Quenton Tuckett, Biological Science Doctoral Student Receives NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant

Posted October 29, 2010

Quenton Tuckett, Biological Science doctoral student is a recent recipient of a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant. The National Science Foundation awards improvement grants to Ph.D. candidates to improve the quality of their dissertation research. Tuckett will be using the funds to investigate the eco-evolutionary effects of white perch, a common invasive fish species implicated in declining water quality in Maine. Many studies consider the role that ecological processes can have in shaping the traits of organisms. However, Tuckett will be examining how reciprocal interactions between ecological and evolutionary processes can shape the traits of organisms and their environment, potentially affecting water quality. Tuckett's work will take place this summer in Maine ponds and estuaries.