The following blog post was written by fellow UHPer and Fall 2022 SURE Award recipient, Caitlin Garrett (Biology, ’23). Read on about how Caitlin’s utilized the SURE Award funding to further expand upon her research experience!
Over the winter break, I flew to Austin, Texas to talk about fish, and I loved every second of it! With the support of the SURE Award, I was able to attend the 2023 meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology and present a poster detailing the research I have been working on in the Hernandez Lab here at GW. The main aim of my project is to compare the feeding anatomy of three species of carp and understand how their morphological adaptations help them thrive, causing damage to the habitats they invade and human livelihoods. I’ve spent two semesters and a summer dissecting, working with CT scans, and studying muscles at the microscopic level to figure out exactly what is going on in these fishes’ throats!
Attending SICB 2023 and presenting my poster was an incredible experience. Not only was I able to share my research with experts from the biology community, but I got to soak in four days of lectures, talks, and presentations on brand-new ideas, methods, and findings. The graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other professionals I met were welcoming and more than happy to offer advice, share how their careers developed, and of course, nerd out about our favorite weirdo organisms. I gained familiarity with the professional academic community that I would not have been able to obtain any other way. I left the conference and returned to GW with valuable insights, new connections, and a refreshed excitement to continue my project. Since the finish line for my undergraduate career is just a few months away, I am currently synthesizing all the work I’ve done in the lab into a senior thesis. SICB 2023 was a hugely rewarding experience and a major highlight of my academic career, and I am so thankful to the UHP for helping to make it happen for me!
Interested in applying for your own SURE Award funding? Find out more about the application process here!
