The information below represents the first few degrees/jobs/positions taken after graduation from URI.

We would love to know more about what you have been doing since graduation from URI. Please send updates (including your year of graduation, and permanent/non-URI email address) to: urimbio@etal.uri.edu

Class of 2024

Matthew Brander – MS student, University of Louisiana – Lafayette studying evolution of South American freshwater fishes.

Jill DaSilva – Intern, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation  – conducting ventless trap surveys to determine impact of wind farms on health and abundance of jonah crab and American lobster.

Andrew Ferguson  – Ocean Engineer, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division (NUWC) Newport

Anna Parsons – Field Technician and Animal Caretaker, Massachusetts Audubon (Joppa Flats Reserve, Newuryport, MA); will be a scientific diver with the Coral Restoration Foundation in Florida Keys.

Bella Southwood – Fisheries Intern with Vineyard Wind; will be doing MESM program at URI

We need information about: Lauren Albanese, Garrett Acuna, John Beichler, Maryssa Bizier, Elijah Chabot, Michael Charas, Taya Clements, Grace Connolly, Jordan Conner, Deanna Daley, Keegan Garvey, Isabelle Gingold, Willa Geoghegan, Megan Hughes, Kara James, Andrew Lofgren, Ellie Madigan, Sean Martin, Madison Milander, Grace DiBerardinis, Bethany Dunk, Sean Dungan, Joe Fleck, Rebecca Fox, Alyssa Fraleigh, Tony Rendell, Luke Sylvia, Anacarolina Theodoro, Deanna Torres

Class of 2023  

Jake Denelsbeck – At Sea Monitor, A.I.S. Inc.

Willow Dunster – Research Technician, URI.

Hana-lei Evans – MS Student, James Cook University (Australia; coral reef ecology)

Katie Gheysen – Graduate student, Texas A& M Corpus Christie; recipient of NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Katrina Kulesh – MS student (Biotechnology) Brown University

Leland Macey – Fisheries Observer with NOAA/A.I.S. Inc.

Nicole Masone – Intern, Coral Restoration Foundation.

Ben Poepsel – Peace Corps Volunteer

Brooke Withers – Water Resources Coordinator, Town of Barnstable (MA); Environmental Scientist, Environmental Partners

We need information about: Rosie Bailey, Greg Bales, Victoria Bain, Duncan Bates, John Biechler, Ian Bush, Jennifer Campbell, Brandon Chapman, Lidja Cross, Natalie Devitt, Christina DiFranco, Emily Drappeau, Cat Eno, Lily Fitzgerald, Kayla Fraser, Samantha Gardner, Chloe Gilligan, Kevin Giordano, Rebecca Goodridge, Joshua Hall, Ariana Helger, Patricia Henle, Kevin Henkel, Jillian Hettrich, Jennifer Hopkins, Tori March, Kalyn Markuns, Kimberly Masse, Connor Mathis, Rachel Matisko, Marguerite McNamara, Janelle Mercer, Hailey Millett, Jacob Rancourt, Sierra Richardson, Gwenevier Riendeau, Zac Robinson, Tyler Simonenko, Viv Stansell, Miguel Vazquez-Fontane, Ashley Velzis, Cassie Wandell, Brooke Withers

Class of 2022  

Dario Castillo – Research Associate, High Purity New England; Biological Science Technician, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

Ashley Champagne  – working for EPA, Aquaculture Support

Max Hampton – doing MS in the Webb Lab at URI

Bailey Jenkins – (double major in OCE) – working in industry

Myles Wagner  – MS student in marine ecology, Texas A & M University.

