Ben is thrilled to be jumping into his thesis project this first semester. His project is examining the gene expression between the healthy and diseased genotypes of Acropora palmata to identify disease resistant coral colonies.

While Mike was in Taiwan, he studied a unique phenomenon that occurs at Outlet Reef in Taiwan. Outlet Reef is a site within Nanwan Bay that experiences cold, deepwater upwelling during spring tidal cycles.

One of Madison’s ongoing projects in the lab is to maintain the coral tanks.

Mike has been working diligently in Taiwan with the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium! They opened their doors in 1990 and boast the longest underwater tunnel in Asia, as well as numerous aquariums showcasing Taiwan’s freshwater and marine biodiversity.

Meet our newest lab member—MS student Ben Young! He received his undergraduate degree in Zoology and Geosciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

This week’s spotlight is Jess Daly. Jess is a senior research intern, and her current project is in collaboration with the Invertebrate Museum at RSMAS.

This week, meet Haley Plaas! Haley is currently spending her Fall semester abroad at James Cook University in Australia.

Our spotlight of the week is James Nowotny. James is a Junior research intern studying the innate immunity in cnidarians and the mechanisms by which they respond to stimuli.

Meet Madison Emery and Bianca Noguera! These ladies work in our lab as animal husbandry assistants.

Corals are of a great value to societies worldwide. Not only do they provide a beautiful, natural ecosystem for tourism, generating billions of dollars of income annually, but they also protect coastlines from turbulent waves and storms and are a critical habitat for many marine animals.

Our spotlight of the week is Mike Connelly! Mike is a Ph.D. student in the lab, and his research focuses on innate immunity and acute heat stress tolerance in corals.

Happy Fourth of July to all of our fellow coral and cnidarian lovers out there! Wishing everyone a safe and fin-tastic holiday. For this Spotlight of the Week meet Stephanie Chang! She recently graduated from Miami-Dade college with a degree in Biology.

Our first spotlight of the week is our Principal Investigator- Dr. Nikki Traylor-Knowles! Dr. Traylor-Knowles received her Ph.D. in Biology from Boston University.