Outreach

A Scientist Walks Into A Bar

The Graduate Student Association has partnered with the local brewery, Alewerks, to bring graduate research to the public. With a poster and short, 5-min presentation, I was able to share why capture stress is so important to study.

Marine Life Day

Every year, hundreds of visitors come to the VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory to get up close and personal with native marine life and the scientists who work there. I showcase juvenile and adult clearnose skates, and share fun facts about skates and sharks that live in the tidal lagoons.

The Gills Club

The Gills Club harnesses girls’ passion for sharks, nature and the environment by giving them the opportunity to engage in projects focused on making a significant impact on the way sharks are perceived by the public. I’ve been a featured scientist several times, sharing my life and research on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I’ve also attended several of the meetings held at aquariums in Florida and in Baltimore, presenting my research and fielding questions about skates.

Media

The Fins United Initiative: Behind the Fins

My journey to becoming a scientist was profiled by the Fins United Initiative. In the interview I discuss everything from taking time away from academia to my daily life as a grad student. Read the Full Story Here

Shark Week- July 2018

My work was highlighted during Shark Week by the VIMS Outreach and Communication Team. “For more than 30 years, the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” has captivated millions of television viewers with stories and footage of some of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures. Here at VIMS, our students, faculty, and staff engage in “shark week” throughout the year as they work to unlock the many secrets these animals hold. They use their findings to address broader questions facing ocean ecosystems, such as how the number of apex predators impacts marine food webs.”
Read the Full Story Here

American Elasmobranch Society Lab Feature

I was asked to write up a feature on my work with Dr. Rich Brill in 2017.
“I am the only graduate student currently advised by Dr. Brill, although there are many other collaborators we work with all over the world. I am currently working on several projects investigating the impacts of climate change and capture stress on fish physiology. By determining physiological tolerances and limitations, I hope to refine scientists’ ability to ask ecologically relevant questions regarding anthropogenic impacts.”
Read the Full Story Here

Leading Women in Marine Science

What are you looking forward to the most in the future of marine science?
There has been a recent resurgence in the popularity of physiology as a tool for marine conservation and marine resource management. This is exciting because it is the field I am currently working in, but also because it signals support of mechanistic understandings of marine processes. I believe that in order to have truly effective policies, we need understand the nuances and details of how individuals interact with their environments and with stressors. I am very excited to watch this field continue to develop, and hopefully to contribute my own findings as well!
Read the Full Story Here

Earth Angels

“Fish are considered one of the few remaining common pool resources. Trying to figure out how to use this resource that half of the world’s population relies on for their primary source of protein, in a way that’s fair and equitable and sustainable, is really hard. Catch-and-release fishery managers, for example, need an estimate of how many fish die in order to create fishing regulations. Part of my work is trying to understand how stress that humans cause is linked to actual fish death.”
Read the Full Story Here