When University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa doctoral student Blake Stoner-Osborne was in elementary school, a classroom visit from marine biologists taught him that a career focused on learning about our oceans was both possible and rewarding. Now in the Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab in the Department of Oceanography, Stoner-Osborne balances his time between connecting with students and community members and conducting research to understand how islands alter the structure and function of open ocean food webs.
“Looking back, that first classroom visit was what set me on my path to a career in marine science,” said Stoner-Osborne. “It was incredibly impactful for me to connect with those visiting scientists over shared passion for the ocean, [for them to] share their knowledge with me, and guide me towards opportunities I never knew existed. Following their suggestions, I later interned at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, which taught me that connecting with people from all walks of life about shared interests and learning from each other is such a valuable and meaningful experience.”
Now, Stoner-Osborne analyzes DNA and isotopes in specific amino acids to identify differences in the community composition of zooplankton (copepods and krill, for example) between coral reefs and open ocean habitats, and the potential these animals have for connecting the two habitats.
Outreach, communications trainee program
Recently, Stoner-Osborne was selected for the semester-long School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST) outreach and communications trainee program, through which he shared his knowledge, curiosity and passion for deep-sea zooplankton, fishes and general ecology with hundreds of teachers and students. He offered workshops, hands-on activities, and presentations at the Hawaiʻi STEM Conference, Oʻahu high schools, and the Waikīkī Aquarium’s Mauka to Makai community event.
“My experiences with outreach this semester enhanced my communication skills with a broader age range of participants,” said Stoner-Osborne. “Most of my previous outreach had been with middle and high school-aged students, but I now feel much more comfortable talking with younger age groups as well as a wide-age range of adults including parents and grandparents.”
Stoner-Osborne continues to be motivated to connect with others and share the joy that comes from understanding the natural world.
“Science is a continuously evolving field and there’s constantly more being learned about our oceans and earth systems. Facilitating connections between researchers and the general public remains one of my passions,” he said.
For more information, see SOEST’s website.
–By Marcie Grabowski
