongoing in the atrium from 3-5 pm. Outside we will feature various activities from students along with Academic Outreach.
Another Successful Cleanup
Thank you to all who came out last Friday, March 29th, to help us clean Tanyard Creek. It was another successful cleanup and we cannot believe just how much trash was pulled from the creek in those two hours. Our last cleanup was December 1st; however, we were able to pick up hundreds of pounds of debris from the river. Some items included a bike, multiple tires of various sizes, as well as a grocery cart. We can't wait for the next cleanup and hope you will join us again!
Congratulations to our ASC Members!
Congratulations to Anna Agi and Sally Sir, both members of the Aquatic Sciences Club! Both students were presented awards at the Graduate School's 6th Annual Spring Reception. Anna Agi won an Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award and a Graduate Research Travel Grant. Sally Sir won a Graduate Research Travel Grant as well. Congratulations again to these two!
GCSU Research Day 2024
Several of our members participated in this year's GCSU Research Day. Anna Agi, Tori Morgan, Wiley Bundy, Shannon Northen, Sally Sir, Lauren Ballenger, Marisa Lopata, Jaiden Stidston, Heath Rhodes, Ray Allen, Sarah Edwards, and Ashley Clark presented in the poster sessions. Erik Wolstenholme gave an oral presentation. Ashley Clark also presented in the "3-in-3" competition and placed 2nd place.
Aquatic sCIENCES aCADEMY 2024
Join us for the first EVER GCSU Aquatic Sciences Center Aquatic Sciences Academy! The Aquatic Sciences Center is partnering with GCSU's Academic Outreach to bring you the most fun this summer. This summer academy is open to students anywhere, entering 9th-12th as well as college students. This academy will feature Adopt-A-Stream Certification, your very own mini research project and presentation, as well as local nature trips. We hope that you will join us for this week long camp and as we get closer, more information will be shared here and on our social media accounts! Registration Link
Spring Cleaning at Tanyard CReek
Please join us for the second cleanup of Tanyard Creek this Friday, March 29th from 3-5PM! The event is open to students and staff of the university as well as anyone in our local community. We will all meet in front of Herty Hall (221 N Wilkinson St) at 3 PM and walk to Tanyard Creek. We encourage you to wear closed-toed shoes and clothes that you do not mind getting wet or muddy. We can't wait to see you all out there and we appreciate the continued support in cleaning this creek! Link to sign up: Tanyard Creek Cleanup March 29th
Congratulations To Katie Johnson and Sydney Brown!
Katie Johnson and Sydney Brown, both graduates of Dr. Kalina Manoylov's Phycology Lab at GCSU, recently published their research in the Journal of Phycology, a high impact journal. This was part of Johnson's master's research and Brown's undergraduate research. Both are currently in Ph.D. programs continuing research with algae. Their paper, "The chloroplast and mitoschodrial genomes of two Gomphonema parvulum (Bacillariophyta) environmental isolates from South Carolina (United States) and Virginia (United States)," can be found here.
Congratulations to Georgia Academy Of Science Winners!
These three Aquatic Sciences Club members won awards for their posters and presentations at the Georgia Academy of Science March 1st and 2nd 2024. Both graduate students, Sally Sir (Biology), mentored by Dr. Kristine White, and Tori Morgan (Earth Sciences), mentored by both Dr. Sam and Christine Mutiti, won Best Graduate Presentations in their category. Shannon Northen won Best Undergraduate Poster (Earth Sciences), mentored by Dr. Sam Mutiti, in her category. Abstracts will be linked here once published.
Aquatic Sciences Club Members at Georgia Academy of ScienceS
Congratulations to these eight Aquatic Sciences Club members for having a successful weekend presenting at the Georgia Academy of Sciences (GAS) at Kennesaw State University on March 1st and 2nd 2024. The following students participated in the Earth Sciences category: Erik Wolstenholme is an undergraduate student mentored by Dr. Allison VandeVoort, Marisa Lopata, Jaiden Stidston, Lauren Ballenger are undergraduates mentored by both Dr. Sam and Christine Mutiti, Shannon Northen and Wiley Bundy are both undergraduates mentored by Dr. Sam Mutiti and Tori Morgan is a graduate Student mentored by both Dr. Sam and Christine Mutiti. The following student participated in the Biology category: Sally Sir is a graduate student mentored by Dr. Kristine White. A huge thank you to their mentors, Dr. Sam Mutiti, Dr. Christine Mutiti, Dr. Allison VandeVoort, and Dr. Kristine White for helping them prepare. Abstracts will be linked here once published.
