Celebrating Graduate Student Research

Christopher Ellison, a graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has been selected as the winner of the 2007 Edward A. Frieman Prize, an annual recognition by Scripps of excellence in graduate student research. Ellison was honored at an award ceremony held Sept. 6 on the Scripps campus.

The 12th recipient of the Frieman Prize, Ellison was recognized for his research paper, "Disruption of mitochondrial function in interpopulation hybrids of Tigriopus californicus," which was published in the July 2006 issue of the scientific journal, Evolution. It was co-authored by Ellison's advisor, Scripps professor of marine biology Ron Burton. Ellison's paper was chosen as the favorite of 17 papers submitted to a committee of Scripps faculty, which covered topics ranging from biology to volcanology.

The Frieman Prize was established in 1996 to celebrate the 70th birthday of Scripps Oceanography's eighth director, Edward A. Frieman, who led Scripps from 1986 to 1996. The prize is awarded annually to a Scripps graduate student who has published an outstanding research paper in the past 12 months, as evaluated by a Scripps faculty committee. Each student winner is awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a certificate.

Burton said that Ellison's research of hybrid breakdown in marine crustaceans was an intensive effort. Hybrid breakdown is a phenomenon in which the breeding of two genetically diverged animals produces weaker or unhealthier offspring due to genetic incompatibilities in the first generation. Ellison dedicated months to breeding obscure copepods in the lab, making tedious genetic crosses, developing biochemical assays, and carefully counting specimen eggs and mortality, all under controlled lab conditions. The lengthy process paid off as Ellison's work successfully uncovered one of the first cases in which specific genes involved in hybrid incompatibility were identified.

"In addition to informing us about evolutionary processes," Burton said, "the work has important implications for a variety of biomedical and agricultural practices, such as stem cell production and cloning of domestic animals."

Ellison expressed his gratitude to Scripps and the Frieman family for recognizing and rewarding his research.

"It is infinitely gratifying to know, not only that one's work is appreciated, but also, that someone of Dr. Frieman's stature recognizes student research taking place at Scripps," Ellison said. "I've known several of the past recipients of the Frieman Prize and I respect their work immensely, so it is an undeniable honor to be in their rarefied company with this award."

Ellison, who is completing his sixth year of graduate studies at Scripps, received his bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Oregon, Corvallis, in June 2002.

—Shannon Casey