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Research

Research interests:

  • The impact of abiotic factors on coral reef ecology, physiology, and resilience, in particular in MCEs
  • How ecological interactions drive community structure and function
  • Understanding the interactions between morphology and ecological function of marine organisms
  • Community ecology
  • Science communication
  • Conservation, policy, and management

Check out my current projects here

Previous Projects:

August 2017 – December 2019 Masters Student- University of the Virgin Islands

Advisor: Dr. Tyler Smith, Committee: Dr. Marilyn Brandt, Dr. Monica Medina, Dr. Sonaljit Mukherjee

  • Differing lesion recovery of Orbicella franksi and Agaricia lamarcki from shallow to mesophotic depths
    • Multi-site, multi-depth, multi-species lesion recovery assay
    • Modeled and measured physical environmental variables
    • Statistical analysis and modeling of tissue recovery

These results are currently in submission for peer-review. Stay tuned for updates!

 

May 2018-July 2018 Bridge to PhD- Pennsylvania State Department of Biology

Advisor(s): Dr. Mònica Medina, Dr. Roberto Iglesias-Prieto, Dr. Iliana Baums

  • Identification of algal symbionts present in Agaricia lamarcki and Orbicella franksi corals sampled in shallow and mesophotic reefs in the northern US Virgin Islands
    • Collection of coral tissue samples as a part of a larger lesion recovery assay (see current projects)
    • DNA extraction and symbiont DNA amplification
    • Illumina next generation sequencing
    • Phylogenetic analysis and identification of sequences in MEGA

Results are still somewhat inconclusive, but Cladocopium goreaui was identify at every depth sampled and across both species!

 

June 2015-May 2016 Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia (IDEA) – UNC Marine Sciences Department

Advisor(s): Dr. Karl Castillo, Dr. Sarah Davies, Coleen Bove

  • Understanding the interactive effect of nitrate and low salinity on the tropical coral Siderastrea siderea corals
      • Independent project co-advised by Dr. Karl Castillo and Colleen Bove
    • Designed tank based experiment
    • Partial renovation of tank system
    • Daily maintenance and upkeep of 12 tank system
    • Experimental dosing of nitrate
    • Analytical quantification of Total Inorganic Nitrogen (TIN)
    • Buoyant weights, bleaching analysis, and weekly feeding

Read the full result of this work in my senior thesis here

Check out the research poster summarizing the results here

 

March 2015-June 2015 Sea Education Association (SEA) – Woods Hole, MA

Advisor(s): Dr. Amy Siuda, Dr. Erik Zettler, Dr. Linda Amaral-Zettler

  • Studying the morphology and population connectivity of Panulirus argus phyllosoma
    • Neuston net and 555μm plankton net towing
    • Identification of plankton using light microscopy
    • Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) deployment
    • Identification and staging of phyllosoma using light microscopy
    • DNA extraction, amplification, and sequencing
    • Analysis of sequence data using MEGA and Geneious

Check out the research poster summarizing our results here

 

August 2014-March 2015    Volunteer Undergraduate Researcher – UNC Marine Sciences Department

Advisor(s): Dr. Karl Castillo, Dr. Justin Baumann

  • Investigating acclimation and resilience in corals on the Belize Barrier Reef System (BBRS)
    • Design, construction, collection, and analysis of video surveys of the Belize Barrier Reef System
    • Comparative analysis of novel video survey method with traditional survey methodology
    • Collection of in situ water samples
    • Video documentation of field data collection

Read the publication here

 

June 2014-August 2014 Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia (IDEA) – UNC Marine Sciences Department

Advisor(s): Dr. Karl Castillo, Hannah Aichelman

  • Investigating the effect of feeding on growth of the temperate coral Oculina arbuscula
    • Daily maintenance of 12 tank system
    • Experimental feeding regime
    • Buoyant weights
    • 3D surface area scanning and analysis of coral skeletons
    • Symbiont counting and density analysis

Read the publication here

 

See All Publications

See Research Resume

See full Curriculum Vitae