What led you to majoring in Biology, particularly the Computational Biology route?
Ever since I was little I’ve been intrigued by the natural environment and its mechanisms. In particular, I was drawn to microbes. I am fascinated by how complicated it all is and think it's really fun to be in a lab or in the field observing these mechanisms in real time.
I chose to study computational biology because coding is key for strong data analysis and science communication. The research fields I am interested in use large amounts of data and to use the data, it must first be processed. Coming into my first classes at Barnard, I learned that there is so much data available to the public but not enough researchers to analyze it. I wanted to have strong coding skills to independently be able to access this data and pursue research questions using it.
How did you first get into research at Barnard?
I participated in the Summer Research Institute (SRI) in my freshman summer, where I worked as an undergraduate researcher at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. I conducted a research project with my principal investigator, Olivia Clifton. Over the summer, we studied trends in tropospheric ozone and the role of stomatal ozone deposition over the Hungarian Great Plains, a region where air quality monitoring has historically been underfunded. That summer, I gained experience using global climate model outputs and satellite data and relating that data back to biological mechanisms. These are skills I was able to learn by building on the Computer Science and Biology classes I was taking at the time.
Because of this research experience, I learned that I was really interested in studying air-sea gas exchange and how atmospheric chemistry can impact trends in biological mechanisms, such as plant growth and proliferation. I continued pursuing these research interests in the following years of research that I did and I'm now at a point where I believe that I want to pursue a PhD in biological oceanography. I want to build a career where I contribute to conversations around atmospheric chemistry, oceanography and climate change.
What is your current research focused on? What do you value about it?
I am currently a Fellow for the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN). My research looks at the relationship between algal blooms and coastal acidification in the Mid-Atlantic area. Coastal acidification is the long-term and short-term decline in pH due to eutrophication, excess nutrient input and warming waters, among other drivers. Although low pH events due to algae is not new, the increased frequency and magnitude of algal blooms over the past decades has led to the degradation of marine ecosystems across the world. Acidification reduces the availability of calcium carbonate, an essential mineral that calcifying organisms like shellfish and corals (and even some kinds of plankton!) need to build their skeletons.
Algal blooms are one of the drivers of acidification. My research focuses on identifying whether proxies of algal bloom data, like satellite chlorophyll products, can be used to infer and forecast coastal acidification events. To note, ocean color captured by satellites has a lot of its own caveats for research use –– it is constrained to the surface layer and pixel coverage is limited by clouds, especially during the winter months. Nonetheless, it still offers more data than what is available from in-situ data, and my collaborators and I see a lot of potential in using it as a supplement for acidification monitoring along the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
I really value this research because it aims to identify whether an alternative, data rich satellite product can be used to supplement water quality monitoring for areas that cannot afford to conduct high frequency and long-term monitoring themselves. It excites me to be able to couple well-known biological and chemical relationships along with novel satellite technology to infer acidification, which in turn can help prepare communities and fisheries against negative biological repercussions.
My research is very environment/climate focused yet also pulls a lot of inspiration from the classes that I've taken as a Computational Biology major. Being able to take classes on ocean chemistry and biology, as well as classes solely focused on analyzing environmental and biological data through coding software, have helped me learn what methods I can use to pursue my research questions, as well as what biogeochemical relationships are occurring that could inform my results analysis.
What advice would you give students interested in pursuing research in Biology?
I would say to not be afraid of taking on intellectual challenges because they will help you grow into a better researcher and better community member. Don't be afraid of taking difficult classes or learning new skills that are famed to be “too difficult”. For example, I was scared of chemistry for the longest time and thought I wouldn’t be capable of doing well in the class. Yet, I knew that it would be critical to take it in order to develop my career as an oceanographer. After taking General Chemistry with Michael Campbell, who made learning chemistry a fun and welcoming experience, I realized that it was one of my favorite subjects and even decided to minor in it. What I'm trying to get at is that challenging yourself will open new opportunities that you didn't even know existed, and help show you what fields of biology do and don’t intrigue you. Don't be afraid to ask questions and to be vulnerable in your research career–being authentic in your work will really help you feel supported and welcome in your community.
Lastly, I would say to always bring your research back to a bigger purpose. We live in a world where so many people believe that science exists in a vacuum but it doesn't. Biology is the science of living things, and if you operate under the idea that the success of your work is determined by what accolades you get or how much grant money you earn, your research will never have as much impact as it should.
Be an active community member that advocates for others, make your science communication more accessible, and think about who your research is impacting.
What do you like to do outside of academia?
Outside of school and research, I love to surround myself in nature and hang out with my friends and family. Whenever I can, I go out to the ocean to surf, snorkel, and swim around with my friends. I love to stay active as well– I am the president of the Women's Club volleyball team and am also currently training for my second Marathon this November here in NYC. I also really like walking in Riverside or Central Park because I can see tons of well-groomed dogs and can pet them if I’m lucky!
Learn more about Nichole Ruiz:
- Her LinkedIn
- The Columbia Women’s Club Volleyball instagram page
- Her MACAN Fellowship Project Presentation
- FATIMA BAGOM '26
