While in the Deheyn lab I was earning my B.S. and M.S. in Marine Biology at the University of California, San Diego. I was working on completing a short thesis for the Scripps Undergraduate Honors Program. The project is based on isolating the photoproteins in a species of bioluminescent brittle star, Ophiopsila californica. Upon successful extraction and purification, we will then work on characterizing and identifying the sequence of the photoprotein. I was a member of the UCSD women's basketball team for three years and I enjoy SUCBA diving and snorkeling in my free time.

I am a graduate from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Currently I am researching the chemical and physical color properties of the seeds belonging to Magnolia grandiflora trees. In the future I aim to continue to do research though more focused on aquatic organisms.

I'm interested in the light propagation in natural photonic structures. I want to know how light goes from the inside to the outside of a bioluminescent organisms. I look at the structures that could influence the way light travels through the animal. This knowledge will help to make light emitting diodes more efficient and therefore more economic in terms of energy consumption.

How do animals influence light with their body parts and what can we learn from it to make lighting less energy consuming?

I’m an undergraduate ecology major at the California State University, Northridge. This year marks my first year in research through the CSUN BUILD PODER lab. I’ve been interested in exploring different research areas within biology and ecology and I was able to do that during my START summer internship in the Deheyn lab. My research in the Deheyn lab investigates the conditions necessary to degrade Polylactic Acid in anaerobic and marine environments. I’m interested in exploring the different research areas in ecology. I’m still trying to refine my research interest but I had a lot of fun exploring new topics and ideas in their lab.

I am a transfer student in Environmental Systems with a focus on Ecology, Behavior and Evolution at UC San Diego. As a volunteer intern at the Deheyn lab, I am assisting in research on sea anemone fluorescence as a potential indicator for the health of coastal marine ecosystems, focusing on responses to metal stressors. I am hopeful this research will not only provide a non-invasive method of monitoring our coastal waters, but also help understand human impact on our oceans.

I am extremely passionate about combating climate change and believe the path to inspiring unity and collaboration towards that cause lies in exploring and developing new approaches to educating the public on the interconnections between us and our planet's ecosystems through entertainment and inspiring compassion. I am extremely excited to be working at the Deheyn lab and look forward to bringing some new light to understanding and combating climate change.

I am an undergraduate marine biology student at the University of California, San Diego. As a volunteer at the Deheyn Lab, I am working with Kara Wiggin to better understand the degradation and detection of plastic microfibers. In my spare time I like to go on runs and take naps.I am grateful to be a part of the lab and can’t wait to get more engaged in research.

As a Visiting Scholar in the Deheyn Lab my research encompasses a twofold approach to the ecotoxicology of Microfibers by addressing this contaminant through the use of bioluminescence as a proxy for toxicity, and methods of microfiber generation from various fabrics in order to understand the different variables that play into their release in the environment, and how this may negatively impact living organisms.

It is my hope that by standardizing these methods for understanding the scope of plastic pollution, will allow for researchers globally to tackle this problem. As well as communicate effectively with the public in order to create a sense of trust and community where we all take responsibility for our choices not only in plastic consumption but in how we treat our environment.

My background lies in Environmental Microbiology, Aero-Microbiology, and Environmental Management. And I am currently studying at the Erhvervsakademi Aarhus & Aarhus University in Denmark working on my senior thesis. And as a US citizen who has studied in the US and now studied and researched in Denmark, it has been my absolute pleasure to bring my global knowledge and experiences home to Scripps Institution of Oceanography where I plan to continue with my Ph.D.

"Where does the light in the ocean come from?"

A surprisingly large amount of marine animals produce light for various reasons, including camouflage as well as revealing themselves or others. My research focuses on the biochemistry of light production of the parchment tube worm Chaetopterus sp. and on optical properties of the nudibranch Flabellina (Spanish Shawl), the sea slug Navanax, and the blue Traveller's palm seed. In the mucus secreted by Chaetopterus, we found a super fast ferritin that we are now further characterizing.

