Farquhar College Students Work with Oceanographic Center to Produce Award-Winning Research Presentations

From left: Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, Lara Murphy, Dr. Alan Schulman, Hayley Oligane, and Dr. Mahmood Shivji.

Hayley Oligane and Lara Murphy, undergraduate students in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences’ Division of Math, Science and Technology, were co-winners of the first prize in the oral presentation section of the Undergraduate Research Symposium held on April 5 at NSU. Both students worked under the mentorship and in the research laboratory of Dr. Mahmood Shivji, professor in the FCAS-Oceanographic Center Joint Science Program and director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute. This was the first time in the symposium’s history that two students working on different projects were selected as co-winners of the first prize.

Oligane and Murphy conducted genetics research aimed at helping conserve endangered shark and sawfish species that are fished to supply the global fin trade. Oligane’s research dealt with development of a rapid DNA test for identifying body parts from the endangered smalltooth sawfish. Murphy’s research focused on development of a DNA forensic test to distinguish porbeagle sharks from different populations around the world.