The seagrass Zostera marina is widely distributed in coastal regions throughout much of the north... more The seagrass Zostera marina is widely distributed in coastal regions throughout much of the northern hemisphere, forms the foundation of an important ecological habitat, and is suffering population declines. Studies in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans indicate the degree of population genetic differentiation is location-dependent. San Francisco Bay, California, USA, is a high-current, high-wind environment where rafting of seed-bearing shoots has the potential to enhance genetic connectivity among Z. marina populations. We tested Z. marina from six locations, including one annual population, within the bay to assess population differentiation and to compare levels of within-population genetic diversity. Using seven microsatellite loci, we found significant differentiation among all populations. The annual population had significantly higher clonal diversity than the others but showed no detectible differences in heterozygosity or allelic richness. There appears to be sufficient input of genetic variation through sexual reproduction or immigration into the perennial populations to prevent significant declines in the number and frequency of alleles. In additional depth comparisons, we found differentiation among deep and shallow portions in one of three beds evaluated. Genetic drift, sweepstakes recruitment, dispersal limitation, and possibly natural selection may have combined to produce genetic differentiation over a spatial scale of 3 – 30 km in Z. marina. This implies the scale of genetic differentiation may be smaller than expected for seagrasses in other locations, too. We suggest that populations in close proximity may not be interchangeable for use as restoration material
ABSTRACTIn-person undergraduate research experiences (UREs) promote students’ integration into ca... more ABSTRACTIn-person undergraduate research experiences (UREs) promote students’ integration into careers in life science research. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted institutions hosting summer URE programs to offer them remotely, raising questions about whether undergraduates who participate in remote research can experience scientific integration. To address this, we investigated indicators of scientific integration for students who participated in remote life science URE programs in summer 2020. We found that these students experienced gains in their scientific self-efficacy and scientific identity similar to results reported for in-person UREs. We also found that these students perceived high benefits and low costs of doing research at the outset of their programs, and their perceptions did not change despite the remote circumstances. Yet, their perceptions differed by program, indicating that programs differentially affected students’ perceptions of the costs of doing resear...
ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic shut down undergraduate research programs across the U.S. Twenty-th... more ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic shut down undergraduate research programs across the U.S. Twenty-three sites offered remote undergraduate research programs in the life sciences during summer 2020. Given the unprecedented offering of remote research experiences, we carried out a study to describe and evaluate these programs. Using structured templates, we documented how programs were designed and implemented, including who participated. Through focus groups and surveys, we identified programmatic strengths and shortcomings as well as recommendations for improvements from the perspectives of participating students. Strengths included the quality of mentorship, opportunities for learning and professional development, and development of a sense of community. Weaknesses included limited cohort building, challenges with insufficient structure, and issues with technology. Although all programs had one or more activities related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, these topics were ...
In 2020, many students lost summer opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to offer... more In 2020, many students lost summer opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to offer students an opportunity to learn computational skills and be part of a community while stuck at home. Because the pandemic created an unexpected research and academic situation, it was unclear how to best support students to learn and build community online. We used lessons learned from literature and our own experience to design, run and test an online program for students called the Science Coding Immersion Program (SCIP). In our program, students worked in teams for 8 hours a week, with one participant as the team leader and Zoom host. Teams worked on an online R or Python class at their own pace with support on Slack from the organizing team. For motivation and career advice, we hosted a weekly webinar with guest speakers. We used pre- and post-program surveys to determine how different aspects of the program impacted students. We were able to recruit a large and diverse group of pa...
Several lists of grand challenges in biology have been published recently, highlighting the stron... more Several lists of grand challenges in biology have been published recently, highlighting the strong need to answer fundamental questions about how life evolves and is governed, and how to apply this knowledge to solve the pressing problems of our times. To succeed in addressing the challenges of 21st century biology, scientists need to generate, have access to, interpret, and archive more information than ever before. But for many important questions in biology, progress is stymied by a lack of essential tools. Discovering and developing necessary tools requires new technologies, applications of existing technologies, software, model organisms, and social structures. Such new social structures will promote tool building, tool sharing, research collaboration, and interdisciplinary training. Here we identify examples of the some of the most important needs for addressing critical questions in biology and making important advances in the near future.