We need information about: Nicole Adelsohn, Drew Alves, Glynnis Boyce, Hannah Brown, Zyan Brown, Ashlee Clarke, Katrina Davis, Kristen Doyle, Joseph Dyer, Ellie Felderman, Emma Gerike, Kels Gillen, Finn Harty, Marie Haviland, Harrison Hepding, Allison Infante, Kerri Johnson, Gianna Lourenco, Joe Maiorano, Ryan McCabe, Danielle McClendon, Melvin Perez-Bereg, Brigitte Pinault, Peyton Reusch, Tessa Seebeck, Jackson Werner

Class of 2021

Lindsay Agvent – MS student, GSO

Bethany Deloof – MS, URI (w/Dr. Brad Wetherbee)

Emily Fredsbo – Intern, Beluga & Pinniped department, Mystic Aquarium

Allison Gallagher – MS, SUNY Stony Brook (marine conservation and policy); had studied marine ecology in Korea

Cara Megill – PhD student, University of Hawaii, Senior Research Assistant, Center for Marine Debris Research; MS, U. Hawaii (Semi-quantitative analysis of plastic additives within marine derelict fishing gear…)

Kelsey Mudry – Ambient River Monitoring Intern, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

Elizabeth Saraf – MS student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Nova Southeastern University; had worked for Dr. Prada (BIO/CELS)

Sarah O’Sullivan -Aquatic Stage Staff, Royal Caribbean International; Diver, Mystic Aquarium; MO at GSO

We need information about: Adam Antonitis, Greg Bales, Kayley Balken, Kristen Daye, Annie DiCerbo, Fiona Edwards, Emma Gerike, Caitlin Germek, Thomas Gmoser, Sierra Gray, Britney Howland, Mia Luzietti, Erin Magliano, Kimberly Masse, Abby Patterson, Mark Read, Sean Schaefer, Eli Valentine

Class of 2020

Anna Byczynski – Research Assistant, MBL, Woods Hole, working on regeneration and cell development in Playtnereis.

Maranda Ealahan – Staff Scientist,  Coastal Eco-Group, Nova Southeastern University; HS Science Teacher, Palm Beach Maritime Academy; MS, Nova Southeastern University (hammerhead shark behavior, Nadler Lab); had been Marine Science Educator, New England Science and Sailing Foundation (CT)

Jessi Florendo – MS student, University of Washington, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs.

Karla Haiat – Lab Technician, Girguis Lab at Harvard University

Benjamin Hooks – URI Department of Environmental Health and Safety.

Danielle Jorge – Research Assistant, Suckling Lab (CELS/URI)

Haley Kenyon – MS student, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, College of Charleston

Alyssa Lopez – NSF Graduate Research Fellow, University of Washington (cetacean ecology); had been Fisheries Observer in Alaska

Chris Mayer – MS student, Nova Southeastern University

Malachy McCaffrey – PhD student, GSO and NSF Graduate Research Fellow; System-Wide Monitoring Program technician for the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve at UTMSI; Coral Research Technician,  FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute; Lab Tech, Marine Science Institute, UTexas, Port Aransas; had been North Pacific Fisheries Observer.

Ana McMenamin – Research Assistant, Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole); had been Coral Physiology Lab Assistant, University of Rhode Island

Gabby Pantoni – Laboratory Technician, Coral Reef Health and Ecology Lab, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (Florida Atlantic University), working with Dr. Joshua Voss; MS Florida Atlantic University.

Marina Sapeta (Breeze) – Purser, private fishing vessel in Alaska; Groundfish Observer, Alaskan Observers, Inc.; had been intern, Vollmuth & Brush Environmental Engineering

Juliette Straub – Husbandry Assistant at Seaworld

Melati Tarrant – Quality Control Microbiologist, Sheffield Pharmaceuticals, LLC

Madison Thornhill – Aquatics Director, Greater Ridgecrest YMCA

Erin Tully – MS, Oregon State University in Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences

Max Zavell – Post-Doc, UMass Dartmouth (ecology of wind farms); PhD, UCONN (Baumann Lab, ocean acidification effects on fish)

