Nelle D’Aversa and Casey Tremper (MAMA ’17) defended and passed their thesis research this past July.  Casey will be receiving her Masters of Arts in Marine Affairs at the end of this summer semester and Nelle, this coming December.

Nelle D’Aversa, under major professor Dr. Dalton, defended her thesis research entitled “Perspectives on Emerging Monitoring Technologies: Understanding Factors That Affect Adoption.” D’Aversa defended findings from interviews with Rhode Island coastal managers and online surveys with National Estuarine Research Reserve System staff members on their adoption and acceptance of water quality monitoring technology and perspectives of emerging monitoring technologies. Findings from this study identify potential developments for technological innovations that can be used to better address changing environmental conditions and provide coastal managers/water quality program directors with insight into how individuals are using technology in order to develop better water quality monitoring programs.

Casey Tremper, under major professor Dr. Amelia Moore, defended her thesis research entitled “Investigating the Relationship between Tourism and Artificial Coral Reefs in New Providence, Bahamas.” Tremper defended findings from interviews with dive tour operators, conservation managers, and tourists in The Bahamas relating to its Underwater Coral Reef Sculpture Garden. These findings examined the effectiveness of the Coral Reef Sculpture Garden in achieving its desired goals of promoting marine conservation, educating on marine debris and marine pollution, and advocating for sustainable diving, all via tourism.