Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Protected Species Observing
October 2024-Present
Work History
As a visual Protected Species Observer, I have monitored exclusion and buffer zones for protected species during nearshore pile driving/dredging operations, as well as geophysical and geotechnical windfarm/oil and gas operations within the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific and the North Atlantic. I have gained hands on experience using devices and software for monitoring and data collection/reporting such as Night Vision Devices (NVDs), big eye binoculars, and Mysticetus. I provide guidance to ensure compliance with environmental regulations per the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Graduate Research
July 2023-March 2026
University of Miami: Dr. Paul Sikkel's Lab
Dr. Paul Sikkel and his lab focus on marine host-parasite interactions on coral reefs. They observe a specific parasite called gnathiids, and are one of very few groups that study them. I have had the very fortunate opportunity to work with them at a couple of different sites within the Caribbean. In July 2023, we spent three weeks collecting data in Jamaica. We ended up collecting five different species of gnathiids and had to return in February of 2024 to collect more specimens. I was also able to assist with the first-ever sampling in Grenada in January of 2024. The majority of the responsibilities I have when I attend these trips include setting light traps, catching fish with cast nets and hand nets (using freediving skills), assisting with fish cage sets, and sorting through samples obtained in light trap/cage sets.
North Atlantic Right Whale Social Science Research
Currently, for my masters project I am working on a social science project involving stakeholder perceptions to NOAA's 2021 proposed amendment to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. My main research objectives include (1) identifying which stakeholder groups participated in the rulemaking process through public comment; (2) identifying topics of concern among different stakeholder groups and across different geographical areas; and, (3) understanding how feedback from the proposed rule relates to the final rule. This work will be finished by August 2024 and will be presented at the University of Miami. I am also hoping to submit it for publication upon completion.
June 2023-August 2024
Overview of Background and Responsibilities
My internship through NOAA Fisheries was a hybrid position at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, FL. I worked with the communications team on a variety of different content and strategies. This included developing social media content, writing blog posts, and brainstorming ideas with the team on different ways to engage/educate the public on the amazing research being conducted at the center. Through this position, I had the opportunity to assist with the annual fall groundfish survey on a NOAA ship, which you can read more about here. You can also learn more about my background information and responsibilities at the science center here.
Diver's Paradise
August 2022-Present
Overview of Background and Responsibilities
I began working at Diver's Paradise in August of 2022 shortly after I moved to Miami for grad school. Here, I began working as a divemaster where I led dives and helped facilitate safe diving practices. In September of 2024, I got my PADI Open Water Instructor Certification and am My responsibilities include moving tanks over to the boat and helping to get the boat ready prior to trips, helping customers get safely onto the boat and assisting them with setting up their gear, deploying down lines and mooring onto buoys, tying into wreck sites, giving dive briefings and debriefings before and after a trip, leading groups during dives, assisting with docking and undocking procedures, and filling tanks and washing equipment after we dock the boat.
Some of the dive sites that I have lead include Neptune Memorial Reef, Sheri-Lynn, Paraiso, Squall Reef, RJ's Ledge, Emerald Reef, Belcher's Barge, Rainbow Reef, Ophelia, O'rion, HV Banger, Tortuga, Patricia, and Army Tanks.
Elasmobranch Field Research Skills
September 2022-December 2022
Class Structure and Material
During the Fall 2022 semester of grad school, I took an elasmobranch field research skills class. On Tuesdays we met for lectures where we learned about shark identification and proper shark handling, ethics in a field work setting, and practiced developing research proposals for the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC).
On Saturdays we met for our field days, where we learned hands on skills such as docking and undocking procedures, how to set up different fishing gear such as longlines and drumlines, and how to complete workups on different shark species. Workups consisted of taking pre-caudal length, total length, and girth measurements, taking blood samples, fin clips, biopsies, tagging, salt water pump placement, and tail restraint.
Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co.
May 2019-May 2022
Work History
Following my freshman year of college, I started working at Bar Harbor Whale Watch during the summer 2019 season as a ticket sales representative. My responsibilities mainly consisted of selling retail and creating tour reservations for customers. During the summer of 2020, I got promoted to a manager position and gained more responsibility consisting of training staff, assisting with retail orders, loading passengers onto our vessels, assisting with the implementation of a new reservation system, assisting vessels at our fuel dock, and collaborating with other tour companies and cruise directors. During the 2021 and 2022 season, I did managerial work 4 days a week in the office and worked as a deckhand 2 days a week, mostly on the Friendship V. My responsibilities as a deckhand included line handling, docking and undocking procedures, ensuring passenger safety for the duration of the trip, helping passengers with sea sickness, and cleaning up the boat after trips.
T-shirt Design
In 2022, I designed and printed t-shirts with my photography on them and sold them at the Bar Harbor Whale Watch office. I donated a portion of my profits to different organizations based on the photography on the shirt (Baxter State Park and the Marine Mammal Center).
