Undergraduate Research Paved the Way for Ph.D.-Bound Graduate

Senior Casidhe Hughes, a Biology major with a double minor in Chemistry and Visual Arts: Sculpture and Ceramics from New Hartford, Conn., will pursue her Ph.D. in pathobiology at Brown University this fall.

Faculty Mentorship: “I’ve been doing research almost my entire undergraduate experience, and I’ve just fallen in love with it. I’ve always been interested in microbiome science, and now I want to do more human-based research. At RWU, Dr. Koty Sharp has been my research mentor and the most wonderful person. She works in coral microbiology, and she invited me to join her lab. She's been such a guiding force in my life and has helped me develop all of my presentation skills as well as research and life skills. She’s shared with me about the realm of the academic world and what it's like to be a researcher and a professor.”

Research Opportunities: “I got to go to the 2024 Northeast Algal Symposium with my research, and I received an undergrad award for my oral presentation. The symposium was an international conference, so I got to present to a broader audience outside of Roger Williams. I’m in the early stages of my scientific career, so these presentations have been great practice for me to learn to tailor what I'm talking about to different audiences. I've also learned how important it is to meet with other scientists. It can expand your ideas and possibilities you may not have thought of before and that you can then dive further into. I think sharing ideas is the most amazing thing about conferences. I'm going to be presenting at two more conferences: the Temperate Coral Research Conference and the International Aquaculture Conference at RWU.”

Powerful Combinations: “I've really enjoyed the Visual Arts program here, and I have been able to incorporate a lot of science into my artwork. Artists bring so much awareness to issues that are happening in the world – like climate change – and make those issues a lot more accessible to people. That’s important science communication. I’m very passionate about that and hope to continue that throughout my life."