Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Amalia Aruda works at the Wash-A-Shore oyster aquaculture farm in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, an experience that hooked her on research. (Courtesy Amalia Aruda)

By Theodora Danylevich

Amalia Aruda came to Georgetown and Dr. Peter Armbruster’s lab with a clear focus and passion for pursuing research in Biology and Environmental Science and an impressive record in research and lab assistance work dating back to high school.

Hailing from Wilmington, Massachusetts, a small town 19 miles north of Boston, Aruda attended the Winsor School, a private all-girls school in Boston, from grades 5 to 12.

“At Winsor I discovered my love for science and the environment and had some amazing teachers who encouraged me to pursue these fields, ” she says. Aruda spent her last two summers of high school as a researcher at the Wash-A-Shore oyster aquaculture farm in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. There, she began to realize her enduring passion for biological and environmental research, earning her first research grant, from Wellfleet Shellfish Promotion and Tasting (SPAT), with her work culminating in a poster, PowerPoint presentation, and teaching three middle school classes on the process of oyster aquaculture.

When she came to Georgetown, Aruda began her lab work with Dr. Martha Weiss, assisting in research concerning eating behavior and learning in praying mantids. The following summer, Aruda was accepted as a Summer Guest Student at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (funded by the Georgetown Howard Hughes Scholar Program), where she produced a research project entitled “A Molecular Investigation of Copepod Diapause.” Diapause is a resting period in insects and other animals, where, unlike hibernation, development is suspended for a particular period of time before the organism proceeds to the adult stage. Her research on diapause in the copepod Calanus finmarchicus, a planktonic crustacean, is what initially drew her to Dr. Armbruster’s lab after academic advisor Dr. Joe Neale told her it would be a good fit.

“I was curious to see whether there were any commonalities in the molecular regulation of the diapause periods in both species,” she says. “I find diapause research very interesting and pertinent because it is a period that is fundamental to the biology of many creatures, copepods and mosquitoes alike, yet so little is known about its molecular regulation in most species.”

She is currently working in Dr. Armbruster's lab, investigating the molecular basis of photoperiodic diapause in the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. Photoperiodic diapause is a critical adaptation for many insects that inhabit temperate areas, since it occurs in response to changing day length.

“Despite the integral importance of photoperiodic diapause in both Aedes albopictus and a broad range of insects inhabiting temperate environments, the molecular regulation of this crucial adaptation is not well understood,” explains Aruda. “Aedes albopictus provides a unique opportunity for studying diapause because it inhabits a broad geographic range including tropical populations that do not undergo photoperiodic diapause and temperate populations that do.”

Pleased with the opportunities that Dr. Armbruster’s lab has offered her, Aruda says, “My experience in the Armbruster lab has resulted not only in the mastery of important molecular techniques, but also insight into the science behind the design, methods, and results of our experiments and those in science literature.

“There's nothing like getting involved in a research lab to gain a true understanding of the frustrations and excitement of the scientific process,” she adds.

Though her recent work with insects has been an instructive and satisfying venture, Aruda plans to attend graduate school after Georgetown, to pursue a Ph.D. in biological oceanography, in line with her original site of inspiration, working at the Wash-A-Shore oyster aquaculture farm in Wellfleet. After graduate school, she can see herself continuing a career in research or getting involved in marine policy, since she is also quite passionate about public awareness and education on environmental issues.

“I see my research experience in Dr. Armbruster's lab as fundamental to either one of these career paths as they both rely on a solid understanding of the scientific process and on accurately interpreting scientific literature,” she adds.

In her third year of undergraduate studies at Georgetown, Aruda is pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science. A proud recipient of the prestigious Henry David Thoreau Scholar Award, a substantial 4-year scholarship and grant for study in the environmental sciences, Aruda is additionally a Clare Boothe Luce scholar for 2007-2008 (an award and scholarship to promote the advancement of women in science) and has been a Georgetown Howard Hughes Scholar since her freshman year.

“Outside of the sciences, I love to read, run, bike, play soccer, and spend time at the beach on Cape Cod,” says Aruda, who is excited about learning how to surf. “Most of all,” she adds, “I love to spend time with friends and family traveling, talking, and eating.”

Print Article