College of Science

Cecelia Batterbee

Home Campus: University of Michigan

Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Labs

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Kim Null

Project: Effects of a Treatment Wetland-Bioreactor System on Nutrient Loading in a Central California Coast Watershed

Arelys Chaparro

Home Campus: University of South Carolina

Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Eric Crandall

Project: A Possible New Species of Lottia Limpet from the Northeast Pacific

Sarah Dahl

Home Campus: University of California, Santa Barbara

Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Wendell Nuss

Project: Stratocumulus clouds along the California Coast

Nicholas Kolasa-Lenarz

Home Campus: University of St. Thomas

Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Giulio De Leo

Project: Environmental Drivers of Toxic Pseudo-nitzschia Blooms

Zachary Mize

Home Campus: Treasure Valley Community College

Research Facility: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Rikke Jeppesen & Dr. Kerstin Wasson

Project: Crab species richness and abundance within Elkhorn Slough with a focus on key species Pachygrapsus crassipes, Hemigrapsus oregonensis, Carcinus maenas.

Larissa Neilson

Home Campus: California State University, Monterey Bay

Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Jim Barry & Dr. Steve Litvin

Project: Effects of current and future upwelling conditions on the growth and survivorship of Haliotis rufescens

Alex Otto

Home Campus: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Labs

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Gitte McDonald

Project: Heart Rate in Northern Elephant Seals under Different Handling Conditions

Luis Pérez

Home Campus: University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus

Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School

Research Mentor(s): Dr. James MacMahan

Project: Observations of infragravity (30s-5min) surges (waves) in intertidal rocky channels

Omar Ramzy

Home Campus: Stony Brook University

Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

Research Mentor(s): Dr. James Lindholm

Project: Habitat Associations and Behavior of Halfbanded Rockfish (Sebastes semicinctus) in the mid-depth Photic Zone of the Carmel Undersea Canyon

Richard Rodriguez

Home Campus: Ventura College

Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Kakani Katija

Project: Development Of A Tag Release Mechanism For Soft-Bodied Invertebrates

Julia Stanganelli

Home Campus: University of Virginia

Research Facility: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Rikke Jeppesen & Dr. Kerstin Wasson

Project: Factors Influencing the Abundance of an Invasive Mud Snail at Elkhorn Slough

Brianna Villalon

Home Campus: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Larry Crowder

Project: Socio-ecological Interactions within Small-Scale Fisheries and Vessel Tracking in the Gulf of California

Olivia Arredondo

Home Campus: Hartnell Community College

Research Facility: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Rikke Jeppesen

Project: Ecotone plant community zonation and salinity tolerance at Hester Marsh, Elkhorn Slough

Isaac Arseneau

Home Campus: Valparaiso University

Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School

Research Mentor(s): Wendell Nuss

Project: A case study of four atmospheric river events over the Pacific west coast of the United States

Victoria Asaad

Home Campus: California State University, Monterey Bay

Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Ken Smith and Dr. Chrissy Huffard

Project: Tergivelum baldwinae, a benthic acorn worm's behavior in relation to structure and food supply

Madison Bashford

Home Campus: California State University, Monterey Bay

Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Nick Carey

Project: Temperature effects on swimming kinematics of foraging behavior in the Northern Anchovy, Engraulis mordax

Daniel De Leon

Home Campus: Cabrillo College

Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Research Mentor(s): Dr. John Ryne and Danelle Cline

Project: Passive acoustic monitoring of blue and fin whale species through machine learning

Brett McKim

Home Campus: University of California, Santa Barbara

Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Jeff Paduan

Project: Relationship between biological variables and surface water origins in Monterey Bay, CA based on water-trajectory analysis

Emily Pope

Home Campus: Nova Southeastern University

Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

Research Mentor(s): Dr. John Goeltz

Project: Dependence of boric acid equilibria on hydroxide ions or hydrogen ions and its application to ocean acidification

Lucas Principe

Home Campus: Northeastern University

Research Facility: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Rikke Jeppesen and Dr. Kerstin Wasson

Project: Animal use of salt marsh habitat at Elkhorn Slough: Investigating crab, insect and small mammal community abundance and distribution in an estuarine ecosystem

Veronica Rodriguez-Jurado

Home Institution: University of Maryland

Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Steve Palumbi and Beth Sheets

Project: Effects of shark-fin processing level on barcoding success rate

Ash Sanchez

Home Campus: Rutgers State University

Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Monique Messie and Dr. Francisco Chavez

Project: Environmental factors influencing zooplankton diel vertical migration in Monterey Bay, California

Marisa Thompson

Home Campus: California State University, Monterey Bay

Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Scott Hamelton and June Shrestha

Project: Effect of feeding time on nutrient excretion rate by Gopher rockfish (Sebastes carnatus)

Grant Voirol

Home Campus: University of Miami

Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Gitte McDonald and Stephanie Schneider

Project: Do non-breeding Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) huddle during the long foraging migration?

