UGR Student Ambassadors

Dylan Buchmiller

TAMU Email Address:
dylan.buchmiller@tamu.edu
Major(s): Marine Sciences
Minor(s): Marine Biology
Class Year: 2025
High School: Prosper High School
Faculty Advisor(s):
Dr. Antonietta Quigg; Dr. Chen Xu

URS Thesis Title:
Biological Snowfall: Analyzing Marine Snow Microstructure and Composition
Research focus: Biological Oceanography, Phytoplankton Ecophysiology, Harmful Algal Blooms, Biogeochemistry
Other Projects & Publications:
Warming Up to Less Iron: Iron Use Efficiency Increases with Ocean Warming in Southern Ocean Diatom; Impact of El Niño Southern Oscillation on Pacific Coastal Primary Productivity and Fisheries; Illuminating Exopolymeric Substances as a Natural Oil Dispersant
Organizations & Programs:
Undergraduate Research Scholars, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Writing Lab Consultant, Undergraduate Research Ambassadors, Sprout Gardening Club, Uplift Her, Sea Aggie Pride
Activities:
Watercolor painting, Poetry, Playing with my dog at park
Awards & Distinctions:
Undergraduate Research Scholar, Robert Troy Swetnam Memorial Scholarship, Michael A. '81 and Ann J. Horn Scholarship, Galveston County Aggie Mothers Club Scholarship. Aggies Commit to Excellence Scholarship (ACES).
Experience:
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship funded by the National Science Foundation, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) conference presenter, Undergraduate Overall Winner at TAMUG Research Poster Symposium
Years of Research Experience: 2

Dylan Buchmiller: Short Biography: Dylan Buchmiller: Short Biography
Howdy! My name is Dylan and I am a senior Marine Sciences major with a passion for phytoplankton research. Despite being so small we can’t see them with our eyes alone, phytoplankton contribute about half of our global oxygen! They also play a key role in storing carbon, linking the ocean directly to the climate and our daily lives.

After earning my Associate of Science from Collin Community College in Dallas, I transferred to TAMU Galveston and quickly immersed myself in more than four research projects spanning phytoplankton ecology, chemical oceanography, zooplankton dynamics, and physical oceanography. I enjoy learning new lab techniques like mass spectrometry while diving into scientific literature to optimize methods and creatively explore knowledge gaps.

I completed my undergraduate thesis during the 2024-2025 cycle, focusing on microbial marine snow. In summer 2025, I was honored to participate in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Rutgers University, focusing on Southern Ocean phytoplankton ecophysiology.

After graduating with my Bachelor of Science in December 2025, I plan to move directly into graduate school and then a career as a research scientist dedicated to advancing our understanding of how phytoplankton drive ocean ecosystems and help us better respond to our planet’s future.

Hope Matteson

TAMU Email Address:
hopematt04@tamu.edu
Major(s): Marine Biology
Minor(s): Coastal Environmental Science and Society
Class Year: 2026
High School: McNeil High school
Faculty Advisor(s):
Dr. Lene Petersen; Dr. David Hala

URS Thesis Title:
PFAS in the environment, a Study on Impact Among Aquatic Invertebrates in Terms of Physiology and Behavior
Research focus:
Physiology and behavior changes in response to pollutants, Population genomics and Speciation, Marine and Aquatic invertebrates, Herpetology
Other Projects & Publications:
Radiation of Anolis opalinus, A Closer Look at Gene Flow and Mitochondrial Introgression in Anolis Effects of Human Pharmaceuticals on Daphnia magna Physiology and Behavior
Organizations & Programs:
Undergraduate Research Ambassador
Activities:
Paleoart, Video games, Crochet, Pickleball, Long walks with friends
Awards & Distinctions:
ACES Scholar, TAMUG Student Research Symposium 2025: First Place Winner for Life Sciences category.
Experience:
REU scholar: California Academy of Science 2025, SSI Summer intern, Networking, Symposiums
Years of Research Experience: 3

Hope Matteson: Short Biography: Hope Matteson: Short Biography
Howdy! My name is Hope and I have been participating in undergraduate research since Sophomore year. I work with Dr. Lene Petersen and Dr. David Hala to determine the impacts that pollutants (particularly pharmaceuticals and PFAS) are having on aquatic animals. I'm continuing this research into my senior year and will be writing my undergraduate thesis on it. In addition to this work, I have also worked with the California Academy of Science to evaluate population structure within Anolis lizards. I took my pharmaceutical research to the undergraduate research symposium and achieved 1st place for my work. My research interests are across multiple disciplines, but my main focus is conservation and ecology, especially in the face of changing environments. I'm in the process of applying to graduate schools and hope to begin my PhD research as soon as I graduate.

