Sanaa Caldwell spent most of her time as a child plastered in front of the TV watching Animal Planet and National Geographic. She always aspired to be like Steve Irwin, watching all of his shows and dreaming of the day when she could be just like him. The day that changed everything for Sanaa was in 2018, when she went to SeaWorld — and from then on, she made it her mission to significantly contribute to the conservation efforts for marine life.
In the Summer of 2023, Sanaa earned a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from Old Dominion University and plans to attend graduate school to study microbiology. As a Chrysalis Fund Intern with Black Women in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Science (BWEEMS), Sanaa received support to pursue her passion for coral conservation.
Sanaa began her internship in the summer of 2022 by designing a research project on coral microbiomes. She wanted to learn what bacteria might help corals tolerate increasing ocean temperatures associated with global climate change. To help answer this question, she planned to conduct rRNA sequencing from two populations of mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) in the Florida Keys.
“One of the main challenges I faced was finding protocols that worked for my species,” Sanaa says. “Every time I made progress, I would hit another roadblock that would take months to figure out. It was discouraging at first, because nobody tells you that the biggest part of being a scientist is troubleshooting.”
Funding from the Chrysalis Fund allowed her to successfully troubleshoot issues throughout her proposal and develop new protocols for her proposed research project.
In June 2023, Sanaa attended the 5th Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium, in Singapore to present a poster about her planned coral microbiome study. Attending her first conference allowed her to network with coral biologists and piqued her interest in new and exciting coral research topics. In November 2023, she attended Black in Marine Science (BIMS) Week, where she met other Black marine scientists in different stages of their careers. Through this conference, she was able to connect with other students who reassured her that she was not alone in facing challenges with her project. Sanaa found that BIMS Week revitalized her drive and confidence as a scientist and helped foster amazing connections within the marine science community.
Through her internship, Sanaa learned about the ups and downs of designing research projects and gained confidence as a scientist. Although she might have sometimes struggled with self-doubt during the experience, BWEEMS was immediately confident in her abilities. They shared that they selected Sanaa as an intern because of her research questions, enthusiasm, and potential as a researcher.
