Sarah Krejci (Bolingbrook, IL) is a Ph.D. candidate. She hopes to utilize the public's interest in the charismatic seahorses and pipefish to draw attention to their habitat availability and utilization in the Indian River Lagoon.
Looking for Some Culture? How About AquaCulture Research.
Aquaculture is just one of seven interest areas biological sciences majors may choose. What better place to do aquaculture research than at a university that is ten minutes from a river and just 15 minutes from the ocean? You’ll find these students at the Indian River Lagoon peering at native species or conducting field studies at the Atlantic Ocean. In the saltwater ecosystem, aquaculture research involves examining the sea grass vital to many species’ survival or the natural habitats of marine life such as pipefish, seahorses and starfish. On campus, students study mollusk, crustacean and finfish aquaculture— the highly adaptive tilapia, for one. The department’s reef tank offers a look at tropical varieties like the brightly striped clownfish and multicolored corals. In the lab, a project might be the invasive lionfish or microalgae culture and its potential for alternative fuel. The university’s Vero Beach Marine Laboratory, sitting smack on the beach, is a bastion of marine science and aquaculture research and education as well as a commercial aquaculture facility. Wouldn’t it be exciting to cultivate the next major species of marine food that could feed millions?
Leia Shuhaibar (Venezuela), who graduated with an M.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology in July 2009, is removing sperm and egg for an invitro fertilization study.
Taking samples to bring back to the lab for more, in-depth study.
Lionfish, vicious predators introduced from the Pacific Ocean, are now a serious problem for Florida and the Caribbean.
Trying to figure out to how to reduce the predatory impact of the Lionfish on native communities at Florida Tech’s Vero Beach labs.
Matthew Zimmerman, B.S. in 2011, learns about microalgae, which is the primary support food for all other marine life in the ocean.
Courtney Duff (Hampton, VA), expected B.S. 2012, is reviewing the microalgae growth that feed marine animals. These large cylinders are located in the Florida Tech Aquaculture laboratory.
Nancy Pham (Milpitas, CA), M.S. in 2012, is studying how to extract biofuel from the algae.
Carter Davis (Merritt Island, FL), B.S. in 2012, is studying the Clownfish. It is the most popular aquarium fish in the world. Nemo, from the Disney Movie “Finding Nemo”, is a Clownfish.
Studying the marine life on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean.
Sarah Krejci (Bolingbrook, IL) is a Ph.D. candidate. She hopes to utilize the public’s interest in the charismatic seahorses and pipefish to draw attention to their habitat availability and utilization in the Indian River Lagoon.
Studying seagrass, a very important habitat for marine life.
They really are fish! Unlike any other species in the world, it’s the male that gets pregnant and gives birth.
