Our Editors
& why global change is important to us…
Priya Roy Chowdhury
Dr. Roy Chowdhury is an evolutionary ecologist interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying species’ responses to rapid human-induced environmental changes. As a Principal Investigator at Keene State College, her lab looks at changes at various levels of the biological hierarchy in response to Arsenic toxicity, Phosphorus enrichment and temperature elevation. Particularly studying these changes in the model organisms Daphnia. Currently, her lab is also interested in understanding changes in microbial populations in response to aqua cultural practices in coastal estuaries.
“As an evolutionary ecologist, I am interested in understanding how human-induced climate changes impacts the biotic world. In my opinion, this is extremely important to know as every living organism is connected to one another and is an essential part of the whole system. So, if one is affected, it influences the balance which in turn can affect us – the humans. We also have a moral obligation to know and protect organisms that are unable to help themselves in response to changes that we created in the world that we share with them. Through this website, we hope to share some of these stories to the world, so we can bring more awareness to this topic that is often overlooked.”
Emilyann Ashford
Emilyann Ashford is a Senior Biology major and Chemistry Minor at Keene State College hoping to pursue a PhD in Cancer Biology in the near future. She currently is working in the Roy Chowdhury Lab performing research on many environmental stressors present in todays changing world, and how they affect the model organism Daphnia. When she is not in the lab, she can be found playing Division Three volleyball for the college or studying.
“Global Change is very important to me, because I love traveling and seeing all of the nature around me. Unfortunately, various anthropogenic pressures are endangering many of the key wildlife in our ecosystems and in turn endangering beautiful places like the Amazon Rainforest. I hope that by educating the public, we can work as a team to take on the responsibility of conserving our precious ecosystems one day at a time.”
Autumn Berlied
Autumn Berlied is a biology major at Keene State College. She has been performing research in the Roy Chowdhury Lab since Spring 2019. Upon graduation, she plans on going to graduate school for immunology or microbiology. Autumn loves math, YouTube, and rollerskating. She hopes to integrate love and acceptance with science. Autumn goes to Germany yearly and is open to working/attending school in Germany, as well as deepening her understanding of the language.
“Global Change is an important topic to me because I care about my planet and its living beings. I feel a responsibility to this world to acknowledge the damage humanity has caused and to present ways on how to minimize future damage. I believe in Climate Change; I believe in science”