When Jahnita DeMoranville returns to campus this August, she will investigate the anatomy of squids and the biomechanics of squid bites.
“This research is important because it will create a bridge between the fields of biology and engineering,” DeMoranville told California State University, Fullerton. “My goal is to have a better understanding of how the beak works with the muscles surrounding it, which could be useful for the field of soft robotics, especially when robotics is used for oceanic exploration.”
During Discovery’s 34th annual Shark Week held in the last week of July, DeMoranville, a graduate biology student at Cal State Fullerton, immersed herself in learning about these magnificent creatures of the sea.
According to Cal State Fullerton News, DeMoranville was selected as a participant in the Eugenie Clark Field Research Skills and Leadership Program, offered in partnership with New College of Florida, Havenworth Coastal Conservation, Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, and Minorities in Shark Science.
Based in Sarasota, Florida, the nine-week paid shark science program is a field experience on a research vessel that gives early career scientists like DeMoranville the opportunity to gain a range of skills to help them in their scientific endeavors.
“Through this fellowship program, I learned about shark behaviors, and I have strengthened my field techniques,” said DeMoranville, who plans to graduate in 2024, earn a doctorate and pursue a career as an academic researcher in marine science. “I’ve also made meaningful connections with the mentors of the program and with the other fellows.”
DeMoranville earned a bachelor’s degree in marine science from the University of Maine, is active in organizations such as Black in Marine Science, Save The Bay and Minorities in Shark Science, which promotes diversity and inclusion in shark science.
“It is important to get more minorities and women in science because when you diversify these fields, you have different minds working together, and it opens the door to many more perspectives, ideas, and possibilities,” she said. “Collaboration is an important part of science.”
DeMoranville is also a member of the Western Society of Naturalists and the American Elasmobranch Society. In May, she received the 2022 Rachel Carson Scholarship in Conservation Biology from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
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