Congratulations to the SEASPACE 2004 Scholarship Winners!

These students have demonstrated excellence in their academic records and need for financial assistance. This year twelve university students were chosen to share proceeds this year generated by the hard work of our SEASPACE staff and volunteers. The scholarship committee members were Claudia Ludwig, Barbara Stiranka, Robyn Rhea, Jean Truax, Jim Ward, Jesse Cancelmo, Dick Zingula, and Carolyn Peterson.

Undergraduates/Beginning Graduates

Lisa Kamin is a repeat winner (2003) from the University of Miami where she studies Marine Science and Biology. Her present research examines the sub-lethal physiological effects of carbon dioxide on deep-sea organisms by monitoring respiration and excretion rates at various pH levels. Lisa intends to pursue a PhD and then teach at the university level.

Pamela Madden attends Coastal Carolina University and is majoring in Marine Science and Biology. Her interests lie in the area of ecotoxicology on marine mammals, where she analyzes animal specimens for heavy metals, organics, and biotoxins. These findings are intended to give a clearer picture of the population structure. After her graduate education, Pamela would like to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Kerry Lynn Weber is studying Marine Biology at the University of New England. Most recently, she has been involved in a project observing the osmoregulation of green crabs and rock crabs in different salinities of water. She is also setting up a phytoplankton room that will be used in the university’s exotic fish breeding program. She intends to attain her PhD and hopes to work in either the conservation/preservation or climate control field.

Graduates

Lara Hinderstein is working towards her PhD in Marine Biology at TAMU-Galveston. She is studying the low metabolic adaptations cave animals have made in order to live in extreme environments, such as Mexico’s Riviera Maya marine caves. These caves are also sources for freshwater for the region, and any pollution or habitat destruction will effect all surrounding ecosystems. After college, she would like to work for Texas Parks and Wildlife or some agency of this type.

Katherine Mansfield, a doctoral student in Marine Science, attends the College of William and Mary. Her research identifies sources of local sea turtle mortality, estimates gear-based death from fisheries surveys, and quantifies turtle populations via aerial census. The project examines seasonal differences in turtle dive behavior that may contribute to fishery-turtle interactions or affect census estimates. She would like to continue working in endangered species management and research.

Marina Marrari is pursuing her PhD in Marine Science at the University of South Florida. Her current study involves the analysis of biological and environmental data from the Southern Ocean using acoustics and satellite imagery. The goal is to link krill distributions to environmental conditions and to the distribution and abundance of predators such as seals and penguins. Marina plans to return to her home country of Argentina and apply the tools and technologies she has mastered in her graduate career to the areas of conservation and management of fisheries.

T. Aran Mooney, a SEASPACE 2003 Scholarship recipient, is a PhD student in Zoology at the University of Hawaii. Aran’s goal is to reduce bottlenose dolphin and harbor porpoise bycatch. To accomplish this, he is assessing the usefulness of a new type of gillnet that is thought to have increased acoustic reflectivity, making it easier to detect with marine mammal sonar, and thus helping animals avoid entanglement. Eventually, he would like a faculty position that would allow him to continue his research.

Alison Moulding attends the University of Miami where she is working towards a PhD in Biological Oceanography. She is researching coral recruitment patterns throughout the Florida Keys and exploring factors that may affect these patterns. Included in this study is the evaluation of the efficacy of reef restoration projects to enhance recovery from boat groundings. After graduate school, Alison would like to work for an organization dedicated to marine conservation.

Virginia Shervette, a PhD student majoring in Fisheries, attends TAMU-College Station. She is working on three projects, and they all focus on bettering our understanding of how fish utilize their environment and how this information applies to conservation and management practices. Her career goal is to conduct research for a non-profit agency with the emphasis on the understanding and conservation of marine ecosystems. Virginia received a SEASPACE award in 2002.

Heather Smith is enrolled in the Aquatic/Fisheries Science doctoral program at the University of Washington. Her research on the Eastern Bering Sea beluga whales entails tagging with satellite transmitters so they may be tracked. Animals harvested by Alaskan natives will be sampled to determine prey species of importance to these whales. Heather would like a position where she may continue her research in management and conservation.

Robert Wells is working toward a PhD in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University. He is studying the population dynamics of the red snapper and how their life cycle is affected by the shrimping industry. His measurement of the fish habitat and their populations is useful to fishery management on both the federal and state levels. His long-term goals include using past experience to develop a basic and applied research program at the academic level. Robert received a SEASPACE scholarship in 2001.

Kristen Whalen is a PhD student in Biological Oceanography at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Her thesis work is exploring the mechanisms by which chemicals, such as natural products or man-made contaminants, are metabolized in aquatic organisms. It will focus on the characterization of the molecular machinery that marine invertebrates use to sequester and/or detoxify common natural dietary products. Upon completion of her degree, she will pursue a teaching position at the collegiate level.

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Last updated on 5/13/2005, by