Earlier this summer Bigelow Laboratory Research Associate Laura Lubelczyk joined NOAA on a research cruise supporting efforts to restore mesophotic coral communities impacted by the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Laura applied the principles of flow cytometry to help researchers better understand what these enigmatic animals like to eat.
Using a device called a FlowCam, Laura, a research associate at the Center for Aquatic Cytometry, was able to produce thousands of magnified images from a single drop of seawater during the research cruise. She also collected samples that will be analyzed with a flow cytometer back in the lab this fall.
The ultimate goal is to help aquariums and labs better care for corals so they can be transplanted back into the wild as part of long-term restoration efforts.
