Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome to my Final Project website for my CS 101 class. My name is Hamel Sevak and I'm currently in the
5th Year Master's Program at UAB. My major is Biology with a minor in Chemistry and Psychology. My goal is to
become a M.D. but currently research is a major part of my life.Dr. Jim McClintock and Dr. Charles Amsler are my mentors. The
foundation of my research project is a study of the potential chemical defenses against diatom fouling in Antarctic macroalgae. The macroalgae are found in McMurdo Sound region of Antarctica.
Diatoms are a major group of eukaryotic algae. Diatoms are some of the most common types of phytoplankton. Diatoms are mostly unicellular, although some may form chains.
The goals of my research for my Masters are the following:
- Elucidate the specific fractions of crude organic extracts of a select group of macroalgae.
- Determine the mass of each fraction
- Cluture a strain of chain forming Antarctic Diatom and conduct live/dead staining on the diatoms exposed to the macroalgal extracts at several
concentrations ( .3x, 1x and 3x)
If sucessful this would be the first study to elucidate specific chemical compounds responsible for antifouling activity in Antarctic macroalgae.
(Hopefully, it would aslo lead to a publication!)
Below is a picture of a chain of antarctic diatoms that I currently use in my experiments.
Works Cited/References