By Fatima Raza, CCL Staff

Wagoner Fellow and Alum, Elaine Shen, recently published the research she conducted as an undergraduate supported by the Wagoner Foreign Study Scholarship in Bocas del Toro, Panama in 2017. Her publication, which focused on tropical marine biodiversity, began as a summer field research internship at the Smithsonian Research Station in Panama, and quickly became the focus of her academic career. Following her Wagoner fellowship, Elaine’s research became her Senior Thesis for the EEB department. She later presented her thesis research at the Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium in the spring of her senior year and won best poster, Distinction in Research, and the Julian Huxley Award for Excellence award from her department.

Elaine is now a second-year PhD student in the Biological and Environmental Sciences program at the University of Rhode Island. Her Wagoner research topic expanded and scaled up as a focus of her dissertation on understanding the drivers of tropical marine community ecology in Indonesia using visual-based and genomic methods. But Elaine didn’t always have a clear vision for her future. As a first year EEB major, she thought she would eventually enroll in Medical School following graduation. But a series of experiential learning opportunities, including an ASB in her freshman year focused on coral reef restoration in the Florida Keys, set her on a trajectory to follow her passion in marine biology.

Following her ASB experience, Elaine enrolled in a tropical field biology lab course in Belize led by Dr. Adrienne Correa, co-author in her publication, and Dr. Scott Solomon. Elaine found herself accumulating experiences and knowledge that led her to pursue a study abroad through SIT in Panama focused on Tropical Field Ecology. For her independent research project, she sampled marine biodiversity in Bocas del Toro, an experience she recounted shortly after at a taxonomy analysis workshop, where she met her research collaborators and was offered a research internship to return to Boca del Toro.

Elaine says that as a junior, “fellowships were not even on my radar…as an EEB major, I didn’t think of myself as competitive…” Nevertheless, Elaine pulled together a proposal to sample water for environmental DNA, a novel method for biodiversity research, for the Wagoner Fellowship in order to secure funding for her international research. When she was notified of her selection as a fellow, Elaine recalls that she “fell to the floor” in her McMurtry dorm room—shocked, but elated. The opportunity to be funded for international research as an undergraduate, Elaine reflects, has been foundational to her academic trajectory and career aspirations. Following her PhD, Elaine hopes to work as a researcher with environmental agencies and INGOs working to improve marine conservation management and advocacy.