I obtained my Masters degree in Biochemistry and my PhD in Bio-engineering at the University of Leuven (Belgium), where I first studied a proposed inhibitor of HIV integrase, and later the nonlinear optical properties of fluorescent proteins along with the (nonlinear) optical properties and the behavior of small molecular dyes inside living cells. I started as a postdoctoral researcher here at Scripps Oceanography in 2014.

I enjoy applying chemistry concepts to determine the ways dynamic systems function. As I just graduated from high school, I am still learning these concepts and background knowledge. My research focuses on the electrical stimulus of mucus from the Chaetopterus worm to characterize the chromophore responsible for light production and determine the optimal protocol for light emission.

I am a second-year undergraduate student at UC San Diego studying Mechanical Engineering. I am a P2 Scholar in the Pathways to STEM Program. My research interests include clean technology, biomimetic design, and biodegradable single use items. In the Deheyn lab, I am working on the potential of color and/or melanin content of feathers, and how that affects thermoregulation ability in birds. The results will further our understanding of how feather color/chemistry can affect thermal properties, which can also be used for biomimetic design. I am very excited and grateful for the exposure I am getting to certain scientific research methods in this type of lab.

I am currently a master student in Marine Biology. I graduated from UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular Environmental Biology. I am fascinated by cool adaptations of marine animals and intrigued to understand their mechanisms and how natural and anthropogenic disturbances affect them. I used to study animal behaviors of jumping spiders and six-armed sea stars in relation to their habitats and phylogeny. In the Deheyn lab, my research focuses on the physical and biochemical mechanisms of bioluminescence in marine animals, which could be further used for applications in biotechnology and biomedicine. Although I love doing research, I have other hobbies such as dancing, rock climbing, skiing, snorkeling and hiking.

This summer I am working in the Deheyn lab as a SURF (Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship) participant. I am finishing up my undergraduate degree in molecular biology and biochemistry at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. I am interested in understanding biological phenomena in the oceans at the molecular level. This summer I will be studying the biochemistry of light production in the parchment tube worm and trying to assess the role that iron plays in light production.

I am a PhD student who joined the Deheyn Lab in my second year of my PhD. I received my MA in physical chemistry from Rice in 2018. I am interested in the structure and function of optically active nano-structures which evolve in marine organisms. Organisms which evolve these structures often have a shiny or iridescent appearance due to their presence in the skin of the animal, such as nudibranchs, some crustaceans, jellyfish, and octopus!
In my free time, I enjoy video and board games, climbing, backpacking, and my two furry feline children.

My research expertise falls under the umbrella of Biomimicry (i.e. sustainable innovations inspired by nature), where the research topics that I am interested in include molecular self-assembly, biomechanics, and functional biological materials, especially biological photonic structures (structural colors). Currently, I am working on a research project sponsored by DARPA to investigate whether or not organisms can communicate with each other via radio frequency without the use of human technology.

I received my Masters in Molecular&Cellular Biology from National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan), and in Biomedical Sciences from UC Riverside, accordingly. Then I obtained my Ph.D. from The University of Akron in Integrated Bioscience with an emphasis on Biomimicry, where I helped Fortune 500 companies brought Biomimicry into their R&D process in the hope for igniting sustainable innovations within these companies.

I am currently an undergraduate student at UC San Diego majoring in Environmental Systems: Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution and minoring in Education Studies. While volunteering at the Deheyn Lab, I have been assisting with research on the impact of light exposure to sea anemone fluorescence as well as their viability as an indicator of coastal water health. My current research involves exposing corals to microfibers commonly found in the oceans to observe the health impacts and changes in fluorescence faced as a result of this contamination.

I am a French student from ENGEES Strasbourg, and I am doing an undergraduate internship in the Deheyn lab from May 2019 to July 2019. I will graduate next year as an engineer in waste treatment. As I have always been passionate about oceans and its wildlife, for my fourth-year internship I wanted to study marine pollution to lock the two subjects: coming to SCRIPPS Oceanography had been the best idea I could have ever thought about!

