Student Blogs & Vignettes

Carlyn Scott

About my research

Not just a cartoon villain, plankton are the essential base of the oceanographic food chain, producing oxygen, cycling nutrients, and sustaining larger organisms. My proposed research seeks to study zooplankton ecology through the lens of chemical and physical factors. I will be using sensor data collected from global research institutes along with in situ imaging systems to inform zooplankton ecology such as resilience, abundance, and response to environmental changes. The use of the available chemical and physical data has vast potential implications for biological research of plankton, and it will be an interesting challenge to narrow down a thesis from all of the possible questions!  

I will be working in the Zooplankton Ecology Lab with Dr. Kendra Daly in pursuit of both my Master’s and the answers to so many questions about the ocean.

Why USF CMS?

I started my zooplankton research with Dr. Daly in 2017 and was determined to pursue graduate school after that experience. USF CMS is a science hub in Florida, a centrally located campus with access to organizations such as NOAA, FWC, and USGS. There are so many amazing institutes in St Pete that lead to unique collaborations and overall benefits all scientists involved! Plus, St Pete is a great place to live with a bikeable downtown filled with cool breweries, restaurants and music venues.