LaSSO Funds Undergraduate Research at Nicholls

A Louisiana Sea Grant/Louisiana Space Grant (LSG/LaSPACE) collaboration will fund another undergraduate research project this fall. The joint program, called Louisiana Space and Sea Grant Opportunity (LaSSO), is modeled after similar, long-established undergraduate research programs at both LSG and LaSPACE

LSG will fund a project titled: Impact of Nickel on Exoskeletal Mineralization in the Post-ecdysial Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus.

The principal investigator is Enmin Zou, distinguished service professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Nicholls State University. The student researcher is Mia Wright, an undergraduate in biological sciences.

The research team will investigate the impact of nickel, a heavy metal found in BP Macondo crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill, on post-molt exoskeletal mineralization in blue crabs. Nickel, similar to calcium, may disrupt mineralization by incorporating itself into the exoskeleton. Researchers will collect soft tissue and carapace samples from the crabs exposed to relevant nickel doses, and inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) will be used for quantification of nickel, calcium and magnesium in the shell and various soft tissues. Project findings will expand the understanding of the BP oil spill impacts on marine and coastal fauna.

Each LaSSO project receives $4,500 in funding. LaSSO is directed at science and engineering students who are working on projects in research areas deemed a priority by both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The intent of LaSSO is to supplement and enhance the undergraduate academic curriculum by providing science/engineering students with a hands-on, mentored research experience relevant to space, earth, coastal and/or marine sciences.