Cal Lutheran Professor Named Inaugural Faculty Fellow

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Feb. 26, 2024 - PRLog -- In recognition of her noteworthy research and exemplary teaching record, Megan K. Fung, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at California Lutheran University, has been selected for the Cal Lutheran Faculty Fellowship Program.

The 16-month, inaugural fellowship runs through May 2025 and was made possible through a donation by Dr. Laureen Hill '83 and her husband, Mica Hill. Laureen Hill is a member of the Cal Lutheran Board of Regents. The fellowship honors Fung by underwriting her faculty position and is budget-relieving.

Most of Fung's current research involves looking at marine sediment cores taken from the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain.  "I am looking at these microfossils to determine if there is a threshold to biotic response following a series of brief and intense warming events. Although these events occurred about 55 million years ago, they are vitally important because they are our best analogs to modern climate change."

By evaluating how different ecosystems responded to past periods of environmental stressors, like warming and ocean acidification, Fung can better understand and predict how organisms living in the ocean today might react to contemporary climate change. These results can then inform and help guide policymakers. Learn more at http://www.CalLutheran.edu.