Miranda Baker

Home Campus: Haverford College

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Tom Connolly and Dr. Kim Null

Project: Effects of Tidal Management on Salinity and Nutrient Concentrations in a Low-Flow Estuary

Bryce Corbett

Home Campus: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

REU Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Francisco Chavez

Project: Exploring eDNA methodologies as a way to detect relationship between Anchovies and Krill in Monterey Bay Canyon

Aaron Cristan

Home Campus: Del Mar College

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. G. Jason Smith

Project: Marine Algal Parasite Hunting: Oomycete and Chytrids Detection in Marine Environments, Classification and Sequencing

Darimar Davila

Home Campus: University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus

REU Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Corey Garza and Dan Orr

Project: How species diversity is influenced by landscape characteristics in rocky intertidal communities at multiple scales

Jay Lowe

Home Campus: CSU Monterey Bay

REU Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Tim Stanton

Project: Turbulent Transfer of Heat and Salt in Weak Ocean Density Layers

Melia Paguirigan

Home Campus: The Evergreen State College

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Colleen Durkin

Project: Influence of diatom morphology and community composition on aggregation in Monterey Bay, California

Mackenzie Peck

Home Campus: Millikin University

REU Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Cheryl Logan and Kirsten Boyer

Project: Maternal effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia on metabolic performance in larval brown rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus

Emily Peterson

Home Campus: University of Portland

REU Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Tim Stanton

Project: Comparing the Accuracy of AMSRE, AMSR2, SSMI and SSMIS Satellite Radiometer Ice Concentration Products with One-Meter Resolution Visible Imagery in the Arctic

Lance Rodriguez

Home Campus: Fresno City College

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Ivano Aiello and Tyler Barnes

Project: Beach recovery in southern Monterey Bay during summer 2016

Aileen San

Home Campus: CSU Monterey Bay

REU Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Charles Boch

Project: Carry-over effects of fertilization in stressful conditions on red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, larval development

Aaron Updike

Home Campus: Valparaiso University

REU Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Wendell Nuss

Project: Characterizing and predicting along-coast and diurnal marine stratus variability on the U.S. West Coast

Kirby Bartlett

Home Campus: Cabrillo Community College

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Diana Steller, Angela Zepp (graduate student)

Project: Comparison of pH concentrations within regions of the thallus in Desmarestia ligulata in relation to urchin grazing preferences

Chelsea Burgess

Home Campus: Haskell Indian Nations University

REU Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Corey Garza, Dr. Michael Navarro (post-doctoral fellow)

Project: Novel Bat Star, Patiria miniata, Habitat Associations

Robert Chavez

Home Campus: Hartnell College

REU Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

REU Mentor(s): Brett Hobson

Project: A Method for Accurate Ballasting of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Enrika espiritu

Home Campus: University of Guam

REU Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Alison Haupt

Project: The Correlation Between Anthropogenic Factors: Fishing and Pollution, with Kelp Biomass Along the Coast of California

Colleen Flynn

Home Campus: College of William and Mary

REU Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Mark Denny, Diana LaScala-Gruenewald (graduate student)

Project: The effects of food distribution on the homing behavior of the limpet Lottia scabra

Katherine Gregory

Home Campus: Stony Brook University

REU Research Facility: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Kirsten Wasson, Dr. Rikke Jeppesen

Project: Spatial and temporal variation in crab communities across an estuarine gradient

Madison Heard

Home Campus: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Jim Barry, Dr. Charlie Boch (post-doctoral fellow)

Project: Effects of Multiple Climate Change-Related Stressors on Larval Development of the Red Abalone, Haliotis rufescens

Alia Hidayat

Home Campus: University of Washington

REU Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Chris Lowe, Dr. Paul Minor (post-doctoral fellow)

Project: Conserved hox gene expression during larval stagesin the bat star, Patiria miniata

Mechelle Johnson

Home Campus: Kirkwood Community College

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Kenneth Coale, Holly Chiswell, Alex Olsen (graduate students).

Project: Dimethylmercury: A Source of Monomethylmercury in Fog

Paris Smalls

Home Campus: University of South Carolina

REU Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Charlie Paull

Project: Benthic gouge marks in the Canadian Beaufort Sea: Associations between whales and methane seeps?

Catrin Wendt

Home Campus: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Research Facility: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Kirsten Wasson, Dr. Rikke Jeppesen

Project: European green crab distribution as an effect of water quality in an estuarine environment

Taylor Eddy

Home Campus: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Jim Harvey

Project: Distributional changes of Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) within feeding grounds off California

Dale Garcia

Home Campus: Hartnell College

REU Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Steve Moore

Project: Underwater laser “tripwire” for detecting marine life

Mary Colleen Hannon

Home Campus: Humboldt State University

REU Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Kakani Young

Project: Jet-propelled swimming by siphonophores, a colonial gelatinous zooplankton

Kayleigh Kavanagh

Home Campus: Beloit College

REU Research Facility: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Ivano Aiello

Project: Measuring the impacts of longshore transport on Monterey Bay beach morphology through terrestrial LiDAR

Anika knight

Home Campus: Medaille College

REU Research Facility: Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Giulio DeLeo

Project: Schistosomiasis outbreaks and their spatial relationship with dams and prawns of the genus Macrobrachium in Sub-Saharan Africa

Zena Jensvold

Home Campus: The University of Oregon

REU Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Alexandra Worden

Project: Physiological response of Ostreococcus to nutrient depletion

Jesse Lafian

Home Campus: Tompkins Cortland Community College

REU Research Facility: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Francisco Chavez

Project: Biological processes drive diel pH signals near shore

Bryce Melzer

Home Campus: University of South Carolina

REU Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Peter Chu

Project: Methodology comparison on determination of global ocean mixed layer depth from temperature profiles

Danielle Perry

Home Campus: University of New Haven

REU Research Facility: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Kerstin Wasson

Project: Macroalgal blooms over time and the effects of wrack on salt marsh in Elkhorn Slough Estuary

Victor Tapia

Home Campus: Santa Clara University

REU Research Facility: Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

REU Mentor(s): Dr. Jeffrey Paduan

Project: Analysis of Circulation Patterns in the Monterey Bay Region from High Frequency (HF) Radar

Lisa Yamamoto

Home Campus: Linfield College

REU Research Facility: California State University, Monterey Bay

REU Mentor(s): Dr. James Lindholm

Project: Distribution of structure-forming invertebrates in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary