Kristen Quaglia, a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, was recently awarded the prestigious Arthur J. Schmitt Fellowship. The Arthur J. Schmitt Fellowship identifies talented Marquette doctoral students and fosters their development as socially responsible leaders in the Marquette community and beyond.
One of the goals of the fellowship is to further students’ formation as leaders working for positive social change in the spirit of Marquette and Arthur J. Schmitt. This vision is accomplished through supporting their doctoral studies and promoting leadership development and opportunities.
Quaglia’s research focuses on mechanisms organisms use to cope with increasing temperatures, often due to the effects of climate change. Quaglia notes, “rising surface temperatures, even slightly above optimal living temperatures, can impact organisms by decreasing their fertility and their ability to reproduce.”
With an everchanging environment due to the impacts of climate change, Quaglia’s timely research aims to understand how organisms can reproduce despite these environmental changes by studying the mechanics of programmed cell death in the reproductive tissues of organisms.
Quaglia presented her research at WiSER (Wisconsin Science Education and Research Consortium) Conference hosted at the Medical College of Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 5. She will also present her work at the 25th International C. elegans Meeting in June 2025, hosted at the University of California Davis.
Quaglia credits the Arthur J. Fellowship with allowing her more dedicated time to focus on conducting her research and writing her dissertation, as well as time to engage in leadership opportunities with other student leaders across campus.
When Quaglia is not researching and writing, she enjoys spending time outside around Milwaukee, playing in various softball and volleyball leagues, and curling up with a book and her cat, Greta.
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