Congratulations to Dr. Dave Bachoon
Dr. Dave Bachoon recently published in the high impact journal Science of the Total Environment with his paper "Mitochondrial DNA marker: A PCR approach for tracking rat (Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus) fecal pollution in surface water systems."
New aquatic Sciences Club
The Aquatic Science's Center recently started a new club on campus focused on educating those about the waters in and around Middle Georgia as well as globally. The Aquatic Sciences Club encourages all of those interested in water and aquatic sciences to join in order to help make a broader impact in Milledgeville and more. The first meeting will be held February 28th at 5 PM in Herty Hall, 210.
Annsli Hilton '22, Marine scientist
GCSU graduate applies her passion in Marine Biology and Oceanography to her career as she works as a research associate with University of Miami's Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
Clean up Success!
On Friday, December 1st, students of Georgia College helped to clean up Tanyard Creek by the College Station Apartments. We were able to clean up a lot of the glass within the creek, as well as other trash and miscellaneous debris. This cleanup gives promise to several solutions and opportunities for the Aquatic Sciences Center to continue to monitor and clean this creek.
Congratulations to Dr. Dave Bachoon
Congratulations to ASC Faculty Member, Dr. Dave Bachoon for being awarded another grant. The grant is for his project on "Implementation of a Water Quality Restoration Strategy at the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed and the Río Grande de Loíza (below dam) Estuary Contributing Zone."
Congratulations to ASC Summer fellows
Congratulations to both Sally Sir (Dr. White's Lab) and Karagan Royer (Dr. Barkovskii's Lab) for being awarded funding through our summer fellows program in order to help fund their research. Sally Sir's fellowship was the summer of 2022 and Karagan Royer's was the summer of 2023.
Sally's Paper and Sally's Images
Tanyard Creek Cleanup
Join us from 3-5PM on Friday, December 1st for the Aquatic Sciences Center Tanyard Creek Cleanup. This is our rescheduling of the first cleanup that we had to cancel due to weather. We will walk to the area of the creek close to College Station apartments and divide into groups in order to clean different sections. This is a student and community-wide event so we hope that you will all join us in order to help keep our local Milledgeville community clean. We appreciate all of the help and look forward to seeing you out there! Sign up link: https://forms.office.com/r/V4w4Wfw9Qp
Water Education Day
We had a great time at Water Education Day on Saturday and enjoyed getting to share our passion of water and water quality with the lovely Milledgeville community! Dr. Sam Mutiti's Hydrology class and GCSU's Academic Outreach demonstrated various projects involving water and its properties.
GCSU Students took a trip to Sapelo ISland
Dr. Christine and Dr. Sam Mutiti took students Lauren Ballenger, Jaiden Stidston, and Marissa Lopata, on a trip to Sapelo Island to conduct research on saltwater intrusion.
Congratulations to ASC faculty
Congratulations to the following Aquatic Sciences Center Faculty:
Dr. Indiren Pillay for being awarded a Biological and Environmental Sciences grant for Effects of Soil Chemistry on the Distribution and Genomic Diversity of Actinobateriophages in Central Georgia. Dr. Kalina Manoylov for being awarded the Region 5 Roar Diatoms Project grant from the EPA TetraTech. Dr. Dave Bachoon for being awarded the 2023 Source ID and Sampling Support grant from the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources.
GCSU GRAD STUDENT APPLIES SKILLS AT NORTH CAROLINA INTERNSHIP
Anna Agi took the skills she learned in her undergraduate biology degree and put them to the test during her internship with SePRO this summer
AQUATIC SCIENCES CENTER HOME TO NEW Marine Lab
Dr. David Weese and students recently conducted a research trip where they brought back marine organisms for the new 300 gallon tank in the ASC
THE NEW AQUATIC SCIENCES CENTER OPENED!
Herty Hall is home to the new Aquatic Sciences Center that will provide undergraduate and graduate students with more hands-on learning of various methods and techniques in the field of freshwater and marine sciences
NEW AMPHIPOD SPECIES
"Dr. Kristine White and junior environmental science student Sally Sir identified the new species while studying White’s collection of roughly 7,000 amphipods"