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2010 MMES Students
2010 MMES Students
Kurt Alexander
I was raised on the island of St. Croix and I graduated from the University of the Virgin Islands with B.S. in Biology in May 2010. I am now a full-time student in the MMES program at UVI. My interests include microbiology and recently coral disease. My thesis project will most likely focus on coral disease. Though much research has been done using field studies, I wish to work in the laboratory. I am very much interested in the microorganisms associated with coral diseases and also the spread of disease among coral colonies. The direction my future will go is still unknown to me; I may go on to get a Ph.D. in microbiology, continue research on coral disease, or pursue a degree in biomedical research.
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Matthew Cring
I completed my undergraduate at the University of the Virgin Islands in the spring of 2008, with a B.S. in Marine Biology. During this time, I worked in Dr. Richard Hall’s lab learning basic principles and procedures of neurophysiological research. After graduation, I spent some time working on a dive live-aboard as ‘marine naturalist,’ leading dives for tourists and giving daily lectures about various topics in marine biology. I have also made a living working on sailboat racing charters and playing music professionally during this time.
I decided to go back to UVI for my masters because of the diversity in research being done there, as well as my preexisting relationships with many of the professors. Though I have interests in environmental policy, marine and terrestrial ecology, and genetics, my research goals are still unclear. My hobbies include playing music, surfing, and sailing.
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Frank Galdo
I completed an undergraduate degree in Marine Science at Eckerd College, on the Gulf Coast of FL. Since moving to St. Thomas in 2007, I have worked as a lead guide and photographer for VI Ecotours, which has given me the opportunity to share the wonders of the underwater world with people young and old, and to teach people from all walks of life about the issues facing our fragile marine ecosystems. My goal in studying marine science is to help ensure that the marine life that I have seen will continue to thrive for generations to come. My key research interest involves understanding the linkages between runoff and the degradation of the coastal marine ecosystems. When not studying, I am an avid photographer, musician, hiker, kayaker, diver, gardener, and culinary adventurer.
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Matthew Kammann
My reasons for pursuing graduate work at the University of the Virgin Islands come from a lifelong passion for the ocean, and especially the Caribbean region. During my first year at Bard College while staying on Andros Island in the Bahamas I acquired my dive certification. Suddenly I knew exactly what I wanted to study. My junior year at college I had the opportunity to study abroad in the Turks and Caicos Islands. During this time I learned the basics of how to census the reef, use the data to support a hypothesis, and then present the information to the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources. I also learned about the importance of local stewardship in conservation, how to live within a small island community, and became pretty good at hand-line fishing.
My senior year a new marine reserve was proposed on Andros Island, Bahamas and a survey of reef fish that I did there became my senior thesis. Finishing college and armed with a degree in Biology, I was living on the island of Manhattan, and got a call from the resort in the Bahamas where I had originally learned to dive. Three days later I was living and working there full time. Eventually I would become a founding member and owner of a dive operation on the island of Exuma, Bahamas and was able to observe first-hand the effect of the Exuma Land and Sea Park on both local business and the reefs just offshore. Eventually I left recreational diving with the intention of returning to academic work, and equipping myself with the tools I will need to make a career in marine conservation. I see the opportunity to studying the US Virgin Islands as the ideal setting for continuing to grow both academically and as a person who wishes to contribute to the conservation of the Caribbean.
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Elena Kobrinski
I came to the University of the Virgin Islands through an internship in Coastal Policy, while pursuing a Graduate Certificate at Nova Southeastern University. As an intern, I was assigned to the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Coastal Zone Management Office to work on the St. Thomas East End Reserve (STEER) Management Plan. In addition, I was an assistant on various projects for the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service.
Due to a strong interest in environmental law and policy, I was employed at an environmental law firm in Washington, DC, prior to beginning my graduate work. The matters that I was assigned to included environmental litigation and land use issues, such as watershed contamination and the organization of potentially responsible parties, controversies concerning the distribution of biosolids, and environmental liability concerns because of Hexavalent chromium contamination and coal tar run-off pollution. My management skills were honed through my previous experiences, and I strive to continue this momentum as a student in the MMES program, Natural Resource Management track. My research interests include international integrated coastal zone management and ocean and coastal resource protection.
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Clayton Pollock
I had an amazing undergrad experience while attending Eastern Connecticut State University and in particular study abroad opportunities on San Salvador Island and in Belize strengthened my resolve to pursue future studies in the Caribbean. I was subsequently an intern with the National Park Service on St. Croix and was a part of the 2008 Buck Island Sea Turtle Research Program team. Via this opportunity I was able to publish an article documenting the unique occurrence of nesting loggerheads in the USVI. I returned to St. Croix in 2009 and conducted research to evaluate factors affecting the hatch success of leatherback sea turtles at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge and investigated relocating imperiled leatherback clutches to stable but previously underutilized areas of the beach. I hope to present these findings at the 31st Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation in April 2011. I am currently conducting thesis research on the ecological movements of juvenile sea turtles in the USVI. We will be tracking the fine scale spatial movements of green and hawksbill juveniles using radio transmitters and collecting tissue samples for a mixed stock genetic analysis. This study will aid in determining juvenile migrations and residency, increase juvenile survivorship through effective management and ultimately enhance the conservation of these endangered species. I would like to recognize and thank UVI, VI-EPSCoR, the Lana Vento Charitable Trust and NOAA for supporting these in-water studies. Obviously I like turtles but I am also interested in predation ecology, cephalopods, diadromous fish, amphibians, cryptic species, reduction programs and the removal of invasive exotics. In my free time I enjoy diving and snorkeling, traveling, reading, music and sports.
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Ashley Ruffo
In 2008 I graduated from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington with a BS in Marine Biology and a minor in Chemistry. At UNCW’s Center for Marine Science I worked in the Ichthyology and Fish Ecology lab working on a collaborative research study analyzing the effects of beach renourishment on the coastal ecosystem at Wrightsville Beach, NC. I was also involved with studies evaluating the biological health of fishes utilizing tidal creek habitats along with monitoring bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) recruitment in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway determining the establishment of a Marine Protected Area. Here at UVI I am actively involved as a research assistant in a National Science Foundation funded research study of the cognitive, social, and behavioral characteristics of creative problem solving under Dr. Donald Drost and Dr. Kostas Alexandridis. My thesis work is focused on a known yellowtail parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne) spawning aggregation site located in Reef Bay off the coast of St John under the advisement of Dr. Rick Nemeth. The existence of this aggregation has been documented and it has been observed that fish congregate at the same site and spawn around the same time every day. It is my goal to gain an understanding of the movement and spatial patterns of individuals visiting the site. In my spare time I enjoy listening to music and running around the island… literally, running, and anything else that keeps me physically active!
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