Amy Hammerquist ’14 was the recipient of an Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the American Society for Microbiology.
She was one of only 37 fellows selected. The fellowships are awarded to students who wish to pursue graduate careers in microbiology.
Hammerquist worked alongside Jeremy Weisz, assistant professor of biology, on the project, “Sponges as Bioindicators of Estuarine Nitrogen Pollution.” The project is investigating how sponges, which filter huge volumes of water, respond to changing nitrogen levels. The results could indicate if an estuary is clean or if it is being impacted by pollution. The research combined fieldwork, including scuba diving, on the Oregon Coast to collect samples, as well as laboratory work analyzing the samples.
Hammerquist, a biology major from Woodinville, Wash., will present her work at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) conference in the spring as part of her fellowship.
ASM, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest and largest single biological membership organization, with more than 37,000 members worldwide.
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