Studying the Edges

ARCS scholar's research takes on a fundamental issue in ecology

ARCS scholar Cynthia Hays with the object of her research: Silvetia compressa Photo: Jim MacKenzie

Why doesn't that wildflower grow a little further north or a bit higher up on the mountain? How far will those "killer bees" spread? What will happen at the southern edges of northern forests if the climate keeps getting warmer? Questions like these have long challenged ecologists trying to understand the factors that determine the natural geographic ranges of organisms.

Cynthia Hays, a graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, is tackling this problem with a detailed investigation of a type of marine algae common along the California coast. Silvetia compressa, commonly known as rockweed, grows attached to rocks in the middle of the intertidal zone, where its tough olive-green fronds are alternately submerged beneath the waves and exposed to the air.

Hays is interested in the upper and lower limits of rockweed's distribution within the intertidal zone. She has found, for example, that rockweed plants growing near the edges of its range show genetic adaptations to local conditions, such as prolonged exposure at the upper edge or prolonged submersion at the lower edge. This raises a fundamental question for Hays: What keeps the algae from adapting to more extreme conditions just beyond the edges? Her preliminary findings suggest that one important factor is the flow of "wimpy" genes coming from the masses of algae living comfortably in the middle.

"There has been a lot of theoretical work using mathematical models to show that gene flow can inhibit local adaptation under certain conditions. But no one knows how significant this phenomenon is in natural systems," Hays says.

Her project involves extensive fieldwork as well as long hours in the laboratory. Hays is studying the genetic makeup of rockweed populations across the full geographic range of the species and has traveled up and down the coast, from Baja to northern California, collecting samples for molecular analysis back in the laboratory. She has also conducted a variety of field experiments at sites in different habitats along the coast.

"Her dissertation research is a huge body of work," says Ingrid Parker, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Parker, a terrestrial plant ecologist, is co-advising Hays along with marine ecologist Peter Raimondi. She says Hays is conducting cutting-edge research on one of the classic, fundamental questions in ecology—and building a national reputation for herself in the process. Now in her final year of graduate work, Hays has earned the recognition and support of the ARCS Foundation, an unusual organization devoted to rewarding exceptional students like her.

ARCS—Achievement Rewards for College Scientists—was established by a small group of women in Los Angeles in 1958 to provide scholarships for students in science, engineering, and medicine. The foundation is still run by women who volunteer their time for fundraising, so that all of the money they raise goes directly to scholarships. Since 1976, the foundation's Northern California Chapter has given over $1 million in scholarships to UCSC students. Hays is one of seven UCSC graduate students who each won $10,000 scholarships from the ARCS Foundation this year alone.

Recording data at Pigeon Point Photo: Jim MacKenzie

"The ARCS Foundation is one of the very rare sources of unrestricted funds for graduate students, and it has provided incredible support over the years for the training of scientists and engineers," says David Kliger, dean of physical and biological sciences.

This kind of support is especially critical now, as graduate programs throughout California feel the repercussions of the state's budget problems "Our mission is probably more important than it has ever been since our founding," says Linda Millard, then-president of the Northern California Chapter of the ARCS Foundation.

For Hays, the ARCS scholarship means she will have more time for her research during this critical final year of graduate school. "It makes a big difference," Hays says. "This will free me up to focus more on my research, so it's really wonderful to have the extra support."

—Tim Stephens

Supporting grad students

Campaign will fund vital fellowships

Often struggling to meet the competing demands of course work, teaching, and research, graduate students are the unheralded workhorses of research universities. While UCSC has a growing number of master's and Ph.D. programs and the campus has made it a priority to enroll more graduate students, supporting those students is a serious challenge at a time of lean state budgets.

Compounding the problem is another reality: The vital role of graduate students in helping the university fulfill its mission in the state is not widely appreciated, says Bruce Schumm, professor of physics and chair of the Graduate Council of the UCSC Academic Senate.

These postbaccalaureate students represent the next generation of highly trained professionals in their fields, and in the course of their graduate training they conduct much of the day-to-day research activities on campus, provide crucial support to the faculty as teaching assistants, and contribute to the intellectual vitality of the campus community. Through their contributions to both teaching and research, they are an enormously beneficial resource for the state of California.

"Graduate students provide intellectual capital for the state and support the development of technologies and policies that benefit the state by improving the economic climate and the way we live our lives," Schumm says. "If we cannot remain competitive in our ability to recruit graduate students, the implications go beyond the university. It's a potential threat to the economic and cultural vitality of California."

Increases in graduate student fees and tuition are effectively reducing the pool of funds available to support graduate students and cutting into the ability of departments to make competitive offers to prospective students. The campus is responding by making student support a major focus of fundraising efforts. A two-year campaign will be announced formally on November 6 at the Second Annual Scholarships Benefit Dinner, which last year raised more than $500,000 to benefit students. The new campaign's broad goals will include support for both undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships, says Ronald P. Suduiko, vice chancellor for University Relations at UCSC.

In most cases, fees and tuition for students in doctoral programs are paid either internally, by their departments, or by external grants and fellowships. This makes it even more difficult for UCSC to enroll out-of-state and foreign students, who face the biggest increases in tuition and fees. But according to Schumm, it is shortsighted to make it more difficult for these students to attend graduate school in California.

"We need to recruit nationally and internationally to bring the best and the brightest to California," he says. "It is important for people to understand what an asset these students are for the university and for the state."

—Tim Stephens