We need information about: Olivia Amante, Laura Berard, Andrew Cammisa, Erin Carlson, Gabrielle Caruso, Ashlee Clarke, Joey Clayton, Richie Cuadra, Sharil Deleon, Jen Diduk, Kevin Dyer, Alexa Farraj, Ian Fletcher, Jaime Glennon, Jess Hiltz, Annemarie Holmes, James Holmes, Matthew Kenyon, Nicole MacKinnon, Alec Mauk, Alexis Miket, Danielle Nadeau, Bailey Nevins, Mekenna Peter, Nate Pierce, Stacy Robichaud, Margaret Rodrigue, Allison Scannell, Sean Schaefer, Jess Starace, Andrea Stevens, Zac Tressin, Maureen Twomey

Class of 2019

Gyasi Alexander – Environmental Educator, Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum (Sanibel, FL); had been Assistant Science Lab Coordinator, Hagerstown Community College

Natascha Borgstein – Underwater photographer in Curacao; Research Assistant, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); MS (Marine Biology), University of Groningen, Netherlands.

Kathryn Brooks – Shellfish Assistant, Town of Barnstable (MA)

Mike Burgess – Aquatic Biologist, State of Massachusetts; MS, UCONN EEB, working on migration of juvenile river herring; Research Associate at Yale – Zebrafish facility

Nicholas Celico – Attorney; JD, Roger Williams University; Master of Oceanography (MO) at GSO – developed shellfish restoration plan for Winnapaug Pond in Misquamicut, R.I. See PROFILE.

Erin Chille – PhD student, Rutgers University (Ecology and Evolution); MS in Putnam Lab (BioSci/CELS)

Evan Ernst – Intern, Mote Marine Laboratory, Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research

Emma Ferrante (MB minor) – Educator, Maritime Museum, Norfolk VA; Intern, CRMC RI; Fish Facility Manager, Harvard Medical School; Coastal Research Management Council (RI); Peace Corps

Nick Houseman – Biology/Physical Science Teacher, Hollis-Brookline HS (Providence, RI); summer jobs – worked for Abby Road, led study abroad experience for HS students, worked at Norman Bird Sanctuary, Third Beach Naturalist, in charge of the coastal education center portion of summer camp.

Elizabeth Ilagan – Science Teacher, Lexington HS (MA); MS, Education, Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning (Cambridge, MA); student teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

Lauren Kittell-Porter – PhD student, Arizona State University (at BIOS; vertical distribution and niche partitioning of Rhizaria in the Sargasso Sea); Digital Zooplankton Assistant; Scripps Institution of Oceanography; MS, U. Maryland Eastern Shore – studying storm impacts on water dynamics in Maryland Coastal Bays

Rachel Loffredo – Environmental Specialist, Triumvirate Environmental

Nicole McAdams – Project Manager and Client Support for The Conference Exchange (Confex); Aquarist, Biomes Marine Biology Center; had been Marine Educator, Project Oceanology (CT)

Shannon McCarthy – Senior Aquarist, Mystic Aquarium; At-Sea Monitor/Northeast Groundfish Observer, Fathom Resources (Middletown, RI); Master of Oceanography (MO) at GSO; NOAA fisheries observer

Amanda Merritt – MS student, James Cook University (Australia)

Dawn Parry – PhD student, Cornell University, Marine Bioacoustics

Amy Pisacreta – Associate Scientist II – Genome Editing (mRNA PAD), Novo Nordisk; had been Associate Scientist, bluebird bio (Cambridge, MA)

Kiran Reed – M.S. Student, California State University, Northridge

Lauren Richards – Animal Lab Technician, Aquaculture Research Center, University of Maryland; had been Aquarist for the Norman Bird Sanctuary (RI), then Educator and aquarist at Glen Echo Park Aquarium; Educator, National Aquarium; had been Fisheries Observer, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Ben Sacco – Shellfish Propagation Specialist, Town of Chatham; Intern, New England Aquarium (tropical gallery); had been Seasonal Shellfish Assistant, Town of Barnstable (MA)

Sara Shapiro – Lab Technician (zooplankton ecology, invertebrates), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Madeleine Sherman – Communications and Educational Associate, Gates Coral Laboratory, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (U. Hawaii); working on community-focused coral restoration project (RestoreWithResilience.org); had been Lab Tech at Hawaii Pacific University; Teacher, St. Andrews Schools (Hawaii)

Evelyn Spencer – Life Scientist, Ocean and Coastal Protection, US EPA; MS GSO.

