Katy Kachmarik, Junior
University of Oregon
|
I have always had a passion for marine biology and everything to do with the ocean. Having the opportunity to attend the University of Oregon has brought me one step closer to learning all I can about the sea and its mysteries. My future goals include research in marine mammal behavior, preferably with cetaceans and pinnipeds. Recently I have become fascinated with marine invertebrates as well, especially echinoderms; I have done projects on behavior of sea stars as well as invertebrate prey species with different levels of physical protection.
In addition to the IRES trip this summer, I am also interning at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Florida in the Manatee Research department. We are currently involved in photo-identification of all the manatees in Florida to enhance the state’s conservation efforts of this endangered species. I hope to use similar conservation concepts in Ireland and learn as much as I can about Europe’s first marine protected area! |
Kailee Clinton, Sophomore
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
If I would have been able to see into the future exactly one year ago, I would not believe my eyes. I was an incoming freshman student, moving across the U.S. from Phoenix, Arizona to Lafayette, Louisiana to attend the University of Louisiana.
I had little knowledge of algae, let alone the processes of research. I had always had a strong passion for animals and marine life, this was evident on our annual family trip to the ocean, however I never thought that my direction in school would be pointing towards seaweed. When I arrived at the University, I enrolled in the typical freshman biology courses and was offered an on campus scholarship job for the biology department. There was a list of professors of whom I had never heard, and I was asked to pick one to work with for the entirety of my 4 years of my undergraduate experience. They was a variety of options, from professors researching insects to photosynthesis to birds. As soon as I heard that Professor Suzanne Fredericq was looking for a student to mentor in her molecular analysis research on seaweeds, I did not hesitate to take the opportunity. Though I had never cracked a book on algae, had zero lab experience, and was all alone in a new state, my heart told me it was the right choice. Since working in the lab I have immersed myself in phycology and have learned an immense amount of information in a short amount of time. I have been included in several of the lab's posters, and have been able to travel with them to conferences and field research trips to Portland, Oregon, the Florida Keys, Mobile, Alabama, and Dauphin Island. The IRES program is another chance to ride the learning curve and gain some international research experience. I am excited to actually get out on the field, a drastic change from my every day job, yet still learning about algae in ways I would never be able to without this program. |
Carly Otis, Senior
University of Oregon
The ocean has always seemed like a mystery to me. Growing up in Chicago, it was a fantasy of mine to live by the ocean and become a marine biologist. Now, reaching the end of my undergraduate career, it seems that the goal is in sight. After spending a year at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, I am confident in my passion and knowledge of marine communities, and I am more excited than ever to be starting off my career doing research at the beautiful Lough Hyne. Although I have always been interested in environmental awareness and conservation of nature, I have recently discovered an interest in the ecology of marine invertebrates. This passion first spawned (no pun intended!) in the Marine Invertebrates class at OIMB, and has since grown due to a research project that I am currently working on called iBARGE, which involves the settlement and growth rates of invasive tunicates and bryozoans. I hope to continue fostering these passions and allowing them to drive me to learn more and widen my perspective of the world and its oceans. Ultimately, my goal is to pursue a career in marine conservation, focusing mostly on public outreach and education so that I may inspire others to share a passion for the natural world.
Caitlin Plowman, Senior
University of Oregon
I analyzed data collected from past IRES students and presented a conference poster based on those data at the 2014 Benthic Ecology Meeting In Jacksonville, FL.
|
I have known that I wanted to be a marine biologist since the first time I went scuba diving in the ocean and was able to see the beautiful marine life. I am now at the end of my undergraduate career, during which I have done research on deep-sea larval disbursement, deep-sea parasitic barnacles, and fluctuating oxygen levels at Lough Hyne. I had the opportunity to visit Lough Hyne in March 2014 to deploy oxygen and temperature sensors for my research; I am very excited to return and continue to research dissolved oxygen levels and larval tolerances of hypoxia and hyperoxia. My ultimate career goal is to study deep- sea invertebrate reproduction and development.
|
Ryan Jiorle, MSc Student
University of Florida
My overall interests lie in how people perceive and utilize scientific information and how we might develop creative, digestible ways of presenting these concepts. I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in fisheries and aquatic sciences at the University of Florida, where I am assessing two different sampling programs that collect data from recreational fishermen. This work is applicable beyond the practices of recreational angling, as it deals with the potential to use electronically recorded, self-reported data for the advancement of scientific knowledge. The opportunity to work with the IRES program is especially exciting because it will allow me to work through nearly every step of the scientific process, from the collection of data up to its dissemination to the community.
|
Sara Edquist, PhD Student
University of New Hampshire
Curiosity is one of the driving forces in my life that has led me to become a marine biologist; it is what drove me to pursue a graduate degree and has brought me to Lough Hyne. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Zoology at the University of New Hampshire where I am investigating the functional role of a trematode (flatworm) parasite in marine soft-sediment communities. I have been fascinated by marine invertebrates since I was a young girl, scrambling over the rocky intertidal shores of California, poking at sea anemones. My interest in marine biology matured as an undergraduate in the marine science program at Boston University (affectionately named BUMP) where I encountered my first marine parasite (a sea anemone). Since then, I have come to recognize just how abundant marine parasites are, and yet how little we really understand about them.
Last year I had the opportunity to conduct research at Lough Hyne and investigate changes in the algae and herbivore community since the collapse of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. I am returning this year to continue this research and answer some of the questions that spawned from my first visit to Lough Hyne.
Last year I had the opportunity to conduct research at Lough Hyne and investigate changes in the algae and herbivore community since the collapse of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. I am returning this year to continue this research and answer some of the questions that spawned from my first visit to Lough Hyne.