The seagrass Zostera marina is widely distributed in coastal regions throughout much of the north... more The seagrass Zostera marina is widely distributed in coastal regions throughout much of the northern hemisphere, forms the foundation of an important ecological habitat, and is suffering population declines. Studies in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans indicate the degree of population genetic differentiation is location-dependent. San Francisco Bay, California, USA, is a high-current, high-wind environment where rafting of seed-bearing shoots has the potential to enhance genetic connectivity among Z. marina populations. We tested Z. marina from six locations, including one annual population, within the bay to assess population differentiation and to compare levels of within-population genetic diversity. Using seven microsatellite loci, we found significant differentiation among all populations. The annual population had significantly higher clonal diversity than the others but showed no detectible differences in heterozygosity or allelic richness. There appears to be sufficient input of genetic variation through sexual reproduction or immigration into the perennial populations to prevent significant declines in the number and frequency of alleles. In additional depth comparisons, we found differentiation among deep and shallow portions in one of three beds evaluated. Genetic drift, sweepstakes recruitment, dispersal limitation, and possibly natural selection may have combined to produce genetic differentiation over a spatial scale of 3 – 30 km in Z. marina. This implies the scale of genetic differentiation may be smaller than expected for seagrasses in other locations, too. We suggest that populations in close proximity may not be interchangeable for use as restoration material
ABSTRACTIn-person undergraduate research experiences (UREs) promote students’ integration into ca... more ABSTRACTIn-person undergraduate research experiences (UREs) promote students’ integration into careers in life science research. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted institutions hosting summer URE programs to offer them remotely, raising questions about whether undergraduates who participate in remote research can experience scientific integration. To address this, we investigated indicators of scientific integration for students who participated in remote life science URE programs in summer 2020. We found that these students experienced gains in their scientific self-efficacy and scientific identity similar to results reported for in-person UREs. We also found that these students perceived high benefits and low costs of doing research at the outset of their programs, and their perceptions did not change despite the remote circumstances. Yet, their perceptions differed by program, indicating that programs differentially affected students’ perceptions of the costs of doing resear...
ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic shut down undergraduate research programs across the U.S. Twenty-th... more ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic shut down undergraduate research programs across the U.S. Twenty-three sites offered remote undergraduate research programs in the life sciences during summer 2020. Given the unprecedented offering of remote research experiences, we carried out a study to describe and evaluate these programs. Using structured templates, we documented how programs were designed and implemented, including who participated. Through focus groups and surveys, we identified programmatic strengths and shortcomings as well as recommendations for improvements from the perspectives of participating students. Strengths included the quality of mentorship, opportunities for learning and professional development, and development of a sense of community. Weaknesses included limited cohort building, challenges with insufficient structure, and issues with technology. Although all programs had one or more activities related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, these topics were ...
In 2020, many students lost summer opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to offer... more In 2020, many students lost summer opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to offer students an opportunity to learn computational skills and be part of a community while stuck at home. Because the pandemic created an unexpected research and academic situation, it was unclear how to best support students to learn and build community online. We used lessons learned from literature and our own experience to design, run and test an online program for students called the Science Coding Immersion Program (SCIP). In our program, students worked in teams for 8 hours a week, with one participant as the team leader and Zoom host. Teams worked on an online R or Python class at their own pace with support on Slack from the organizing team. For motivation and career advice, we hosted a weekly webinar with guest speakers. We used pre- and post-program surveys to determine how different aspects of the program impacted students. We were able to recruit a large and diverse group of pa...
Several lists of grand challenges in biology have been published recently, highlighting the stron... more Several lists of grand challenges in biology have been published recently, highlighting the strong need to answer fundamental questions about how life evolves and is governed, and how to apply this knowledge to solve the pressing problems of our times. To succeed in addressing the challenges of 21st century biology, scientists need to generate, have access to, interpret, and archive more information than ever before. But for many important questions in biology, progress is stymied by a lack of essential tools. Discovering and developing necessary tools requires new technologies, applications of existing technologies, software, model organisms, and social structures. Such new social structures will promote tool building, tool sharing, research collaboration, and interdisciplinary training. Here we identify examples of the some of the most important needs for addressing critical questions in biology and making important advances in the near future.
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Papers by Cynthia Cohen