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Derek Wu, originally from Hereford, Maryland, is an Honors College student and Eugene du Pont Scholar, double majoring in biological sciences and environmental science, with a minor in biochemistry. He began studying human impacts on tree growth in urban settings with Tara Trammell,
the John Bartram Associate Professor of Urban Forestry in the
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences during the spring of his first
year. A research experience at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
expanded his interest to environmental microbiology and led to a
publication which is currently under review. It will be Wu’s second
publication — he is first author of a textbook chapter on physiological
and biochemical adaptations of microorganisms in extreme environments
which is used by biological sciences professor Carlton Cooper in his
introductory microbiology course.
Wu’s future research will include microbiology in both marine waters
and in soil. He will work at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in
Sarasota, Florida, this summer and with Jennifer Biddle,
professor in the UD’s School of Marine Science and Policy, next year.
During his senior year he will also work with Trammell on a project
examining how an invasive shrub called the multiflora rose may be
altering the microbial communities in the soil in which they grow. After
graduating from UD, he plans to pursue a doctorate in microbiology,
with the goal of becoming a microbiology professor who encourages
students to pursue their niche interests in biology to achieve their
research and professional goals.