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Xuefeng “Nick” Peng is an alumnus of the ��������'s Semester in Environmental Science program (2008) and Microbial Diversity course (2014).

Nick Peng is an assistant professor in the School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment in the College of Arts and Sciences who joined the university this past spring. Peng completed his Ph.D. at Princeton University and did his post-doctoral work at the University of California Santa Barbara. His focus is on the interactions of marine microorganisms, and he’s hoping to develop a new course that will enable students to learn the techniques for deciphering the identity and function of microorganisms present in any particular environment.

You began your baccalaureate studies in a liberal arts curriculum at Connecticut College. How did you get interested in studying marine environments?

A faculty mentor suggested doing a study away program at �������� in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and I met a number of ecosystem scientists who were studying the flow of different chemical elements in terrestrial and aquatic environments. I thought that was fascinating, and because they worked so closely with us, I could see what it was like to be a scientist. Before that, the idea of ‘scientist’ was just an abstract term for me. At ��������, I realized I could be a scientist, too. At Princeton, I participated in a few oceanographic research cruises and got a lot of great experience. 

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