Master’s students wanted! I will be taking 1-2 new graduate students to work on either of my projects associated with symbiont-larval interactions at hydrothermal vents. You may read more about those projects here. In the larval lab, we particularly value diversity and providing excellent experiences to help you reach your goals. And most of all, you must be excited about larvae!
Master’s Students Wanted
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Hello Professor Arellano,
My name is Madison Storer and I am a recent 2020 undergraduate from Pacific Univerisity. I have my B.S. in environmental studies with an emphasis in biology, and am very interested in the work that you are doing on larvae communities in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. I did not know that my biological interest would be marine based until my junior year in undergraduate school when I studied abroad in the Galapagos Islands and fell in love with marine systems thinking! Reading the inserts on the two projects you are conducting, I wanted to contact you to see exactly what you are looking for in a student, and to see if I am a good fit. I am especially interested in the project aiming to assess free-living symbiont populations, and their ecological roles in the hydrothermal vent ecosystem. However, I am also interested in the study on microbial biofilms to help understand hydrothermal vent colonization. Overall, I think both of the projects are very interesting and important to understand hydrothermal vent ecosystem functions, and I would like to become a part of it. So yes, you can say I am excited about larvae! I have not applied to the WWU Masters program or the graduate assistantship yet because I wanted to get in touch with you first to see if I would be a good candidate for this role, or if you wanted any additional information from me. Thank you so much for this opportunity, and I hope to hear back from you soon.
Dear Dr. Shawn Arellano,
My name is Isaiah Leach. I graduated from Georgia Southern University in Spring of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Currently ,I work as a Coastal Research and Extension fellow at University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. I wish to inquire whether you still have an opening in your lab for a graduate student for the upcoming Fall 2021 semester and whether or not I would be a good fit if so.
Your current project on the uptake and symbiosis of microbiota in hydrothermal vent ecosystems is very interesting. I’ve always had a love for the ocean and have helped on previous projects with macroinvertebrates, although that was on dragonfly larvae.
I really do appreciate that you took the time to read this, even if you no longer have an opening.
Thank You and Happy New Year,
Isaiah Leach