USU Undergraduate Shares Utah Lake Research on Instead Podcast and at Utah Capitol

Cristina Chirvasa, an undergraduate researcher at Utah State University and one of a select group of students to present at Research on Capitol Hill in early February, was featured on a recent episode of the Office of Research’s Instead podcast, titled, "Seize the Carp! How zooplankton can reduce algal blooms in the Utah Lake."

Her findings, featured at the capitol and in the podcast episode, come from her research efforts in the Quantitative Fisheries and Aquatic Ecology lab with Assistant Professor Timothy Walsworth. Her work is focused on measuring the number of carp in Utah Lake and the potential impacts they have on algal blooms.

“The reduction of carp biomass does tend to lead to increases in zooplankton size structure,” Chirvasa said.

Carp tend to eat bigger zooplankton, and larger zooplankton might have a role in reducing algae bloom, she explained on the podcast.

"If we continue this carp removal, zooplankton will likely get bigger, and that will hopefully translate to less algae blooms,” Chirvasa said.

Confirming the existence of that relationship between carp and algae bloom would make it easier to support removal efforts, which takes money and manpower to perform, Chirvasa said.

Chirvasa added that she enjoys the field work she does for the lab, which allows her to be on the lake "working with fish and gathering data."

“In my field of natural resources, most jobs require at least a master’s degree, and you have to do some sort of research," Chirvasa said. "Getting this head start on that is going to be super beneficial, and I’m also building a lot of good skills."

The undergraduate research program at Utah State, which received the 2020 Award for Undergraduate Research Achievements, helps students develop presentation skills and become more effective communicators through opportunities like Research on Capitol Hill and the upcoming Student Research Symposium. That symposium, part of USU's annual Research Week, will be held on April 12-13 in the Merrill-Cazier Library.

Instead is produced by the USU Office of Research and hosted by Wyatt Archer. Each episode features conversations with Utah State University researchers who are working to address Utah's — and the world's — challenges.