In January 2010, Eastern Connecticut State University student Nick Shoenfelt and Biology Professor Joshua Idjadi visited French Polynesia to study the coral reefs, and to understand what can be done to help protect this valuable ecosystem. Nick, a biochemistry major from Gales Ferry, helped Professor Idjadi plant coral species on a reef in Moorea, an island six miles from Tahiti, as part of a project that aims to artificially induce competition between coral species and then measures growth indicators such as photosynthesis, stinging cell density and skeletal growth.
Back in the lab, the two studied the biological processes that allow weaker species to coexist among the stronger ones. They will return and gather tissue samples in January 2011, bringing them back to Eastern to analyze.
“Professors at Eastern welcome student assistance in their research. Dr. Idjadi has encouraged me to challenge my assumptions and develop my own hypotheses. That’s the beginning of becoming a real scientist,” said Nick. “Helping Professor Idjadi conduct research in Moorea not only gives me an advanced stage to apply my laboratory skills, but knowing we are part of a worldwide effort to save the coral reefs makes the work all that much more rewarding.”
