Photo Courtesy of Taylor Williams. Taylor Williams, a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, was recently named a 2022 Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
According to NOAA, the competitive Nancy Foster Scholarship Program provides support for independent graduate-level studies in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology, particularly to women and students from underrepresented communities.
This year, the organization selected seven graduate students from across the country for the scholarship. Each scholarship recipient will receive an annual stipend of $30,000 and up to $12,000 annually as an education allowance. Additionally, recipients may receive up to $10,000 to support a 4–6-week research collaboration at a NOAA facility.
Williams, who is from Orcutt, California, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biology under faculty advisor Stacy A. Krueger-Hadfield, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biology. Her research will focus on a cryptogenic alga that is acting invasively within the boundaries of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM), a U.S. National Monument and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. According to Williams, Chondria tumulosa is a red macroalga that was found growing in dense mats and smothering the coral reefs at Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll) and Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawai’i. She will be using a combination of population genetic analyses and laboratory experiments to assess the reproductive system of this alga.
"The Nancy Foster Scholarship provides me the opportunity to work directly with our NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Program to use our science to best meet the needs of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument while also bridging the gap between science and place-based community outreach," said Williams.
Williams completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa where she first became involved with the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a scientific diver. She then earned her Master of Science in Marine Biology at the College of Charleston under Dr. Heather Spalding before coming to UAB.
“The Nancy Foster Scholarship will afford Taylor the exceptional opportunity to continue work on Chondria and collaborations with researchers in Hawai'i and at the College of Charleston,” said Krueger-Hadfield. “We will be gaining valuable data with direct benefits to understanding the natural history of organisms in the PMNM as well as population genetics in organisms that undergo both sexual and asexual reproduction. Surprisingly, we don't have good tools for this and the Chondria data Taylor generates during her dissertation research will be invaluable to testing theoretical predictions in different biomes and ecosystems.”
