|
2011 MMES Students
2011 MMES Students
Sara Aubery
Sara received a bachelors degree in Animal Biology at the University of California, Davis in 2006. Her coursework included conservation and environmental policy. She has spent time conducting field and laboratory research both in the sea and on land for a number of projects around the world. Currently within the MMES program she is studying feeding strategies of a major reef building coral as a result of changes in environmental conditions. Her research interests also include investigating mangroves as important habitats in the life histories of commercial fish. Ultimately she'd like to perform research to aid in natural resource management. After earning her Masters degree she hopes to work in St. Thomas and use her newly gained knowledge to give back to the community.
|
 |
|
|
Liz Clemens
Liz completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in the spring of 2011, where she became interested in coral reef ecosystems, and especially coral disease. During her undergraduate experience she worked with skeletal growth anomalies on endemic species of coral in tidepools on the Big Island of Hawaii. She decided to pursue her graduate studies at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) because she was interested in coral disease in the Caribbean, and UVI offers a lot of hands on opportunities. Her key research interests involve understanding the transmissibility of coral diseases, and what factors cause disease to be transmitted among colonies. She wants to pursue a Master’s degree because she believes it will give her more opportunities and provide her with more tools to succeed in her future career. During her free time she enjoys swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and playing music.
|
 |
|
|
|
LeAnn Conlon
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a B.S. in physics and a minor in biology. My undergraduate research project involved studying asteroid mitigation using computational modeling, studying methods of asteroid deflection in the event of one heading towards earth. After graduation, I spent a year at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico working on more modeling. I then decided to incorporate more of my biology background and decided St. Thomas was the best place for this. My current project allows me to combine both my physics and biology backgrounds; for my thesis, I will be using acoustic Doppler current profilers to study backscatter from plankton in the water column. In my free time, I enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, and film and digital photography.
|
 |
|
|
Jane Conrad
I was born on Tortola and lived aboard a sailboat with my family on St. John, USVI. I could swim by a year of age and have been intrigued by the ocean ever since. I completed my undergraduate work at the University of Central Florida with a major in Biology and a minor in Psychology. At the University of Central Florida I became involved in a hands-on marine biology lab. After completing a course in Marine Biology, I continued a research project exploring the effects of climate change on the red mangroves, Rhizophora mangal. My knowledge of conducting research grew while working on invasive species and doing oyster restoration in New Smyrna, FL. The summer before arriving at UVI, I was given the opportunity to work as a Research Assistant in Apalachicola, studying oyster recruitment and levels of sedimentation on “oyster ladders.” I applied to the University of the Virgin Islands in hopes of growing in my marine and environmental science education. I have been snorkeling on numerous occasions in the Hurricane Holes of St. John and I have observed corals settling on and amongst the prop roots of red mangroves. I would like to continue studying red mangroves, in particular their interaction with corals, for my thesis work.
|
 |
|
|
Scott Eanes
I am from the great state of California and the even better city of Alameda. I am an educational product of the most exceptional university in the modern world: the University of Oregon. All joking aside, I am a very proud duck and it was after a semester abroad and a trip through New Zealand and Australia that I discovered my passion for sea turtles. I have worked with Kemp’s Ridley, Hawksbill and Leatherback sea turtles in South Texas, Barbados, and Grenada. My thesis project will investigate the in-water movement, sex ratio, and genetics of the juvenile population of Hawksbill sea turtles around the Cyril E. King runway on St. Thomas. A smarter person than me once told me to go to grad school where, “you can study exactly what you want to study.” The University of the Virgin Islands gives me that opportunity.
Scott is the 2011 MMES student representative. |
 |
|
|
Tyler Grespin
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Biology & Philosophy from the College of Charleston in 2009, and spent the following two years working with the South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources in sustainable fisheries and stock enhancement research. My thesis work at UVI will focus primarily on genetic analysis of spatially distinct populations of Red Hind grouper, Epinephelus guttatus. As of now, my interests lie mostly in fisheries science and research, although I remain open to the possibility of one day transitioning into a fisheries or environmental management role of some sort. In my free time, I thoroughly enjoy fishing, being in and on the water, traveling, making mosaics, and smooth jazz. I’m also a sports enthusiast and love getting into a game of basketball, soccer, and most other sports.
