The Next Swell 2022 Scholarship Winners
Kellie - Undergraduate student at Bowdoin College
Kellie is currently majoring in environmental studies and biology, with a minor in education at Bowdoin College in Maine. She is currently conducting research exploring gene expression changes in a temperate coral, Astrangia poculata, under cold temperature stress, and will be working with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA studying stress responses in temperate and tropical coral reefs. Kellie has plans to continue her education by pursuing a graduate degree in Molecular ecology and marine biology.
Gaëlle - Graduate student at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)
Gaëlle’s research focuses on geochemically analyzing the composition of brine samples and sedimentary porewaters from the NEOM Bring Pool, a newly discovered anoxic brine pool at the bottom of the Red Sea. Her research aims to determine the origin of the brine pool, and how the composition compares to other previously studied Red Sea brine pools. The comparisons of these harsh environments reveal life at its most extreme, potentially providing insight into primordial Earth and life outside of our planet. Her research and education is helping her to realize her ultimate goal of working in coastal climate resilience and marine ecosystem management in the tropics.
Nikol - Graduate student of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island
Nikol is an interdisciplinary social scientist and educator focusing on the human dimensions of marine conservation and wildlife management. Her professional and scholarly goal is to use knowledge of human decision-making and behavior to inform effective and equitable conservation policies. Her thesis examines boaters’ compliance and support for vessel regulations in Puget Sound. Her project will inform management and outreach to reduce vessel disturbances to the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, or orcas.
Wendy - Graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Photo Credit: Kenan Chan)
Wendy is a third year Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department with a Designated Emphasis in Coastal Science & Policy. Wendy is collaborating with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) to examine the impacts of the 2020 California fires and subsequent rains on the rocky intertidal endangered black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) populations along the central California coast. Her studies monitor how increased sediment influxes from debris flows and mudslides can impact populations and habitats. This examination pivoted to rescue, husbandry, and relocation efforts when many areas of the Big Sur’s rocky intertidal coast were inundated by sediment from debris flows in January 2021, burying large areas of habitat and stranding many black abalone far from the new waterline. She is continuing to track the success of the relocation efforts and to monitor the ongoing sediment changes to the coast through the use of drones. Read more about these efforts here.