FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY®
    • News
    • FAU HIGH SCHOOL – JUPITER CAMPUS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MAX PLANCK ACADEMY, SENIOR RESEARCH REFLECTION: LIBERTY JUNO

FAU HIGH SCHOOL – JUPITER CAMPUS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MAX PLANCK ACADEMY, SENIOR RESEARCH REFLECTION: LIBERTY JUNO

mpfi-building

by LIBERTY JUNO | Friday, Jan 28, 2022

liberty-juno

I am currently working under Dr. Jon Moore at Florida Atlantic University Wilkes Honors College. In Dr. Moore's lab, I am measuring specimens from a rare deep-sea genus of fish called Leptochilichtys. There are currently 3 known species in this genus, and Dr. Moore and I are working to classify some new specimens as a possible new species. We measure the fish in a variety of ways, including through vertebral counts that we obtain from x-rays, and compare the data we collect to the current standards for the three known species. 

I have also been working with Dr. Sarah Milton and Ms. Patricia Sposato to start a new project on better understanding the immune function of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) affected by green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP). GTFP is a tumor-causing debilitating disease that has caused massive drops in populations of the already endangered green sea turtle (and affects other species of turtles, as well). In this lab, we will be quantifying the rates of phagocytosis through flow cytometry and comparing the immune function between populations of diseased green sea turtles (those that have GTFP tumors) and healthy green sea turtles. This project will allow us to better understand the effects of GTFP on the populations and hopefully aid in conservation efforts with this novel information. 

©