Editor’s Note: This article was written and submitted by representatives of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.
National Geographic Magazine recently interviewed a Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District (BMCHSD) student about the unique research she conducted in Summer 2012.
Calhoun High School senior Sara Bey will be featured as part of a documentary profiling horseshoe crab research labs around the globe. Bey spent her summer working at the Center for Estuarine, Environmental and Coastal Oceans Monitoring (CEECOM) at Dowling College.
Bey's research project focuses on threats to the density of the Long Island horse shoe crab population. Horse shoe crabs are the source of Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), a chemical used in the medical field to detect bacterial endotoxins. In addition, the eggs of horseshoe crabs feed millions of migrating shore birds each year, including species that may be on the verge of endangerment.
By surveying 13 beaches in New York, Bey hopes to determine the consequences of off-shore boating and the use of horse shoe crabs as bait.
Bey's research will play a vital role in protecting the horse shoe crab population.
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