NASA Space Grant: Student Research in Action

We are excited to celebrate the work of Haley Recob, whose research was supported by a 2024 NASA Space Grant Summer Research Award. Working with fellow undergraduate student-researcher, Maren Duffy and Western's Dr. Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez and Dr. Dietmar Schwarz, Recob investigated variation in the sex ratios of harbor seal haul-out sites in the Salish Sea. Their research examined whether factors such as proximity to marinas and the availability of salmon may be associated with differences in the composition of harbor seal groups. The work ultimately contributed to the peer-reviewed publication, “Proximity to Marinas, Not Salmon Runs, Is Associated With Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Sex Composition at Haul-Out Sites,” in Marine Mammal Science.

Dr. Acevedo-Gutiérrez reflected on the accomplishment, “I am proud of students taking advantage of the financial opportunities afforded by the scholarship and finishing up what they set out to do in their proposal.”

Haley Recob's work is a great example of what can happen when students have the resources and mentorship to pursue their own research questions.  From developing a proposal and conducting fieldwork to completing analysis and contributing to the scientific literature.