Class of 2018

Michael Blanco – Fisheries Observer, A.I.S., Inc., Northeast Fisheries Observer Program

Erin Bowman – National Coral Reef Management Fellowship (2022-2024); Internship, Coral Restoration Foundation (2018), Internship, School for Field Studies (2019); IMBRSea masters program for marine biological resources (2019-2021)

Alison Frey – PhD Student, UMass Dartmouth; had been Laboratory Technician, NOAA-NMFS, Narragansett – analysis of plankton samples and otoliths, and helping with NEFSC field surveys.

Tiare Fridrich – MS, Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management, U. Miami; Manatee Biologist, Save the Manatee Club in Florida; had been Fish and Wildlife Technician, NYS DEC DMR, Bureau of Marine Habitat Protection (in NYC) – marine habitat related assessment and monitoring; Scientific Methodology Liaison for ReefSave; Seasonal Assistant Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Sea Explorers Marine Camp

Deanna Gardner – MS, Environmental Science and Policy, Johns Hopkins University; Naturalist/Deckhand, Pacific Whale Foundation, Hawaii

Paige Gufler – Volunteer, Save The Bay; worked at Mystic Aquarium in the Guest Services Department.

Danielle Jordan – PhD student, Univ. Aberdeen (Scotland) (as of 9/21) studying calcium transport mechanisms in invertebrates using CRISPR (with Dr. Victoria Sleight); lab technician, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL, Woods Hole) using CRISPR in amphibians (in Horb Lab).

David Lockwood – Fisheries Observer in New England; worked for RI DEM and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission; did Protected Species Observer work all along the East Coast; now doing Right Whale Aerial Survey work.

Liheng Ma – MS student in Conservation Biology, University of Queensland, Australia; underwater photographer

Melina Metaxas – Research Internship, Mystic Aquarium – worked with Dr. Paul Anderson on “A framework for the selection of marine aquarium fishes to target for sustainable species selection and aquaculture”.

Emily Pepin – Student, Veterinary School, Melbourne Australia; had been Intern, Florida Fish and Wildlife manatee rescue program

Julia Rucko – Arborist, Bartlett Tree Experts, had been Arborist Intern, Longwood Gardens (PA)

Lauren Salisbury – Research Assoc., HelixBind, Inc. (in Mass.); MSc, University of St. Andrews (Scotland) in marine mammal science; had been Research Assistant, URI NRS (with Dr. Mark Stolt) – Using Thin-Layer Deposition to Manage Sea-Level Rise in Tidal Marshes

Angela Stahl – Research Associate, Louisiana State University; MS, GSO (McMahon Lab); Intern, Animal Husbandry and Scuba Diving, New England Aquarium/New England Aquarium Quincy Animal Care Center.

James Tuttle – Graduate Student, Auburn University

Miranda Van Allen – Northeast Fisheries Observer Program Instructor at Lynker Technologies; Receiving and Processing Manager, Wellfleet Shellfish Company; had been Lead Scientist, New Logic Marine Science Camp in NJ; worked for AIS as a fisheries observer in Point Pleasant NJ

We need information about: Daniel Achilles, Johann Becker, Christina Cosquete, Jared Defond, Carly DeLiberty, Kirsten Fagan, Mackenzie Gendron, Matthew Gibson, Long Gong, Jane Hamilton, Elizabeth Hertzler, Ryan Housden, Randy Joslin, Gloria Keogh, Emily Krochin, Jordon Lyon, Kaitlyn Quirke, Ryan Smith, Michael Tortorelli, Connor Ward, Nikki Wowaka, Amy Wentzel.

