Through Small Organisms, Grad Student Seeks to Understand Ecosystems On and Beyond Earth
by Erica Corliss, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
July 31, 2024
Driven by a curiosity to understand the origin of life on Earth, Benjy Sedano-Herrera is seeking answers to life’s biggest questions through small organisms known as cyanobacteria. This group of organisms inspired him to become a biologist in the first place.
“Cyanobacteria are one of the coolest bacteria on Earth,” says Sedano-Herrera, a master’s student currently working in Nicole Pietrasiak’s lab in the School of Life Sciences at UNLV.
While his research is tiny, his reach is worldwide. He completed his undergraduate degree in Peru before coming to UNLV. He has industriously expanded his network with scientists across the globe and landed an internship with a biotechnology company in Amsterdam.
“Sedano-Herrera is an inquisitive scholar who is unstoppable when it comes to motivation and curiosity,” says Pietrasiak, associate professor of sustainability in arid lands.
For Sedano-Herrera, this is the beginning of his professional journey. He plans to explore the unique ways cyanobacteria adapt and thrive in extreme environments — making them potential organisms of interest for future space exploration.
“Following graduate school,” he says, “I picture myself working in an international environment, such as the European Space Agency, with a focus on understanding the evolution of life on Earth and exploring potential ways to discover life beyond our planet.”
Sedano-Herrera received the Forrest Shreve Research Award from the Ecological Society of America for his work investigating cyanobacteria and biological crusts in the Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts. He credits Pietrasiak and other colleagues and collaborators at UNLV for motivating him to pursue his graduate degree here.
Keep reading: https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/through-small-organisms-grad-student-seeks-understand-ecosystems-and-beyond-earth
Read the ESA press release: https://ecologicalsocietyofamerica.org/blog/2024/05/30/esa-announces-recipients-of-2024-awards/