Sea Watch Foundation Internship (2016)
In summer 2016 I volunteered as a Research Intern with Sea Watch Foundation in New Quay, Wales. While there, my main job duties revolved around monitoring bottlenose dolphins in Cardigan Bay and communicating to the public about the existence and needs of this population. This was my first exposure to classic cetacean monitoring methods including line transect surveys, mark-recapture photography, individual identification matching, behavioral observations, effort documentation, and data management. I had a lovely summer living abroad for the first time and making friends from all over the world.
Friday Harbor Labs (2016)
Immediately after returning from Wales I moved up to the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs on San Juan Island, WA for fall quarter. I studied fish biology and taxonomy, oceanography, and took a hands-on marine research class advised by Dr. Sylvia Yang. In the research class we designed and carried out research projects on eelgrass transplantation and restoration. Our project focused on figuring out whether tide height matters for eelgrass transplantation success - either on the donor or recipient end. We presented our results to the Samish Tribal Department of Natural Resources and at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium.
During that quarter I also volunteered at the Whale Museum supervised by Jennifer Olson and was primarily tasked with scanning archived killer whale identification photo negatives to ensure their safe digital storage. This was a great opportunity to practice my individual photo matching skills on a new species.
NSF REU at Georgetown University (2017)
In 2017 I was awarded an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates at Georgetown University in their Environmental Science and Policy in the Nation’s Capital program. I spent the summer in Washington, DC researching dolphin behavior and learning about environmental policy. My independent research project was focused on exploring the impacts of male sexual coercion behaviors on female activity budgets in bottlenose dolphins from Shark Bay, Australia. This work was mentored by Dr. Janet Mann and Dr. Megan Wallen. The program also featured an inspiring lineup of seminars and learning lunches with professionals working in environmental policy for the many agencies and offices in DC.
UW SAFS Capstone Project (2018)
I continued my REU research on dolphin behavior as my UW SAFS undergraduate Capstone project.