Class of 2017

Jessica Casey – doing environmental work (invasive species)

Lucas Crowley – Volunteer, Mystic Aquarium

Alaina Dawson – Fish and Wildlife Biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service; M.S. in Natural Resource Policy, University of Florida.

Jessica Freedman – Environmental Planner, McLaughlin Corp.; MS Environmental Science and Policy, Johns Hopkins University; Had been on the RVIB Palmer with the Robinson lab at GSO (www.snowbirdstransect.org).

Christine Gardiner – Research technician, Dartmouth College (fate and transport of persistent pollutants in marine and freshwater ecosystems); MS, GSO (in Lohmann Lab) – studying the presence of halogenated natural products  (PFAS) in fish and algae tissues in Narragansett Bay

John (Jack) Girard – PhD student in Prada Lab, URI; MS, Cal State Northridge (2021) – coral reef ecology; had been Research Assistant, Darrin Freshwater Institute (NY) – field sampling, and lab work pertaining to Lake George watershed

Madeline Haines – Intern,  RIDEM (2018 and 2019), started full time position at RIDEM (2020); student in MESM program

Bowman Halstead – Instrumentation Technician for the research vessels, Scripps Institute of Oceanography; worked for Offshore Yachting Solutions, Newport RI (behalstead.84@gmail.com)

Katherine Hannibal – Researcher in Residence, The Archer School for Girls; MS, Cal State Northridge;  spearheaded environmental outreach program for 5-9th graders; had been Assistant Coordinator, Teen Program, New England Aquarium.

Jessica Hutnick – Intern, Mote Marine Laboratory (FL)

Marguerite Kinsella – Teacher, Primrose Schools (NJ);  Naturalist, Environmental Education Center in NJ.

Robert Krulee – Fish and Wildlife Researcher, RI Department of Environmental Management

Jennifer Lander – Intern, Coastal Systems Group

Renee LaGarenne – Internships, Mystic Aquarium (2017); Lab Tech, Dr. Lucie Miranda’s lab at GSO (2017); Intern, Sarasota Dolphin Research Department at MOTE Marine Lab (2018); Intern, Aquarium of the Pacific  (CA) performing photo ID of large cetaceans (2019); now aerial survey researcher Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (NC) as an monitoring the Right Whale population using photo identification.

Nick Letarte – IFS Fisheries Observer, collecting data for NOAA and NMFS

Amelia May – MS in biology, Boston University; did two summer coral research programs with the National Park service; currently teaching marine biology and chemistry at Newton North high school (Newton MA).

Mitchell Mcgrane – working on an oyster farm

Cynthia Michaud – MS in Biological Oceanography, California State University Monterey Bay; Currently working at a biotech startup – Laronde.

Danielle Moore – Government contractor, EPA Narragansett (science communication specialist); Marine Research Assistant I at GSO (Wishner Lab)

Katie Nickles – Laboratory Instructor, Wellesley College; URI Dive instructor; MS in Webb Lab (CELS) – studied developmental sensory biology of coral reef fishes

Thomas O’Brien – Fisheries Surveyer, RI Fish and Wildlife

Taylor Perrotta – Masters of Oceanography at GSO (on-line); Aquatic Specialist II, Charles River Laboratories, Charles River Laboratories (MA)

Dr. Darby Pochtar – PhD, George Mason University (Environmental Science and Policy; parasite ecology); MS, George Mason University, Environmental Science and Policy

Lauren Potak – Works at The WaterFront Center in NY from summer 2021-current; Marine Science Educator, Sea Turtle Camp (NC) and Educator at Long Island Aquarium (2017-2019).

