|
Research
Interests:
I
was an East Coast kid who fell in love with all things aquatic when
my grandfather introduced me to the marvels of farm-pond fishing
at a very early age. Soon I found my way to the Outer Banks of North
Carolina, where barrier island ecology, surf fishing, and a mother
who nurtured my fascination with the natural world sparked my interest
in marine science. At age seven, I began annual summer visits to
my father's house in San Diego that introduced me to fishing, surfing,
and diving amongst Pacific Ocean kelp forests.
After completing a B.S. at UNC-Chapel Hill, I went on to receive
an M.S. degree from UNC-Wilmington after studying the chemical ecology
of Caribbean sponges in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. With SCUBA
diving and research experience under my belt, I moved to Hawaii,
where I have worked a variety of jobs: from a fish counter at a
local boat ramp, to a fisheries biologist with the Oceanic Institute,
to my current position as a coral reef habitat specialist with NOAA's
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED).
Since entering the Zoology program in 2004 with Dr. Rob Toonen as
my advisor, I have taken coursework in cell and molecular biology.
I have devised a doctoral project consistent with the ambitious
mission of CRED to monitor the coral reefs of all U.S.-affiliated
Pacific islands - from American Samoa in the South, up through the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and West to the Commonwealth of the
Northern Marianas Islands. With the collaboration of many scientists
from both CRED monitoring cruises and HIMB collecting cruises, I
plan to address with empirical data from a large geographic range
the theoretical assumption that higher abundance equals higher genetic
diversity. For my thesis, I will correlate within-species variation
in abundance and allelic richness for a suite of fish and invertebrate
species throughout the Hawaiian Island chain. Knowing the reliability
of an assumption of a direct relationship between abundance and
diversity will greatly assist managers in efforts to preserve genetic
diversity with the design of Marine Protected Areas.
Besides being the President of the UNC Alumni Club on Oahu, I am
active on the executive boards of the Oahu Surfrider Foundation
and Reef Check Hawaii, the latter two because they emphasize a perspective
from within the water.
|
