凯蒂·Dimm '22

Making a difference now through cutting-edge 研究

“研究是我的激情所在. It is the core of what I love about marine science,” explained Katie Dimm ’22.

凯蒂, 海洋科学专业, discovered her passion at her high school in Ridgefield, Connecticut. “During my sophomore year I took a course called 科学 研究. All the students in the course had the chance to do independent 研究, which was a huge jumping-off point for me. I became really interested in studying levels of methylmercury, an organic form of mercury that is highly toxic accumulating in aquatic environments and in particular, 鲨鱼.”

高中毕业后, Katie took a gap year to attend Cape Eleuthera Institute which is devoted to 研究, 教育, and outreach on the Cape Eleuthera peninsula in the Bahamas. She was able to carry on her shark 研究 while she was there as well as assist with a large array of projects such as the collection of Caribbean spider crabs, 鲨鱼标签研究, and sea cucumber and coral reef surveys. It was also during this year that Katie discovered UNE. “I learned about the 研究 opportunities available there, 参观校园, 爱上了这个地方. What I liked the most was that I wouldn’t have to wait to carry out 研究. I could continue the 研究 I had been working on in high school and in the Bahamas with the guidance of my UNE professors.”

凯蒂开始和布朗博士一起工作. 斯蒂芬我. 塞曼 who was particularly supportive of her 研究, especially when she needed to create a controlled environment to further her 研究. “Long-living apex predators like 鲨鱼 seem to have an incredible capability to accumulate and handle massive concentrations of mercury making them phenomenal biomarkers for mercury in ecosystems. However, there is a lot of inconsistency in the mercury levels found in various species of 鲨鱼. You might think that the larger the shark, the more mercury would be found in their muscle, 但情况并非总是如此. More recent 研究 has shown that factors such as the depth in which the shark forages, 他们的新陈代谢周转时间, or if they warm-blooded or cold-blooded could all impact mercury levels. There are many different factors to consider, 与其他研究不同, you can’t really keep 鲨鱼 in controlled environments.”

与博士合作. 塞曼, Katie set up her own lab within UNE’s 海洋科学 Center working with green crabs to further her 研究. “By using baseline organisms to analyze how lower-level concentrations of mercury might start to affect the bottom of the food chain, I can hopefully theorize about what could be happening as we move up the chain.”

Katie is also engaged in exciting 研究 with Dr. 约翰一. 莫汉说，她的另一位正规澳门赌场网络教授. “Using a method new to mercury 研究, we will be looking for mercury tracers at each individual level of the 鲨鱼’ vertebrae and hopefully we’ll be able to map out its accumulation rates over time. This is something I’m really excited about because it, 据我所知, 以前没人这么做过, and it could be monumental in terms of finding a way to look at mercury exposure over a long period of time.”

Despite her demanding 研究 schedule, Katie has found time to participate in another activity that complements her 研究. 作为正规澳门赌场网络潜水俱乐部的主席, Katie has been instrumental in creating discover scuba events to help other UNE students try scuba and get them open water certified. “Being able to scuba and free dive is a sometimes underappreciated skill, but it can enhance your marine 研究 capabilities so much.”

Katie credits her professors in helping her manage her studies, 研究, 还有课外活动. “The faculty at the 海洋科学 Center are so supportive. If you have a solid idea, they're going to help you every step of the way. Their support has shaped my experience and is why I have so many phenomenal things going on. 通过他们的集体专业知识, I have been able to carry out cutting-edge 研究 that I know will have an impact on our understanding of methylmercury accumulation in our aquatic systems.”