Victoria Russo – working at Early Intervention Center

Haley Schanne – Director of Outreach, U.S. House of Representatives; MS, College of Charleston, in Environmental Studies and a Master’s of Public Administration; had worked for the Chesapeake Conservation Corps through the Chesapeake Bay Trust working in environmental education, creating and piloting service-learning curriculum that focuses on watershed issues and health (https://cbtrust.org/prospective/)

We need information about: Nicholas Castro, Joey Ehrhard, Nicole Labbe, Diana Lourenco, Katherine Lynch, Christian Schultz, Jennie Warrell, Michaela Wellman

Class of 2016

Renee Bakker – Marine Mammal Trainer, Coral World Ocean Park (St. Thomas, USVI); Marine Mammal Training and Husbandry Intern, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

Kelsey Beachman – Field Representative at NC Division of Coastal Management; Environmental Specialist, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; MS in Environmental Sciences/Coastal Management, University North Carolina, Wilmington.

Lauren Benoit – Working with Joe Romeiro, award-winning underwater cinematographer and naturalist known for his work with sharks (frequently seen on Shark Week); Received Master of Oceanography from GSO (5th year BS/MO); spent Summer 2016 working in Fiji on shark conservation. See photos at:  laurenbenoit.com. See article here.

Jessica Bornstein – Outreach Coordinator and Education Specialist, Save the Bay Exploration and Aquarium; Has done lots of environmental education and aquarist work.

Alexandra Bruce – Volunteer, Save the Bay

Heather (Chan) Donnelly (double major in Geology and Geological Oceanography) – PhD student, Boston College (nitrogen cycling in ocean/corals); MS, University of Florida (Oyster aquaculture and nitrogen cycling); Graduate Research Assistant, Tropical Research and Education Center (U. Florida)

Emily Derome – Intern, Oceanarium in Bar Harbor, ME

Ciara Dawson – MS Student in Biomimicry, Arizona State University.

Camilla Di Persia – Content Coordinator, REEDPOP; had been Research Technician, lab of Dr. Claire Paris, University of Miami (RSMAS)

Sean Duffey – Coastal Habitat Specialist, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management; was NOAA Coastal Management Fellow (2 years) in Boston MA (via national competition); Received Master of Oceanography from GSO (5th year BS/MO); had Summer 2016 internship with RI DEM.

Madison Francoeur – works at US EPA Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Atlantic Ecology Division/ORD; had been Marine Science Instructor, SeaCamp (FL)

Jaclyn Friedman – Marine Scientist, Virginia Department of Health; MS, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS, College of William and Mary, VA), working with Drs. Elizabeth Shadwick and Juliette Smith on long-term patterns of carbon cycling in Chesapeake Bay.

Andrea Fusco – Marine Larval Biologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (2024); Biological Sciences Technician, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Aquarist, Block Island Maritime Institute; Graduate Research Intern, MBL, Woods Hole; MS, Three Seas Program, Northeastern Univ.

David Gleeson – Landscape and Underwater Photographer (https://www.davegleeson.com); MO student at GSO (Fall 2017); had been Fisheries Observer.

Grace Hanson – works as the Mission: Iconic Reef Data Manager, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; MPS Nova Southeastern University; had been Research Assistant, Nova Southeastern University – Coral Reef Restoration (w/ Dr. D. Gilliam); had been Marine Biologist and Mate in the Virgin Islands with Sail Caribbean.

Emily Haws – Employed at Jenkinson’s Aquarium;  Volunteered at Mystic Aquarium

Ann Kelly – Shellfish Assistant, Town of Barnstable

Kelsey Law – Mate on charter boat; Guest Engagement Intern, Florida Aquarium, Tampa; Camp Counselor/Intern, Nature’s Academy, Bradenton, FL

Kyle St. Pierre – Crew on SSV Oliver Hazard Perry (out of Newport)

Aimee Sugrue – Assistant Trainer at Mystic Aquarium; Sea Lion and Penguin Husbandry Intern, Mystic Aquarium