The objective of my internship is to assess the concentration of microfibers all over the earth. I use samples of seawater, but also of air and sediments. Microfibers are microscopic fibers usually smaller than 5 micrometers (60 to 80 times smaller than a hair diameter!). These microfibers come from our clothes and textiles: as they are not filtered neither by our washing machines nor by wastewater treatment plants, they end up into our rivers and oceans. They are so small that they can be ingested by fish and penetrate cells and tissues!

I am an engineer and biologist fascinated by the innovative potential found in nature's materials. I am interested in understanding and emulating their structures and assembly processes that grant them unique and multifunctional properties their constituents do not possess alone. I am working towards completing my masters degree in Marine Biology at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), working with Dr. Dimitri Deheyn and Dr. Marc Meyers (Center for Biological, Bioinspired and Bio-materials). I use the Chaetopterus worm's housing tube as a model to study the rapid-assembly process of complex and resilient biological materials for the development of engineered materials.

I am passionate about both ocean life and technology. I am working with Dr. Jules Jaffe (Underwater Imaging Laboratory) to develop a remotely operated vehicle that transmits live video for the Birch Aquarium to provide visitors with an interactive experience. I received my B.S. in Chemical Engineering and my B.S. in Physiology & Neuroscience from UC San Diego.

I am a third-year undergraduate at UC San Diego studying Earth Sciences. In my interest of plastic degradation, I am volunteering in the Deheyn lab and helping count microfibers from digital images of filters that were used to filter seawater. Besides plastics, I’d also like to work with Python programming and GIS (geographic information system) in hopes of specializing in computational geosciences.

I am an undergraduate biology student at University of Barcelona in Spain joining the Deheyn Lab from February to June 2021. My research focuses on the bioluminescence of the marine parchment tube worm Chaetopterus sp. I am interested in characterizing the components of the biochemical reaction that produces blue light taking place in the mucus secreted by the worm. These unknown organic compounds could have numerous applications in biomedicine and biotechnology.
I am passionate about marine life and the ocean and enjoy surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling. I also like exploring the beautiful city of San Diego. I am grateful to be part of the Deheyn Lab and to have met wonderful people during my time here.

I am a French student in biology and bioengineering, mostly focused on food science, at the University of La Rochelle. To validate my degree, I have to complete a three-month internship, which I have the honor to do at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Sadly, because of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic it had be to be done online. I joined the Deheyn lab in order to work on bioluminescence focused on brittlestars. I work on the identification of the photoprotein involved in the bioluminescence, and on the mechanism that explains how bioluminescence occurs in this organism.

A science nerd at heart, I also read, collect fossils and do movie marathons in my free time.

As a volunteer in the Deheyn Lab I have been working on developing a protocol to generate microfibers from various fabric types. I hope this research can be used to further our understanding of how microfibers enter into the environment and affect different organisms. My background is in dinoflagellate bioluminescence and the cell signaling pathways of Lingulodinium polyedra

I am a second year undergraduate marine biology student at UC San Diego. My research in the Deheyn lab focuses on helping discover how the worm Chaetopterus sp. gets its bioluminescent properties. I am also very interested in biology research related to biomimicry, in which we can look at structures and processes in nature and use them through science to create better and more efficient technology for humans to use — I believe that Marine Biology is a good place to look for such types of nature to imitate. I am also interested in studying cephalopods, especially the way they are able to change color to help them camouflage. I'm a very passionate scientist, and am really excited to be a part of this lab.

I am by training a Doctor of Optometry, working at Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, but my passion is for the ocean. I am fortunate to be volunteering in the Dehehn lab doing background research on the visual ecology of fishes. Future projects may concentrate on the vision of species that transition from aquatic to aerial life in the course of their development, such as the dragonfly. I am also interested in certain predator fish how their vision works with in response to their environment. Hyperspectral spectrometry is one technique used to measure retinal sensitivity.

