Emily enjoys reading, writing, running, playing the piano, singing and acting. Emily "likes marine animals and the ocean" and hopes to become a marine biologist or genetics counselor.
Her parents, both scientists, are Emily's mentors. They have "encouraged me to ask questions and seek answers," says Emily.
Emily's interest in marine biology led her to study the Great Salt Lake, the closest body of salt water to her home. Emily decided to study the ways different environmental factors affect the hatch rate of brine shrimp eggs and the implications for the unique habitat of the Great Salt Lake. She consulted a brine shrimp specialist about her inquiry, methodology and supplies.
Emily examined the effects of salinity, light and temperature on the hatch rate of brine shrimp eggs (cysts). Each test lasted 48 hours, and after each 24-hour period, Emily checked the number of cysts with a microscope. While she hypothesized that an 8 percent salinity level would produce the best hatch rate, because that is the lake's normal salinity level, Emily discovered that 3 percent salinity produced the best hatch rate. Light produced only a slightly better hatch rate than darkness, and room temperature supported the highest hatch rate as compared with other temperatures. Emily concluded that in order to maintain a brine shrimp population large enough to provide an important food source for endangered birds; annual spring runoff must be kept running into the Great Salt Lake and must not be diverted for other uses.
