NCC Grad, UNCW Student Receives Marine Research Award
Chelsea Crocker of Rocky Mount graduated from Nash Community College in 2014 with her Associate of Science degree and a 4.0 grade point average. At Nash, she participated in hands-on undergraduate research, which prepared her to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington last fall.
“Nash Community College is where I began. I had the privilege of being mentored by several wonderful instructors there, and I had the opportunity to do my first undergraduate research project there with the guidance of Biology Instructor David Beamer,” Crocker shared. “I think it is important for students to take advantage of all of the resources that Nash Community College has to offer, because they can be of immense help in the future for transferring to and doing well at a university.”
In the lab at NCC, Crocker worked on two projects related to investigating whether the salamanders known as seepage salamanders are actually more than a single species. She helped gather mitochondrial DNA sequence data for over 300 seepage salamander specimens that were collected across their range from North Carolina to Alabama. She also collected nuclear DNA data to test whether the levels of divergence discovered in the mitochondrial genome were also reflected in the nuclear genome. Crocker won a third place Derieux award last year at the 2014 NC Academy of Science Meeting for her poster about the nuclear project. She co-authored a second poster presented at the same conference.
Now a rising senior at UNCW, Crocker is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. She is actively involved in research efforts examining the larval dispersion and population connectivity of oysters among a network of marine reserves. This can be useful for determining the success of these marine reserves, which can be beneficial to the community both ecologically and economically.
Instructor David Beamer said, “She collected molecular data by extracting DNA here, amplifying gene regions and sequencing DNA. While she worked with salamanders at NCC, those skills and techniques are directly transferable to all living things. She made a great impression with her strong academic record graduating with highest honors from NCC, combined with her lab experiences and parlay those into a very good position at the UNCW Center for Marine Science. She has been promoted and is now maintaining the capillary DNA sequencer at the Center for Marine Science.”
Crocker recently presented her proposed upcoming research at the UNCW Undergraduate Research Fellowship Competition and has been awarded the The Wrightsville Beach King Mackerel Tournament Undergraduate Research Award for the 2015-2016 academic year. The award was established to assist students in faculty-mentored marine research and is administered by the UNCW Honors College.
“Being a go-getter and hard worker is important in science. As a student looking for an internship, a job or admission into graduate school, it is important to be able to stand out from all of the other applicants. Having research experience is the best way to stand out in the science field. Simply attending classes and getting a degree is not enough to be guaranteed a career in science. We are lucky at NCC to have a very well equipped lab and access to the Genomics Center at the museum in Raleigh. Together these labs provide outstanding opportunities for motivated students at NCC to get a leg up on their competition,” Beamer explained.
Crocker plans to graduate from UNCW in May 2016.