Jaelyn Rodriguez

TAMU Email Address:
keijello@tamu.edu
Major(s):
University Studies: Oceans & One Health Concentration
Minor(s):
Chemistry, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Class Year: 2027
High School:
William P. Clements High School
Faculty Advisor(s):
Dr. Sheila Kitchen; Dr. Aki Ohdera; Dr. Chen Xu

Research focus:
Cnidarian Metamorphosis, Gene Expression, Molecular Biology, Enzymology
Publication:
Ohdera, A. H., Dalrymple, J., Avila-Magaña, V., Rodriguez, J., et al. Symbiosis-driven development in an early-branching metazoan lineage. Cell Press Revision 1 [Preprint], April 17, 2025.

Presentations:

(April 2025) Subtracting from Symbionts: Does inhibiting carotenoid processing delay metamorphosis in Cassiopea?
(July 2024) Strobilation without Symbionts: Do carotenoids induce strobilation in non-symbiotic Cassiopea xamachana?
(April 2024) Understanding Pollutant Driven Eutrophication: Zinc Nanoparticle Effects on CAT Activity in Thalassosira pseudonana
(December 2023) A Deeper Look into Antidepressant Dependency: An Investigation on the Hepatic Metabolic Processes Behind Enzyme Cytochrome P450 2C19

Organizations & Programs:
Galveston Honors Program, Kitchen Lab, Gulf eDNA Network, Allied Health Association, SeaSpray Literary Journal, Honors Chemistry Program of TAMUG, Undergraduate Research Scholars
Activities:
Cosplay, Traditional Art, Ceramics, My Dog!
Awards & Distinctions:
Dr. James M. and Patricia M. McCloy Scholarship, Aggies Commit to Excellence Scholar, TAMUG Chemistry Symposium 3rd in Division, People's Choice (2025) and Overall 1st (2024), TAMUG Research Symposium 1st in Division (2025) and 3rd in Division (2024).
Experience:
Molecular Benchwork (qPCR), Bacterial Work, RNAi, Summer Research, Benchwork, Presentations, Long-term Experiments, Animal Husbandry
Years of Research Experience: 2

Jaelyn Rodriguez: Short Biography: Jaelyn Rodriguez: Short Biography
Hi! My name is Jaelyn Rodriguez, and I am part of the trio of the first Undergraduate Research Ambassadors from the Galveston Campus! I am a 3+2 dual degree student, working towards a BS in Oceans and One Health at TAMUG, and an MS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences at UTMB.

I am a Filipino-American aspiring microbiologist with a love for enzymes and intertidal zones. And as a queer, second-generation American, and an artist through-and-through, I love exploring how science can go beyond our confined borders of STEM, and into our communities and passions.

I began my research journey through the Honors Chemistry program here at TAMUG, which brought me under a proposal development program under Dr. Chen Xu. This allowed me to create my first preliminary research proposal studying alcohol’s effect on SSRI’s and dependency. We also presented our project on the impact of industrial nanoparticles on populations of Thalassosira pseudonana and their CAT Activity.

Where I’m working the most now is under Dr. Sheila Kitchen and Dr. Aki Ohdera, studying the cnidarian “Upside-Down Jellyfish” Cassiopea xamachana. The past year of my research has been zoomed in on the connection between carotenoid derivatives and the “strobilation” of these jellies, or their metamorphosis from a polyp to an ephyra. This work is the largest of my research experience, allowing me to become skilled in various benchwork skills, and begin experience in larger molecular techniques. Through this, I’ve worked with RNAi and non-pathogenic E. coli, as well as performed RNA extractions and qPCR.

Research will be intimidating at first - the hardest part is reaching out! Let me be your first step into research, and I will do my best to help you find where to start! You got this!

PS: Please ask me about making posters. (I love making them!)