From the Great Salt Lake to the Country’s Coasts

Although Katie Figueroa Beltran, a Columbia College junior, hails from a landlocked state–Utah–her intellectual interests have drawn her toward the ocean, as she pursues her intellectual interest in marine biology. Beltran holds a prestigious Kluge Scholarship, one of only a handful of named scholarships for students with “remarkable academic and personal achievements.” She caught up with Columbia News to discuss her path to Columbia, her experience researching seals and salmon, and her favorite spots to grab a bite on campus.

Can you tell us a bit about your National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries internship this summer? What was your research project, and what did you find out?

I worked on understanding how harbor seals might be impacting salmon populations along the Pacific West Coast. Salmon are really important for the environment and economy, and there's concern that seals may be eating too many of them. There’s a big concern on whether they are eating young salmon at the stage of development where they are known as “smolts,” which is when they are young and most vulnerable.

To figure out what the seals are eating, we looked at their whiskers using a method that analyzes different elements, like carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. These elements help us see whether the seals are eating fish from freshwater (like salmon) or from the ocean. We found that seals eat more salmon during certain times of the year, especially when young salmon smolts are entering the ocean, and that this varies between different seals over the years. This research could help guide future decisions on how to protect both seals and salmon.

For the first two weeks of my internship, I was in San Diego, California, where I took a course on complex systems and learned about the different sectors and departments within NOAA. The remaining eight weeks were spent in Newport, Oregon, at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, a partner of NOAA.

You're from Salt Lake City. When did you first see the ocean? Did the Great Salt Lake get you interested in marine biology?

I am from Salt Lake City, however, my parents often took me to California, so I saw the ocean at a young age. Probably when I was around 7 years old. I was a bit scared of the ocean growing up because the waves were intimidating, but that fear has gone away. The Great Salt Lake did not get me interested in marine biology, but it got me interested in science in general! In elementary school, I learned about the Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem and became interested in learning more about ecology and wildlife. I first learned about marine biology and conservation through the kids show, “Wild Kratts.” It’s a show on PBS Kids that highlights two brothers who travel the world to study animals and their habitats.

In 2022, I went on a trip to Bali, Indonesia, where I worked on a coral reef restoration project. It was that trip that really confirmed that I wanted to explore marine life more and since then I have been hooked. 

You just started as a research assistant at the Climate School's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. What are you doing there?

I am working in the Microbial Evolution and Biogeochemistry group in Sarah Hurley’s lab. For this research project, I went down the food chain and am researching phytoplankton, microscopic marine algae. Right now, I am cultivating plankton to test how it is adapting its carbon fixation mechanisms in response to climate change. I just started working on this project and I am still learning! 

What do you like to get up to when you aren’t doing research or studying?

I have recently been into collecting vintage vinyls! I love soul music from the 1950s to the 1970s and I found a record store in Brooklyn called the Human Head that has a great selection of vintage vinyls. It’s my new go to record store and I am currently looking for a Barbara Mason vinyl. Photo below is a picture of my record player. 

What's something you didn't expect to love about Columbia that you do?

I didn’t expect to love the random events that the University does for students, for example, when they do ice cream on the Low Library steps, or hold events on the University’s lawns. I appreciate when they do the events because they always have food or snacks! 

What's your favorite dining hall and dish there?

My favorite dining hall is definitely Hewitt, I am a Barnard dining hall lover. I love their mac and cheese and cucumber salad!