“There has been a lot of talk about ice shelf melting and collapsing in Greenland this summer, the same thing is happening in the Antarctic,” Dr. Halanych said. “The difference is, in the Antarctic when a piece of ice breaks off it’s sometimes the size of the state of New Hampshire. We know from the geological past there has been times when the western Antarctic ice sheet completely collapses. That’s sort of starting to happen. When this ice was gone we know instead of being a solid land mass, it looks it is a series of islands. We’re trying to use genetic data to see if there is a connection between the species and that will let us know whether this is really one big land mass or whether it’s a chain of islands.” Learn more about this grant.

“I had the opportunity to work on the very same campus as the world’s fastest supercomputer as well as the graphite reactor used in the Manhattan project,” shared Davis. Find out more about his incredible experience this summer at the largest U.S. Department of Energy open science laboratory.

In this COSAM Staff Spotlight, learn more about Cheryl Colquhoun from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Click here to read her spotlight.

“My dream is to see a world where current and future generations of humans can live healthy lives, breath clean air, have access to clean water, and keep reaping the benefits of a thriving natural world,” Tiatragul said. Check out this alumnus in Australia. 

Do you know a rising 11th-12th grade student with a high aptitude and interest in the fields of science and mathematics? If so, let them know that applications are being accepted for next year's Summer Science Institute! 

Why should students apply for this free, week-long program?

Learn more about Auburn University's Summer Science Institute.