ORONO – Sarah A. Hall, a marine biology major in the University of Maine School of Marine Science, was a co-winner of the President’s Award for the best undergraduate research presentation made at the 47th Annual Northeast Algal Society meeting held April 18-20.

Hall, who is from Waterville and will graduate in May, shared the top prize with a student from the University of New Brunswick-Fredericton.

Hall presented her senior Capstone research project, “The Flora of the Rocky Intertidal Zone in Acadia National Park, Maine.”

Included in her presentation made at the University of New Hampshire were results about the use of DNA bar-coding for the identification of algal crusts and a sample page from a guide, that should be available to visitors later this year, to the common marine algae of the park.

Joseph Stachelek, another UM marine biology major, also made a presentation at the NEAS meeting regarding different elements of the same research project.

The NEAS is a regional organization dedicated to furthering phycological (the study of algae) research and education in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.