Our lab member, Rüveyda Zehra Ögütverici, completed her internship in June 2025 at the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory of the METU Institute of Marine Sciences (Mersin), where she worked with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Korhan Özkan and his research team.

During her internship, she participated in ongoing mesocosm experiments designed to simulate warming and salinization scenarios under future climate change conditions. Her work included sample collection and the measurement of physicochemical variables such as pH, chlorophyll-a, and nutrients, as well as involvement in heatwave and salinization experiments.

Through this experience, she gained hands-on training in ecological measurements and developed insights into carbon cycling, the functional roles of sediments, zooplankton, and phytoplankton, and the ecological impacts of heatwaves and salinization in lake ecosystems.

We sincerely thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Korhan Özkan and the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory team for their mentorship, support, and collaboration.