Research
Prior to the 2021 whale watch season, I discussed my research proposal with my school advisor, the lead naturalist, head captain, and general manager at Bar Harbor Whale Watch. My work colleagues agreed to allow me to conduct research on the boat during the days that I worked as a deckhand, similar to how interns at Allied Whale delegated their tasks while working on the boat.
Research was conducted between Frenchman Bay and Grand Manan Banks during the months of May 2021-August 2021 and May 2022-August 2022, however only data from 2021 has been analyzed. Data such as dive time, surface time, inter-breath-interval, and respiratory rate were recorded before and after foraging dives of humpback and fin whales, and were compared to previously published resting-state respiratory behavior metrics in research conducted by Keen & Qualls (2017). The goal of the study was to gain a better understanding on the recovery period of humpback and fin whales before initiating a subsequent foraging dive, along with how respiratory metrics differ during feeding times compared to resting times. It was hypothesized that respiratory rate would be higher and surface time would be longer among whales that had just completed full foraging dives, indicating a higher metabolic rate and a higher cost of energy. Additionally, I was able to collaborate with interns from Allied Whale who were taking photo ID's of whales and identifying them through the Allied Whale humpback whale catalog, which allowed me to collect respiratory data on individually identified whales.
For a more detailed account on this research and results, you can view my report "Examining respiratory behavior in Megaptera novaeangliae and Balaenoptera physalus in the Gulf of Maine" under the Education tab or by clicking here.
GoDive Mossel Bay Internship
January 2022-April 2022
Background of Interest
I was initially interested in applying for this program in 2019 and had sent in my application for summer of 2020. This was when the internship was just through White Shark Africa. After COVID hit, I received an email about a month later informing me that the program had closed indefinitely. Of course this was disheartening to hear, but given the circumstances had come to terms with the fact that I may not be able to study abroad or complete an internship abroad. A couple years later, I came close to participating in a program in Alaska when I saw that the internship program in Mossel Bay, Africa reopened and had also teamed up with GoDive to include scuba diving in the program. I ended up applying and got accepted, and I chose to follow my heart in what I thought was best for me. This program provided a lot of "firsts" for me. It was the first time that I traveled alone outside of the United States, I dove for the first time ever here, worked with sharks for the first time, met some amazing people and made lifelong friends, and the list goes on! This program also allowed me to form a greater love and appreciation for sharks.
White Shark Africa
One of our responsibilities as interns was to work as crew on the cage diving vessels through White Shark Africa. We gave cage briefings to clients on the vessel, helped get the cage in and out of the water, gave clients surveys before and after the trips to gauge what their perception/attitude was towards sharks and if/how it changed, and took photographs for fin ID's of great white sharks. These photographs were later uploaded and analyzed to gain a better understanding of the great white shark population in the area and to see what individuals were returning. We also recorded lat. and long. coordinates of where the sharks were seen, estimated size, time of arrival and departure, and any notable scars or markings.
Tagging and Breaching Behavior
At least 3 times a month, we would go out on fishing trips to help with ongoing research to take biopsies of bronze-whaler sharks. Although we did not get the opportunity to do this despite effort, we were able to tag a couple of pyjama sharks with acoustic tags. We also went on a few early morning trips to Seal Island to see if white sharks were beginning to feed in the area. Additionally, we deployed baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) for 40 minutes-an hour at a time to assess the biodiversity in the area.
Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Center (SAPREC)
We volunteered at SAPREC 1-2 days per week. Our responsibilities at SAPREC included cleaning the hospital, enclosures, and pools, handling and feeding the penguins and seabirds, walking the beaches in and around Mossel Bay to see if there were any injured birds, assisting with releases of rehabilitated birds, and fundraising for SAPREC. For fundraising, we helped with social media and designed t-shirts to be sold through the organization.
Beach Cleans
Once a week, interns would clean up areas along the coast, mostly at Dias and Santos beach in Mossel Bay. The type of trash collected was noted on data sheets along with the amount of each type of trash. These data sheets were then uploaded to the Swell app, a database that is used worldwide to develop statistics on how effective cleaning up the area is, along with the most common items that are picked up the most in that area.
Scuba Certifications and Training
When I started the program, I was completely new to diving. I obtained my open water, advanced open water, nitrox, rescue diver, and divemaster certifications while undergoing this program. Elton Polly, the head of NAUI Africa, and JP Henreichson were the instructors who certified me. While in South Africa, I finished with a total of 70 dives. Our training included a wide variety of dives, including deep dives, night dives, low visibility dives, shore entry dives, boat entry dives, search and recovery dives, navigation dives, rescues dives, and leading dives. As part of our training, we also gave 3 presentations each on dive gear, diving practices, and diving courses offered through NAUI.
Outreach and Education
Towards the end of our program, the other interns and I put together a fun interactive presentation for children ages 10-19 at a local school and we included different information about basic marine ecology, as well as information about scuba diving and the internship program. We shared our experience and answered questions about any inquiries or marine science related questions. This ended up being one of our favorite activities, and since we made it into a fun jeopardy-style presentation, the kids were really enthusiastic and eager to learn.