I am a Masters student in the Marine Biology program. I received my Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware in 2019. My research in the lab focuses on sea anemone biofluorescence and the impacts of sunscreen traces in the sea water on this fluorescence. My fascination with marine biology centers around organism physiology, behavior and ability of marine organizms to adapt to changing environmental conditions. I am particularly interested in how organisms develop and use certain characteristics, like bioluminescence or biofluorescence.

Aside from my marine conservation passion, I enjoy photography, hiking, snorkeling and diving. I’m excited to be a part of this lab and I look forward to the research I’ll explore!

Mackenzie Saideman is an undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego working towards her bachelor in Marine Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies. She is interested in conservation and learning more about the way humans impact the environment. She will work on figuring out the distribution of GFPs in corals in hopes to learn more on how to help the species as a whole.

I'm studying Marine Biology at UCSD, gaining a scientific background that I intend to apply towards the reformation of business and government practices and policies that are detrimental to marine ecosystems, as well as the invention and implementation of restorative programs. As oceanographer Sylvia Earle (my hero) frequently remarks, “No blue, no green!” My current research in the lab addresses the mechanism which the shrimp species Palaemonetes paludosas uses in order to keep its figure translucent. The methods I find successful in experimenting on the shrimp will then be transferred to studying the same mechanism found in the glass catfish species, Kryptopterus vitreolus.

Southern California has been severely drought-plagued for a decade. Harvesting water from air is an innovative way to alleviate the freshwater crisis. Torrey Pine trees are well known for their ability to harvest moisture. My research is focused on learning its surface structures and properties at a microscopic level and applying the findings to a water harvesting material or device.
I am an upcoming junior in high school and a quirky, curious scientist and engineer. I am a winner in multiple national science fairs, such as Intel ISEF, JSHS, and Broadcom MASTERS, and serve as the captain of my robotics team. Outside of the STEM world, I am a varsity golf player and known as "the pun master" among my friends.

Fascinated by color in nature, I was immediately attracted to the amazing research and biomimicry performed at the Deheyn lab. In particular, it is the strong emphasis of research performed on marine biology such as cephalopods, nudibranchs, and corals that intrigued me to join as a volunteer.

A first year undergraduate Materials scientist and engineer (MEng) from Imperial College London, I am currently using my knowledge to further discover mechanical, thermoregulating, and optical properties of various types and compositions of melanin in the local giant keyhole limpet species (Megathura crenulata). Working with technology such as tensile testing, IR-imaging, and oceanographic spectrometers, I have received so many exciting opportunities! I look forward to pursuing a career related to marine biology and biomimicry; Scripps Oceanography is a great place to learn and be inspired!

My role in the lab has largely centered around projects to determine the effect of pesticide treatment on coral fluorescence. I hope to contribute to the establishment of new sub-lethal indicators of coral health, which will help future researchers less destructively test coral resilience. I am especially interested in the biomedical and technological applications of such light production and ecotoxicology studies, and determining the role anthropogenic sourced toxicants play in a marine environment.

I am interested in understanding the various light harvesting strategies and design solutions of photosynthesizing underwater organisms with an emphasis on coral reef organisms. My current research focuses on the development of bioinspired approaches for improving photosynthetic efficiency in biofuel production. I enjoy working at the interface between biology and optics and incorporate aspects of microalgal photobiology and ecophysiology, optical modelling and imaging as well as 3D printing in my research. If you want to learn more about my work, visit biomicfuel.com

I'm a Biomimicry Professional and Illustrator at the Design Table.

In the Deheyn lab I am researching biomimicry applications for local organisms, currently Mesembryanthemum crystalline, Pinus torreyanna, and pioneer species: Acmispon glaber. I have a special interest in plant communication and "Biomimicry Thinking" education.

I am a fourth year studying Marine Biology at UC San Diego. I am studying how a ghost shrimp is able to maintain its transparency. My research will focus on finding how to reverse the transparency of the ghost shrimp in order to further understand how this mechanism works. In my spare time I enjoy keeping and breeding dwarf shrimp and dwarf crayfish. I am thankful for being part of the Deheyn lab and excited to do research.