Emily earned her Master's of Science in marine ecology and genetics under Bruce Menge and Felipe Barreto. Her two-chapter thesis combined field work, genetic sequencing, oceanography, and ecological analysis to investigate the population structure and mating patterns of Leptasterias sp., a six-rayed brooding sea star. Using microsatellite markers, she determined that Leptasterias along the Oregon coast have strong genetic structure (high divergence between geographic locations), relatively high diversity, and high rates of multiple paternity. Her work lays the foundation for future studies of local adaptation of this species in the face of climate change. While at OSU, she also studied ocean policy and science communication under Dr. Jane Lubchenco.
Publication: Boring, Menge, and Barreto (2023). "Genetic evidence for multiple dispersal mechanisms in a marine direct developer, Leptasterias sp. (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)," Marine Biology 170(11). Emily's Thesis Defense: |
Emily received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2018) to support her MSc research.
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B.S. 2018, Yale University
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Emily completed her honor's thesis in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology under Thomas Near at Yale. Using next-generation whole-genome analysis (ddRADSeq) and mitochondrial sequencing, she investigated the phylogenetic structure of two freshwater darters, Percina kusha and Percina etowah. Her work resulted in the identification of a new species of darter, P. freemanorum, which is distinct morphologically and genetically from its sister species P. kusha. Publication: Thomas J. Near, Daniel J. MacGuigan, Emily L. Boring, Jeffrey W. Simmons, Brett Albanese, Benjamin P. Keck, Richard C. Harrington, Gerald R. Dinkins (2021). "A New Species of Bridled Darter Endemic to the Etowah River System in Georgia (Percidae: Etheostomatinae: Percina)," Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, 62(1), 15-42. |