Brachova awarded GRC Grant

MOUNT VERNON – Pavla Brachova was awarded a grant from the Gerace Research Centre (GRC) in San Salvador, Bahamas in order to isolate and study the genetics of fire coral this June.

Brachova is a Cornell College senior who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in reproductive biology. She also recently represented Cornell at Iowa Private Colleges Day at the Iowa State Capitol, where she presented a poster based on research similar to what she will be pursuing in the Bahamas.

“Pavla wrote an excellent proposal which was selected for funding in this competitive program,” said Professor of Biology Craig Tepper, who has served as Brachova’s faculty advisor and project supervisor. “This is a well deserved honor for Pavla.”

The grant project, titled “Genetic Analysis of the Millepora-Symbiodinium Symbiosis,” seeks to understand the complex speciation of fire corals. GRC will fund Brachova’s travel and research expenses as she isolates DNA from coral and coral symbiotes. The DNA will then be analyzed in Cornell labs.

The GRC Student Grants Program is designed to support undergraduate honors projects and Master’s and Ph.D. Theses while working at the GRC in San Salvador. GRC is part of The College of the Bahamas.

Brachova and Tepper’s current coral research will be presented at the 13th Natural History Conference at GRC in June.