Troy University News

August 6, 2003

Contact:
Tom Davis
Troy Office of University Relations
334/670-3196
tomdavis@troy.edu

Office of University Relations
253 Adams Administration
Troy, AL 36082
(334) 670-3196
(334) 670-3274 (fax)

TROY STATE UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS PRESS RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 1-334-670-3196

   TSU student receives Graduate Research Fellowship
   Troy State University graduate student Kristy Pisani is one of 50 students nationally to be awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship this year by the National Estuarine Research Reserve, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
   The reserve system’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program offers qualified master’s and doctoral students the opportunity to address scientific questions of local, regional and national significance. Two fellows are selected for each of the system’s 25 reserves. Fellowships may be funded for up to three years.
   The system protects more than one million acres of estuarine habitat, conducts essential research and provides a variety of educational opportunities. Estuaries are places where fresh water from rivers mixes with saltwater. These important coastal habitats are used as spawning grounds and nurseries for at least two-thirds of the nation’s commercial fish and shellfish.
   As a recipient of the fellowship, Pisani, of Bonifay, Fla., receives a one-year, $17,500 grant to cover the costs of travel, supplies and a stipend.
   Pisani’s research examines the effects of differing salt contents in water on a single-celled, microscopic organism known as Hyalophysa chattoni. The organisms are parasites that live on grass shrimp. Pisani will conduct her research in conjunction with the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which covers 6,000 acres in Baldwin County.
   To conduct her research, Pisani collects a study group of 50 shrimp. After creating an artificial sea environment and allowing the shrimp to become acclimated, she will await their molting period and collect the shells. Since the organisms live within the shrimp’s shell, Pisani will then be able to take measurements of their numbers and viability and record them.
   Weeks Bay Research Coordinator Scott Phipps, who is serving as an advisor to Pisani’s Master’s thesis committee, called the research “a piece of the puzzle” to how organisms live within estuary settings.
   “In estuaries, organisms deal with wide-ranging, rapidly-changing environmental conditions,” Phipps said. “Grass shrimp can live equally well in freshwater or various degrees of saltwater. Kristy’s research will try to determine if the parasites are able to withstand varying salinity levels as do the shrimp. Her results will help us determine the conditions that affect where organisms can live within an estuary.”
   Phipps said Pisani also will be assisting in the collection of water quality and weather related data at the estuary as a part of her fellowship.
   Despite a fascination with the ocean, Pisani had her sights set on medical school after receiving her bachelor’s degree in biology and mathematics from TSU in May 2002. Along the way, however, she became excited about the work of Dr. Stephen Landers, associate professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences at TSU, who was conducting research concerning aquatic environments. Pisani decided to return to school to pursue a master’s degree in the field.
   Pisani, who is expected to receive her degree in August 2004, said she would like to pursue a doctoral degree following graduation and eventually work in the fields of water quality assessment, watershed management and ecosystem biodiversity.