Meet the Students

What’s your story? Moss Landing Students share their road to marine science. Click on the names or photos below to read each student’s interview:

Current Students:

Michelle Baker, Physical Oceanography Lab

“At a young age, my parents took us to the beach every weekend and holiday.  My mother was a surfer and would teach me about the ocean waves and the different types of plants and animals that we found on the beach.  My parents would purchase marine science books and would always encourage me to dream big.  It was their support which shaped my path here.”  Read more

Suzanne Christensen, Phycology Lab

“I arrived in the United States in the Fall of 2004, and back then I didn’t know that I wanted to study science at all.  In Sweden I had studied economics and this is what I thought I would continue in the U.S.. I had always felt passionate about the environment and the ocean but I honestly thought that I wasn’t smart enough to master a bachelor’s degree in science. So I started studying general studies at a community college. I enrolled in a marine biology class…”  Read more

Casey Clark, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

“Since working in Kodiak, I have gotten involved in a variety of different types of research.  For my master’s thesis, however, I’m going back to my roots and studying humpback whales.  When I was younger, I thought that we knew everything there was to know about whales.  In reality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth…” Read more

Emily Donham, Ichthyology Lab

“I have always been interested in science.  At the age of 17 my parents encouraged me to become SCUBA certified so that I could go on a dive trip with them.  This is where I was first exposed to the spectacular shapes and colors of the oceans.  It was then that I realized I wanted to study marine ecosystems.  It wasn’t until I began diving in Hawaii that I realized I wanted to study fish.”  Read more

Catherine Drake, Invertebrate Zoology Lab

“Growing up, my parents would take me to the beach and teach me the wonders of the oceans.  As a result, my parents shaped me into becoming compassionate about protecting the oceans and marine organisms.  One opportunity that really taught me the importance of habitat protection and species conservation was the research I took part in during my undergraduate studies at UCI.  I did research at a freshwater marsh that was home to many endangered plant and animal species, and without that experience, I would never have properly appreciated all the ecological complexities within a habitat.”  Read more

Scott Gabara, Phycology Lab

“I am studying the ecology of rhodolith beds at Catalina Island, CA.  Rhodoliths are unattached coralline algae that aggregate and interconnect to form beds.  At Catalina most rhodoliths are around 2 cm and blanket the bottom like pink tumbleweeds.  Although these beds are globally distributed the only place they are located from Alaska to Baja is at the Channel Islands.  The rhodolith beds occur in protected bays and harbors, which is the best place for mooring boats, unfortunate as the …” Read more

Heather Fulton-Bennett, Biological Oceanography Lab

“I am studying biological oceanography, and have yet to pinpoint a thesis project. My particular interests lie in phytoplankton, their biogeography, and the effect climate change will have on their ecology and distributions. As the primary producers in the oceanic food chain, I find this group of organisms crucial to understanding the overall effects humans are having on the ocean environment.”  Read more

Sarah Jeffries, Phycology Lab

“I fell in love with the ocean when I lived in the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN as a child. I’d never even seen the coast, just lakes and streams, but I still had a deep connection to the marine environment. I moved to California with my family at age 10, and loved the marine science component to the school curriculum. I went to college at CSU Monterey Bay…”  Read more

Nathan Jones, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

“I will never become tired of learning about the outdoors, and my love of the ocean has kept me by the coast. I have become fascinated with the biology and ecology of marine birds, and so I decided to pursue a degree in marine science. I am going to investigate the foraging ecology of seabirds in the Bering Sea (Alaska)… ” Read more

Ryan Manzer, Biological Oceanography Lab

“I am currently investigating the role of potential hormone release in the timing of broadcast spawning events in Chrysoara fuscescens.  Despite their importance as a food resource and a significant plankton predator, little is known about the life history of these animals.  As both shifts in temperature regimes and overfishing are predicted to favor a medusa dominated ocean ecosystem, it is important that we understand these animals more thoroughly and all the ways we may impact their life cycles.”   Read more

Kristin Meagher, Invertebrate Zoology Lab

“I’m studying invertebrate assemblages associated with rhodolith beds around Catalina Island.  Now for everyone in the audience who is going “huh?” (don’t worry marine scientists do it to me too), here’s the long answer.  Rhodoliths (Rhodo = red, lith = stone) are free-living calcified red algae (they look and feel like rocks) that form beds, that look like dark pink gravel beds in various locations all around the world.  These small…” Read more

Melinda Nakagawa, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

“I want to use my research with seabirds to learn more about how they find their food and to inform people about and raise public awareness of seabirds. For my thesis project, I am examining the satellite tracks of sooty shearwaters (a seabird we can see off our coast in the summer) and correlating their movements with physical environmental factors (remotely sensed winds).” Read more

Bobby San Miguel, Phycology Lab

“Going into college, I had originally wanted to study elephants.  I knew that in biology, you have to start learning to ask questions before you can get the opportunity to work with all the fun charismatic megafauna.  Thus one usually works in labs with their not-so-favorite organisms.  In doing so, I became part of a social network of ecology labs at NC State that often would get together and throw potluck dinners.  Well, they invited me along for their annual retreat in Surf City, NC and so I went along.  Playing in the surf and talking with some postdocs, I realized just how much I loved the water.” Read more.

