Marine Sciences student aims to make difference through cutting-edge research
“Research is my passion. It is the core of what I love about marine science,” explained Katie Dimm (Marine Sciences, ’22).
Dimm discovered her passion at her high school in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
“During my sophomore year, I took a course called Science Research. All the students in the course had the chance to do independent research, which was a huge jumping off point for me,” Dimm said. “I became really interested in studying levels of methylmercury, an organic form of mercury that is highly toxic and accumulates in aquatic environments and, in particular, sharks.”
After high school, Katie took a gap year to attend Cape Eleuthera Institute, which is devoted to research, education, and outreach on the Cape Eleuthera peninsula in the Bahamas.
There, she was able to carry on her shark research and assist with a large array of projects, such as the collection of Caribbean spider crabs, shark tagging studies, and sea cucumber and coral reef surveys.
It was also during this gap year that Katie discovered ӰƵ.
“I learned about the research opportunities available there, toured the campus, and fell in love with the place,” she said. “What I liked most was that I wouldn’t have to wait to carry out research. I could continue the research I had been working on in high school and in the Bahamas with the guidance of my ӰƵ professors.”
Katie started working with Stephan I. Zeeman, Ph.D., professor of marine sciences in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs, who was particularly supportive of her research — especially when she needed to create a controlled environment to further her research, including a study of why larger sharks do not always have higher concentrations of mercury than smaller sharks.
“Long living apex predators like sharks seem to have an incredible capability to accumulate and handle massive concentrations of mercury, making them phenomenal biomarkers for mercury in ecosystems. However, there is a lot of inconsistency in the mercury levels found in various species of sharks,” Dimm explained. “Research has shown that factors such as the depth in which the sharks forages, their metabolism turnover times, and if they are warm-blooded or cold-blooded could all impact mercury levels. There are many different factors to consider, and, unlike other research, you can’t really keep sharks in controlled environments.”
Working with Z