|
 |
|
|
Brittney Honisch
I grew up in Colorado but numerous trips to oceans far and
wide – Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Australia – instilled a love and
interest in marine science at a young age. I studied environmental
science at Western Washington University, with an emphasis in marine
ecology and environmental toxicology. As an undergraduate, I was
fortunate to broaden my experience through employment, research, and
academics. I gained water quality analysis experience as a lab
technician, aided a masters’ student with her research on predation and
coral bleaching, and was selected as a participant for a Research
Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in Maine. As an REU student
at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, I conducted an independent
research project on iron limitation in coastal and ocean strains of
Emiliania huxleyi. My mentor for this program secured me a spot as a
research assistant on the NSF-funded Great Coccolithophore Belt cruise,
which traveled from South America to South Africa to investigate an
expansive E. huxleyi feature. Being at sea, conducting field work, and
working closely with a research scientist confirmed my decision to go
to graduate school. After graduating from Western in June 2011, my
interest in coral led me to choose the MMES program. I am currently
working for Dr. Tyler Smith on a water quality monitoring grant for St.
John and St. Croix. My research will focus on water quality impacts on
coral communities. When I’m not working, I love to scuba dive, hike,
run, sail, bike, cook, and enjoy a good book. |
 |
| |
|
Pedro Nieves
Pedro was born on the island of St.
Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He attended Lockhart Elementary School then
Addelita Cancryn Junior H.S. and graduated from Charlotte Amalie High
School. class of ’95. He furthered his education by attending the
University of the Virgin Islands, spending time at Jacksonville
University, FL but ultimately returning to graduate with a B.S. in
Marine Biology from UVI. Pedro has worked in many marine related fields
such as Coral World where he was a Greeter, SeaTrek operator (guiding
guest/non-divers on helmet dives), and Aquarist, maintaining the animals
and plants and their exhibits. Currently, he continues to focus his
energy on preserving our islands’ beauty by serving as a Geographic
Information System Coordinator for the Coastal Zone Management, DPNR.
Pedro lives with his wife and two boys on the island of St. Thomas. |
 |
| |
|
Alexis Sabine
I completed my undergraduate degree at
Northeastern University in Boston, studying environmental geology and
chemistry. While there, I participated in the SEA Semester field studies
program, where I sailed from Massachusetts to St. Croix while
conducting a research project on foraminifera in the Atlantic Ocean. My
interest in marine science grew after that, and when I graduated, I went
on to work for marine conservation organizations in Trinidad &
Tobago, Cambodia, and Indonesia, where I surveyed invertebrates, fish,
and corals around the islands to assess reef health. I have also worked
as a Divemaster, which has fostered my interest in marine science even
more, leading me to join UVI’s MMES program. I am interested in studying
coral ecology and will be looking at development and recovery of
lesions in Acropora corals around St. Thomas and St. John. When not
underwater, I enjoy traveling, baking, collecting knives, and
geologizing. |
 |
| |
|
Nikki Thompson
I was born and raised on the island of St.
Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2010, I completed my undergraduate
degree at the University of the Virgin Islands with a B.S in Biology.
During undergraduate studies, I worked in Dr. Richard Hall’s lab
studying the neurophysiology of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster. Also, I
interned at the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources in the
Division of Fish and Wildlife, where one day I hope to gain a full-time
position using the resource management skills gained from the MMES
program to better my community. One reason I chose to continue my
education here at UVI is to be able to have a better understanding of
the environmental issues that the V.I is faced with, and someday work to
help implement better management plans that would allow the continuing
existence of the current ecosystems and diverse organisms here in the
V.I. for future generations to enjoy. Therefore, I am interested in
wildlife biology, marine biology, and environmental education. While in
the MMES program, I plan to conduct my thesis on the invasive species,
the lionfish. |
|
| |
|
Alex Webb
I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology
from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. Immediately following
school I spent some time teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. From
there, despite being from the desert in the middle of a terrestrial
environment, I was offered a couple of jobs doing sea turtle research
during the Leatherback and Hawksbill nesting seasons in both Grenada and
Barbados, respectively. While there I learned to love the Caribbean and
following those jobs decided to go all the way and get a Masters in
marine biology. I decided to go where the sea turtles were and UVI is in
the perfect place. Although now I am doing something completely
unrelated to sea turtles for my thesis. Life has been full of surprises. |
 |
| |
|
Zach Whitener
Zach grew up on Long Island, off the coast of
Maine, and has been a commercial lobsterman since he was 10 years old.
Growing up on the water, he gained a respect and interest in the ocean
and the marine environment from an early age. Zach left Maine to attend
Brown University, graduating in 2009. After college, he worked as a
research technician at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute working on
otoliths as part of an alewife stock structure project. Zach came to
the MMES program at UVI to broaden his education and research skills
beyond temperate latitudes. His thesis research is focusing on the
cryptic invertebrate community that lives within the reef. |
 |
|