The Texas Sea Grant College Program at Texas A&M University has awarded $5,200 in research grants to six undergraduate students at the main campus in College Station and Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG).

The students are funded as part of the Texas Sea Grant Scholars Program, which designates scholars from among those selected for the LAUNCH: Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, whose proposal topic, from any discipline, is related to the marine environment. Recipients receive up to an additional $1,000 from the Texas Sea Grant Scholars Program to supplement their research budgets.

The goal of the program is to encourage motivated undergraduate students to participate in research and to give them the opportunity to communicate their findings as principal authors to the university’s scholarly community.

The 2019-20 Texas Sea Grant Scholars Program recipients, their respective fields of study and projects are listed below:

• Mikeelee Brink, marine biology, TAMUG, “The Role of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Metabolism in Influencing Physiological Fitness Under Metabolic Stress.”
• Kelci Chambers, marine biology, TAMUG, “Antibiotic Resistant Gene Analysis Post Hurricane Harvey.”
• Madlyn Crist, marine biology, TAMUG, “Synthesizing Metallic Complexes as Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions.”
• Margaret Guy, wildlife and fisheries sciences, Texas A&M, “Implications of Tourists with Handheld Lights on Sea Turtles.”
• Kristina Simons, marine biology, TAMUG, “The Effects of Oxybenzone on the Metabolic Physiology of Zebrafish.”
• Marcus Wharton, marine biology, TAMUG, “Chemical Characteristics of Sargassum.”

For more information about the Texas Sea Grant Scholars Program, visit tx.ag/TXSGScholars.

By Sara Carney '13, Texas Sea Grant communications manager