Jackie Schwartzstein, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

“In the Vertebrate Ecology Lab I am studying marine mammals: the charismatic macrofauna of the ocean.  Specifically, I hope to do my thesis work on eastern gray whales along the Washington outer coast.  The group of gray whales that forages on the outer coast in the summer time is interesting because they cut short their migration up to the Arctic seas.  They forage on different prey using different methods than gray whales normally use when they travel further north.“ Read more

Angela Szesciorka, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

“As the newest member of the vertebrate ecology lab, I have a lot of options for my thesis, among them a diverse group of marine mammals: whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions. I am interested in distribution, abundance and migration studies as well as behavioral studies and conservation.”  Read more

Kristin Walovich, Pacific Shark Research Center

 ”I choose marine biology because being stuck knee deep in mud, smelling like fish, perpetual mask and wetsuit tan lines and getting my hands dirty sounded like a fantastic profession. I think all marine biologists have chosen their profession because we have a passion for the creatures we study and the ocean in which they live in.”  Read more

Diane Wyse, Physical Oceanography Lab

“My broad interests in physical oceanography include nutrient flux and dynamics associated with algal bloom events.  My thesis project focuses those interests on data analysis of multiple oceanographic sensors from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s (MBARI) Dorado autonomous underwater vehicle.  I am specifically interested in determining what we can learn about plankton community composition from the Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometry (LISST-100) sensor, which detects particle sizes in the upper water column.  I developed my thesis ideas and questions from my summer work at MBARI where I was fortunate for the opportunity to perform the Drew Gashler Internship with mentor Dr Jim Bellingham and the Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Lab.”  Read More

Alumni Contributors:

Shaara Ainsley, Ichthyology Lab

“Due to the enormous amount of fish and other marine life taken from the sea, it is very important to manage fisheries in a sustainable manner. My current research is focused on finding accurate estimates of life history parameters, which are essential to successful fisheries management… My two study species are the Bering skate, Bathyraja interrupta, and the whitebrow skate, Bathyraja minispinosa, which are both found in Alaskan waters.” Read more

Mariah Boyle, Ichthyology Lab

“I am studying the feeding habits of a deepwater elasmobranch, the roughtail skate, Bathyraja trachura... As we continue to fish our oceans more and more we need to understand how the trophic levels of organisms change in response to our manipulation and make sure that they remain stable.” Read more

Jeremiah Brower, Geological Oceanography Lab

“My focus is in coastal morphology, which covers all processes that fuel the development and erosion of our coastline… My thesis work concerns the establishment of sediment transport patterns (and seasonal changes in those patterns) along the central Monterey Bay coastline…” Read more

Shandy Buckley, Physical Oceanography Lab

“I’m currently studying how physical oceanography interacts with and affects the sandy seafloor in Santa Cruz bay. This is an interesting topic because the ocean’s waves and currents affect the bottom roughness (also known as ripples), and the bottom roughness in theory interacts with the waves and currents.”  Read more

Danielle Frechette, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

“I am studying the effects of bird predation on juvenile salmon in two central California watersheds. Basically, we are trying to figure out how many fish the birds are eating! I find it interesting because it pulls together several of my interests: ecology, wetlands, marine birds, and fisheries management.“ Read more

Heather Hawk, Invertebrate Ecology Lab

“My thesis project will look at the genetic diversity of the endangered white abalone in California, and some possible reasons that mere protection is not helping populations recover… My project incorporates several fields of science as well as many different tools. It takes me into the field, museums, and the laboratory, and I get to learn about fisheries and conservation, genetics, disease, age and growth, and materials science.” Read more

Brynn Hooton-Kaufman, Phycology Lab

“I am studying the associations between the kelp Undariapinnatifida and native fishes in Central California.  I’m really interested in the interactions between organisms and their habitat, especially habitat that is created by other living things.  I like to study these interactions in aquatic and marine systems, as I have a real love for water.   I found the California kelp forests a fascinating system, and I originally thought…” Read more

Sarah Hutto, Phycology Lab

“I’m studying community interactions of macroalgae, or seaweed, in the rocky intertidal.  I love this work because it enables me to crawl around on rocks and explore the amazing diversity of algae in this system, and to ask really interesting questions based on observations.  I think it’s really important to study this system because it helps me hone my skills as an ecologist and it provides easy hands-on field experience.” Read more

Amanda Kahn, Invertebrate Zoology Lab

“I find my research interesting because very little is known about deep-sea sponges. These are some of the most primitive animals, and we can learn a lot about our own evolution through the characteristics of these sponges.” Read more

Erin Loury, Ichthyology Lab

“I am studying the diet of gopher rockfish (Sebastes carnatus) from inside and outside of new marine protected areas (MPAs) in central California. These MPAs are marine reserves that do not allow fishing within their borders – they act like national parks on land, with the goal to protect the ecosystem and wildlife inside from degradation.” Read more

Catalina Reyes, Phycology Lab

“I am studying the erosion in the Elkhorn Slough and how it is affecting the distribution of subtidal habitats. This is a topic that is important to me because it is in my backyard. Estuaries have suffered all over the world despite the fact that they are extremely important as a type of sanctuary for many marine mammals, birds and fish.” Read more

Kyle Reynolds, Benthic Ecology Lab

“I’m studying reproductive adaptations in two large species of snails that live around hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean. These kinds of habitats, underwater volcanoes of a sort, were discovered in my lifetime and very little is known about them.” Read more

Sonya Sankaran, Phycology Lab

“I’m studying the influence of nitrate on trace metal uptake by the seaweed Ulva.  It is important to me because nitrate and trace metal pollution often occur together, and related algal blooms often follow.  I am interested in the interaction between these two factors, and how metal uptake by algae may be passed on to higher trophic levels.” Read more

Colleen Young, Vertebrate Ecology Lab

“I’m studying the impact that vessels have on harbor seals in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. To me, it’s important that we study the effects of anthropogenic (human-caused) stressors on wildlife in order to minimize negative physiological and behavioral impacts.” Read more