Holly Wren Wins Graduate Competition at UCOWR Conference
University of Arkansas Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences master’s student Holly Wren won first place in the graduate student poster competition at the UCOWR Annual Water Resources Conference last month. Wren’s winning poster was titled “Allelopathic Effect of Cereal Straw Extracts on Growth of Raphidocellis supcapitata and Microcystis aeruginosa”. Wren’s advisor on the project is Dr. Mary Savin.
Algal blooms are a common concern for farm ponds. They’re unsightly, smell bad, can lead to conditions that are harmful to fish and other aquatic organisms, and can even produce toxins that pose a danger to human health. Wren’s research explores the efficacy of treating or preventing algal blooms with cereal straws, as well as investigates the potential control mechanisms.
“My research focuses on barley and rice straw inhibition of harmful algal blooms” said Wren “I am looking at [a type of] cyanobacteria, Microcystis aeruginosa, which is responsible for a lot of freshwater algal blooms. I am also looking at a green algae, Raphidocellis supcapitata, […] it’s like the lab rat of algae, so we’re using it in experiments.”
Wren’s poster showcased the first set of experiments that she completed for her master’s thesis. Wren said it took her about a year and a half to complete her chapter titled “Is rice as effective as barley straw or hydrogen peroxide in inhibiting cyanobacterial blooms and reducing microcystin concentrations?”
“Holly’s research is showing promise for efficacy of the use of rice straw extract in water bodies to control algal growth.” said Savin “While we will need to pursue more detailed mechanisms in future research to really understand what is happening, her results are indicating that the effects of rice straw decomposition extract are attributable to more than the production of hydrogen peroxide, which means that there is much to discover…”
Wren’s poster caught the eyes of many attendees. Wren said that her goal at the UCOWR conference was to get input from water professionals.
“I got a lot of good feedback on my poster” said Wren “People have definitely looked at [cereal straws to combat harmful algal blooms] before, but at the event it was such a novel idea. I think people were just really interested in hearing more about it.”
Wren is working on finishing her master’s thesis this summer in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. However, this will not conclude her interest in cereal straws as a means of combatting algal blooms.
“I would really like to be able to promote cereal straws as an algal inhibitor because they are considered environmentally benign.” said Wren “If I could promote this [in the future], that would be awesome.”
Post graduate school, Wren hopes to enter the world of environmental restoration in either aquatic or land restoration.
“Holly is a bright student who is a poised and professional young woman.” said Savin “She […] is looking forward to the next step in her career where she will be an asset to the organization that is able to hire her.”
Image Caption: Holly Wren next to her poster that won the graduate student poster competition at the UCOWR Annual Water Resources Conference.
Image submitted by Brian Haggard
