NAU science degree<\/strong> offered in the Phoenix<\/strong> area<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t![\"Scottsdale](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/398\/2022\/05\/7464_Scottsdale_CC_20181004.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\tSophia Alme and Maria Salazar, members of the NAU at Scottsdale Community College inaugural Biology cohort, are collaborating on three significant projects during their final semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salazar and Alme are part of a new generation of scientists changing the way humans interact with our ecosystems. They are conducting research as they finish their bachelor\u2019s degrees in Biology<\/a> through NAU at Scottsdale Community College (SCC).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Salazar\u2019s major project involves examining apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata<\/em>), an invasive species that likely hitchhikes its way from South America to the United States via boats and the home aquarium trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith increasing water temperatures, we expect the opportunities for this invasive species to spread,\u201d she says. \u201cThe first step to mitigation is to find how rising temperatures affect them.\u201d Salazar added that apple snails are difficult to control because they reproduce early and rapidly and have no known predators, noting that her main collaborator, Alme, \u201cfound the Salt River [near Phoenix] overrun with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salazar recalls a love for the natural environment from an early age and knew her passion would likely lead her to one of two career paths: politics or science. \u201cSince high school, I knew a change needed to be made in terms of pollution, deforestation,\u201d Salazar says. \u201cI chose to get into research to find actual ways to mitigate the problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alme describes science and math as her \u201cmain loves.\u201d As an SCC student, she met biology professor John Weser<\/a>, who encouraged her to pursue a bachelor\u2019s in Biology through the NAU program at SCC. Continuing her education to earn her bachelor\u2019s degree allowed her to incorporate mathematical modeling into her studies. Alme\u2019s specialty is pollution and contamination, and her current major project focuses on macroplastics found in soil. Macroplastics are larger than half a centimeter\u2014for example, pieces of a plastic bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know that plastic contaminants enter food through the ocean, so we began looking at macros and how they affect the soil, using potting soil as a standard baseline,\u201d she says. \u201cWe just started planting in pots to study the effects on roots. It\u2019s a very simple project, but it might result in bigger discoveries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alme and Salazar are also collaborating, along with fellow cohort peer Amanda Shelley, on a study of Tribolium castaneum<\/em>, commonly known as the red flour beetle. Alme describes the beetle as \u201ca highly controlled grain pest\u201d and explains the project is a pilot for a bigger study on how life works conducted by John Nagy<\/a>, an SCC biology professor who teaches molecular genetics for the NAU biology program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two professors in the Bachelor of Science in Biology cohort program, Weser and his colleague Patty Ashby<\/a>, have been particularly influential to Salazar and Alme, opening doors to meaningful research opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alme explains the professors are not only dedicated to teaching, but also excited about discussing research and how it affects people and nature. \u201cThey bring up controversies and encourage us to talk through them,\u201d she says. \u201cThey allow me to be myself\u2014not just me but other students, too. And allow us to follow our interests. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m stuck in a cookie-cutter position. They find our interests and present opportunities specifically for those interests. I think that\u2019s so special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alme says the research process seemed abstract and unachievable before working hands-on with her professors. \u201cI thought, \u2018No way I can achieve that.\u2019 But my professors have walked me through the processes and shown me how it\u2019s possible,\u201d she says. \u201cNow I\u2019m working on three projects that are about my ideas. I find that so valuable, so empowering\u2014to become a professional researcher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salazar agreed with Alme\u2019s assessment of the professors, applauding the way they teach and how much they care despite their busy schedules. \u201cAll of these projects wouldn\u2019t be possible without them,\u201d Salazar says. \u201cI got a Hooper Undergraduate Research grant<\/a> because of Dr. Weser\u2019s and Dr. Ashby\u2019s Writing for Biological Sciences course. We had to write a mock grant proposal, and Dr. Ashby and Dr. Weser helped me refine it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nA love for science<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Help from biology professors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n