From Hawaiʻi to New Haven: Undergrad Intern Ann Tokoyoda Presents Research at Yale University

In February, Ann Tokoyoda attended the Yale Undergraduate Research Conference, the biggest undergraduate research conference in the nation, alongside more than 400 undergraduate researchers from around the world. The weekend was both rewarding and fun, bringing together students across disciplines to share original research.

Ann was selected to deliver a 15-minute oral presentation in the Natural Sciences, where she presented Annie Innes-Gold’s research on coral reef halo dynamics. In addition to her talk, she participated in a research poster session alongside Yale University graduate students, introducing coral reef halo research to audiences unfamiliar with this line of research.

A highlight of the conference was the opportunity to speak with Nobel Laureate James E. Rothman, reflecting the caliber of young scholars the event brings together. A piece of advice he shared about research during his speech stayed with her: “We must never let ourselves fall into thinking ‘ignorabimus’ (we shall never know), but must have every confidence that the day will dawn when even those processes of life which are still a puzzle today will cease to be inaccessible to us natural scientists” -E. Buschner.

From engaging workshop sessions geared toward graduate school to an unexpected snowstorm that briefly stranded attendees in New York City, the weekend was truly unforgettable.

Ann extends her sincere gratitude to the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology’s Madin Lab for the opportunity to contribute to this research, and to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program for supporting her travel through the UROP Presentation Grant.