Kevin Johnson took a top honor at the inaugural Emerging Researchers National Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, held Feb. 24 and 25 in Washington, D.C.

A biology major, Johnson won first place in the Ecology, Environmental and Earth Sciences division for his poster presentation.

He summarized research he started last summer, when he worked with graduate student Erin Stanfield. The project began as an internship with the Santa Cruz Water Department, a position that was arranged through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center at CSU Monterey Bay and funded by the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.

His research involves observing what types of cyanobacteria – a blue-green algae – are present in Loch Lomond and Pinto Lake, and whether or not they have the potential to produce microcystin, a liver toxin that has been linked to sea otter deaths in Monterey Bay. The World Health Organization has set limits on the amount of microcystin in sources of recreational and drinking water.

“We are looking at Pinto Lake in Watsonville because it’s a recreational body of water that has produced large blooms of cyanobacteria. And we’re looking at Loch Lomond because it’s the source of drinking water for Santa Cruz,” Johnson said. “We’re using both environmental and molecular lab techniques in order to identify potential toxicity at each lake.

“This research will inform water management agencies in Watsonville and Santa Cruz regarding water quality,” Johnson said.

The conference was designed to help students enhance their science communication skills, better understand how to prepare for science careers in a global workforce, and to find out about summer, graduate school, and employment opportunities. It was co-sponsored by American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Foundation and aimed at students who participate in programs funded by the NSF. His travel expenses, registration fees and hotel were covered by the AAAS.

"This is a great example of how research mentoring can propel our students to academic and research excellence," said Dr. Bill Head, director of UROC.

The junior from San Benito County has had experience talking about his work. He was selected to attend the CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) conference in early January, where he also made a poster presentation.