Coral Ecology Explorations
Just imagine. Going to Hawaii, soaking in some sun, taking in the ocean views, and swimming among the coral reefs. Well, that鈥檚 exactly what Coastal Georgia alum David Armstrong did, but he wasn鈥檛 on vacation. He was researching coral reef ecology as part of his doctoral program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Doing research in Hawaii has always been a goal of his, and now he鈥檚 doing it.
Armstrong is originally from Buford, Georgia, and came to the College because of its opportunities and affordability.
鈥淚 knew my options for marine science in Georgia were limited, and I wanted to stay in-state to keep it cheaper. Coastal was a perfect fit,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淚t was either Coastal or UGA, and at the end of the day, I didn鈥檛 want a big school or big class sizes. I wanted to keep it more intimate and geared towards science. Whenever I visited Coastal, there was no better place to study the ocean than right next to it.鈥�
Armstrong graduated May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and with a minor in environmental science. He鈥檚 now a doctoral student at Texas A&M working under Dr. Keisha Bahr, who oversees The Bahr Lab, which focuses on researching coral reef ecology. Overall, coral reefs can support thousands of species of fish, invertebrates, plants, sea turtles, birds, and marine mammals. Called the 鈥渞ainforests of the sea鈥� because of its diverse habitats, about 25 percent of the ocean鈥檚 fish depend on healthy coral reefs for shelter and food. Coral reefs also protect coastlines from storms and erosion, and are also a source of food and medicine. Armstrong鈥檚 dissertation will focus on coral reef ecology responses to ocean acidification.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of other climate shift research out there, but we鈥檙e just gearing it towards ocean acidification because we feel that it鈥檚 going to be one of the big-ticket stressors in the future,鈥� he said.
His work will explore the physiology of coral, such as the different layers of tissues, and how those are playing a role in mitigating or emphasizing the effects of ocean acidification.
鈥淲e just got some micro sensors which we鈥檙e going to gear into the coral and use for some of the first times ever in trying to characterize different boundary layers on the tissues,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淲e do all that out at our field site in Hawaii.鈥�
Armstrong attends classes at Texas A&M and does all the field research in Hawaii at the Hawaiian Institute for Marine Biology. Students of the Bahr Lab are also working alongside students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa鈥攆unded through the Proton Flux Hypothesis grant, created by Dr. Paul Jokiel, a renowned coral reef scientist. Armstrong will be at the field site four months out of the year for experiments鈥攖wo months in the summer and two in the winter, with the possibility of being able to go for shorter amounts of time in between. He鈥檚 currently writing a grant that will allow him to do research in Hawaii more often.
A Goal Achieved
Doing research in Hawaii has been a longtime dream of Armstrong鈥檚. Although raised in Georgia, his whole family is from Hawaii, and he has traveled there over the years for reunions.
鈥淚鈥檝e always loved Hawaii and I鈥檓 just so happy to be studying there. Whenever we went to Hawaii, and as I got older, I really wanted to do research out there or study something with the marine life. It鈥檚 been a long-term goal鈥擨鈥檝e definitely been working towards that,鈥� he said.
Although he stayed busy doing fieldwork this summer, Armstrong was able to hang out with his cousins when he had breaks and go on hikes. His family is very excited to see him pursuing his goals in Hawaii, while also doing something he enjoys.
鈥淢y family loves it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey send me little articles all the time about opportunities they see out there in Hawaii. They are super happy.鈥�
Another goal is to have a career as a researcher or professor. After earning his doctorate, he plans on doing postdoc work, field-based research, and then make his way towards becoming a professor.
鈥淭hose were my goals going into Coastal. Getting that experience from the professors there and seeing how the whole faculty go about teaching smaller class sizes, it inspired me to go into that profession,鈥� he said.
Armstrong also shared that the amount of field experience he had as a student鈥攂ecause of the small class sizes and service-learning projects鈥攈elped him gain an understanding of field-based research.
鈥淎 lot of the equipment we鈥檙e using now is similar to what we have available to us at Coastal. We鈥檙e using YSI probes, and Coastal got their YSI probes a year or two before I graduated, so I got time to work with those,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淭hat was helpful because about 50 percent of the data we鈥檙e collecting in Hawaii is with a YSI probe. I think general field knowledge, and advice in passing from the faculty from their experiences, really helped me put my foot in the door for this kind of research.鈥�
Armstrong enjoyed his time at the College. His favorite Coastal moment involves caving with his hydrology class. They went to the Tennessee-Alabama-Georgia (TAG) caves, and went caving with the former principal investigator of Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Dr. James Deemy. Students learned about his experiences, saw the caves he was researching in, and did hydrology fieldwork there.
鈥淚 think that was my favorite moment. We got to camp up there and it was great,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淲e also went to the Chattanooga Aquarium, as part of Dr. Takagi鈥檚 (assistant professor of environmental science) aquatic biology course. The whole experience there was great.鈥�
Sticking to the Path
His advice to current students is to continue to work towards what you want to be after graduation.
鈥淎s long as you finish your degree and stick on the path, and trust the process, you鈥檒l find your way,鈥� he said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 stress out too much if you don鈥檛 have a direction yet. If you鈥檙e going into science and don鈥檛 know what you want to research, it鈥檚 okay. I鈥檓 talking to people who are getting their PhD and are totally switching gears on what they want to do. There are so many options out there. Try to stick on your path and let it take you wherever it takes you.鈥�
As for Armstrong, his path includes doing more research on the Hawaiian reef, focusing on conservation strategies, and furthering the knowledge about coral reefs before it鈥檚 too late.
鈥淚 want to try to do as much research as possible for these animals in my lifetime, and then work towards teaching people about coral reefs,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want to try to influence people to love them a little more.鈥