Graduate Student Stephanie Hendricks Awarded Prestigious SICB Grant-in-Aid of Research
By: TAMU Biology
Texas A&M Biology is proud to announce that graduate student Stephanie Hendricks has been awarded a Grant-in-Aid of Research (GIAR) by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB). This highly competitive grant recognizes Hendricks’ innovative research and provides vital funding to support her project in the field of integrative and comparative biology.
The SICB’s GIAR program, established in 1996, provides financial assistance to graduate students conducting research that advances the understanding of biological systems. Typically awarding 25-35 grants annually with a total funding of approximately $30,000, the program is designed to facilitate research that has the potential to make a significant impact in the field.
Stephanie’s research focuses on environmental regulation of the sleep-like behavior of the upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana. This project is the first investigation of mechanisms and molecular consequences of heat-induced sleep disruption in C. xamachana which will give insight into the evolutionary role of sleep and fill gaps in our understanding of the impact of global change on sleep behavior and organismal fitness. With the support of the GIAR grant, she will be able to sequence collected jellyfish samples to generate a RNAseq dataset to analyze.
“Stephanie, in collaboration with my lab technician, Tobi Wang, have worked for a year to optimize conditions to quantify Cassiopea sleep in early life-history stages. This grant will enable us to test if specific environmental cues disrupt sleep patterns and what the downstream molecular consequences are. Results from this study will enable us to generate hypotheses about how and why sleep evolved in metazoans. ” -quote from Dr. Marie Strader, TAMU Biology.
Eligibility for the GIAR program is highly selective, requiring applicants to demonstrate innovative project proposals, strong methodological frameworks, and the feasibility of their research. Awards are granted based on a rigorous evaluation process, ensuring the funding supports projects with significant scientific merit.
For more information on the SICB Grant-in-Aid of Research program, visit https://sicb.org/grants-in-aid-of-research-program-giar/
About the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB): Founded in 1902, SICB promotes the study of biological systems through integrative and comparative approaches, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists from a range of fields. The Society’s Grants-in-Aid of Research program supports graduate students conducting innovative research that addresses important questions in biology.
