The UNCW James F. Merritt Million Dollar Club is an exclusive club of researchers who, due to their commitment to excellence, are on the cutting edge of research, teaching, and service, reaching $1M in total external funding during the 2022 fiscal year.

Brenna applied and successfully obtained a Ruth D. Turner scholarships in Marine Biology for her project entitled "Teamwork throughout evolutionary time: characterizing the gut and tunic associated microbiomes of four Belizean ascidian species". Priority is given to proposals involving molluscs, so Brenna's work on the ascidian microbiomes was highly regarded! Congratulations Brenna!!

iMESA Lab members Brenna Hutchings and Susanna Lopez-Legentil went to Belize July 20-28, 2022 to collect sea-squirts from harbors and mangroves!

On Friday May 13, 2022 we celebrate one more time the many accomplishments of several of our iMESA Lab members: Caylee Lindsay graduated in Biology, Mina Surprenant (co-advised with Dr. Jessie Jarvis) and Sammy Morrison obtained their Master degrees in Marine Biology and we even got to celebrate the PhD degree of Dr. Peyton Thomas (advisor Dr. Steve Kinsey), who started her thesis with sea-squirts even if she finished it with fish! So proud of the 2022 crew! Go Seahawks!

The iMESA Lab had a busy day! We had lunch to celebrate the end of the academic year and the successful Master defenses of Mina Surprenant and Sammy Morrison, and a belated birthday celebration for Brenna Hutchings. Then in the afternoon, both Sammy and Mina presented their research results one last time at the CMS Graduate Poster Session! Busy but accomplished Friday for our Lab! :)

Mina Surprenant's thesis entitled "Ascidian abundance and diversity in North Carolina seagrass meadows" was defended on Monday April 11, 2022.
Sammy Morrison's "Genetic and microbial community analyses in two physiological states and color morphs of the colonial ascidian Polyclinum constellatum" was defended today, Tuesday April 12, 2022.
GREAT JOB BOTH OF YOU!!!!!

Undergraduate students Caylee Lindsay (DIS) and Tabitha Ormond (FYRE) presented their research on the solitary ascidian Styela plicata at the UNCW Undergraduate Research Showcase on Saturday April 9, 2022

iMESA Lab members Mina Surprenant, Sammy Morrison, Patrick Erwin & Susanna Lopez-Legentil challenged themselves a bit differently this time... doing a Rugged Maniac! 3 miles and 25 obstacles successfully completed! April 9, 2022 ; Rockingham, NC - We missed you Brenna Hutchings!

After several years of Zoom meetings, Mina Surprenant, Brenna Hutchings and Susanna Lopez-Legentil made it to the first in-person Benthic Ecology Meeting (BEM) since 2019! The event took place in Portsmouth, NH, March 29 to April  2, 2022.
Go Seahawks!

February 26, 2022 three members of the iMESA Lab: graduate student Mina Surprenant, and faculty members Patrick Erwin and Susanna Lopez-Legentil, ran a marathon! That is 26.2 miles! Other UNCW graduate students from the department of Biology and Marine Biology also participated (and completed) the challenge!! Well done everyone!!