Meet the Scholars
John D. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow 2013
Jenny Thompson, an Oregon State University graduate in Marine Resource Management, is assigned to the NOAA Fisheries Office of Policy in Washington, D.C.
Sea Grant Legislative Fellow 2013
Laura Hagen is our 2013 Legislative Fellow, and will be spending the session in Salem working with members of the Oregon Coastal Caucus.
Sea Grant Natural Resources Policy Fellow 2013
Geoff Ostrove, our newest Natural Resources Policy Fellow, is assigned to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
Robert E. Malouf Marine Studies Scholar 2013
Rachel Golda graduated from Saint Martin’s University in 2010 with a degree in Biology. She received her Master of Science in Environmental Science and Engineering from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in 2011. She is now a second year PhD student under Drs. Tawnya Peterson and Joseph Needoba at OHSU.
Rachel is studying the population dynamics and mechanisms regulating toxin production in the harmful algal bloom (HAB)-forming dinoflagellate Alexandrium. She hopes to use data from this research to identify environmental influences on toxin production, which can be used to improve predictions of HAB events.
NOAA Coastal Managment Fellowship 2012-2014
Kelsey Gianou, MS, Marine Resource Management, OSU (2012). Kelsey is working with the Washington State Department of Ecology Shorelands and Environmental Assistance in putting together guidance for landowners around the Puget Sound who are looking to replace their bulkheads and riprap with soft engineering, and green, living shorelines.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) – Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics
Susan (Hilber) Piacenza was awarded three years of fellowship support. Fellows work with NMFS personnel on their dissertation projects and meet annually as a group to present research results. Susie’s advisor is Selina Heppell, and she is working with mentors at Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Southeast Turtle Program in Miami (Paul Richards), and Pacific Island Fisheries, Marine Turtle Research Group in Honolulu (George Balazs).
For her PhD research, Susie will study the dynamics of two population of the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas. The green sea turtle is considered endangered in Florida and Mexico, and threatened elsewhere in US waters under the US Endangered Species Act (NOAA Fisheries). However, the species is showing signs of recovery in some parts of its range. Not only is this good news for green sea turtles, but it also represents an invaluable opportunity to study what happens to a large vertebrate population as it recovers after serious population decline.
Neil Richmond Award (2013)
The Neil Richmond Memorial Scholarship is awarded on the basis of merit and need to students attending the University of Oregon (UO) Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) in Charleston, Oregon fall or spring session. The scholarship is funded by a grant from Oregon Sea Grant and honors the memory, spirit, curiosity, and love of learning of Neil Richmond, a marine scientist who worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Rose Rimler is in her second year in the master’s program at OIMB. Her thesis focuses on the settlement of Olympia oysters in Coos Bay, Oregon. She hopes her work will help inform future native oyster restoration projects. After graduation, she plans to continue working with invertebrates at a university or reserve and to write about science professionally.
Christy Stumbo is a junior marine biology major at UO. During fall quarter, she enjoyed the intensive hands-on learning environment at the OIMB and is looking forward to her second term there in the spring. Christy is most interested in deep sea biology. After graduating, Christy plans to pursue a graduate degree and continue discovering more about the deep sea.
Sea Grant Summer Scholars, 2012
Our 2012 undergraduate Summer Scholars:
Melissa Errend, Oregon State University, worked with the Oregon Sea Grant program office in Corvallis on Marine Science Policy issues.
Lacey Jarrell, University of Oregon, worked on science communication products for Oregon Sea Grant Director Stephen Brandt.
Kate Leuders, North Central College (Illinois), workedg with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Newport on wetlands ecosystems.
Julie Nance, Utah Valley University,worked with Sea Grant’s free-choice learning program at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
Reed Norton, Oregon State University, was assigned to the US EPA office in Newport, working on water quality research.
Nick Pitz, Oregon State University, Diana Roman, St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Brian Verwey, Oregon State University, assisted Sea Grant chief scientist Bill Hanshumaker at the Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center in Newport.
Hilary Polis, Oregon State University, worked on marine reserves issues with the ODFW in Newport.
Eric Post, Oregon State University, was assigned to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Coos Bay, assisting in research on Coos Bay clams.
Maryna Sedoryk, University of California-Santa Cruz, is assigned to the ODFW’s Newport office, working on shellfish and estuarine habitat.