Steven Tadros – Stakeholder & Outreach Coordinator MA/RI at Avangrid (offshore wind); Junior Scientist, RPS, a science and technology solutions company located in South Kingstown (www.rpsgroup.com  /  www.asascience.com); MO from GSO (5th year BS/MO)

Albin Werwaiss – Fisheries Observer, Fathom Research LLC (Maine); Commercial Lobster Fisherman (stern man)

Daniel Wolf – Graduate Student, doing MS in Ohio

We need information about:  Danielle Arpino, Kelsey Brown, , Alexander Claros, Emily Derome, Julianne Haesche, Nicole Marone, Kaylee Stanton, Hannah Vegh.

Class of 2015

Nathan Andrews – Fisheries Specialist and APAIS Field Technician, RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) – Working on the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey for the Atlantic Coast Cooperative Statistical Program, assisting DEM with other research projects, such as oyster restoration projects; had been an Intern, Friday Harbor Soundwatch Program, working with killer whales.

Dylan Bedortha – Intern, Turtle Island Restoration Network; Fisheries Observer, Pacific Island Regional Observer Program (http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/OBS/obs_index.html); had been Intern, Aquaculture and Aquaponics Farm in Maryland where he was hired by Farm Manager, Emily Becker (MBio Class of 2011; MS 2013).

Olive Bender – Working at Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NMFS); MS, University of New Hampshire (with Dr. David Berlinsky, a URI alum); had been Intern, Southeast New England Ventless Trap Survey (lobsters); Intern, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation; Research Assistant, Webb Lab/URI, (sensory biology of a coral reef goby).

Emily Bernstein – Animal Care and Training Intern, Dolphins Plus Bayside in Key Largo, FLA

Erin Bilbo – Substitute Teacher, North Providence School Department; Marine Research Specialist, Inner Space Center at GSO – assisted with education and outreach efforts, supports Center operations and leads Oceanography Explorer Camps.

Emily Bishop – Owner/Marine Biologist at Westward Ecology (Independent contractor providing services in data collection, species observation, QA/QC, analysis, and reporting); had been Education and Outreach Assistant, North Olympic Salmon Coalition, Port Hadlock, WA (w/Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program). Had been Intern, Guillemot Research Group, http://pigeonguillemot.org, monitoring pigeon guillemots that breed in the bluffs around Whidbey Island, WA. “If you ever have students that are interested in hearing from a former student/moving to WA/ or need a connection to some Puget Sound marine resources, feel free to send them my way!”

Michael Donnell – Intern, New England Aquarium

Alexandra Egan – PhD student in New Zealand (School of Veterinary Science, Massey University) – studying environmental and economic impacts of oil spills within New Zealand; had completed MS in Environmental Manaagement (A.Egan@massey.ac.nz)

Katharine Egan – Associate Scientist, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research; Sea Grant Knauss Fellow (2018; working at NOAA); NOAA Hollings Scholar; MS, U. Virgin Islands (2018) – worked on modelling endangered coral species abundance in mesophotic and shallow coral reefs in the Virgin Islands; Biologist, NOAA Beaufort Laboratory in Beaufort, NC, and GIS Analyst for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP); working on developing a tool to assess the population status of threatened corals in U.S. jurisdictions. “If any students are interested in GIS analyses, quantitative ecology, data science, coral reef ecology, applying to grad school, or working for NOAA, please feel free to pass my URI email along to them (katharineegan34@gmail.com). I would love to be able to help students figure out what interests them the most in addition to giving helpful advice.”

Flora Gibbs – Fish Hatchery Specialist, WA Department of Fish & Wildlife; MS, Walla Walla University; had been Intern, RI Department of Health assessing water quality at all the Rhode Island beaches; Intern, Mote Marine Lab/Aquarium – Sea turtle care, training, and research.

Rebecca Griffin – Lead Scientist, New Logic Marine Science Camp (K-8). In charge of running/planning activities at several different locations along the Jersey shore (www.marinesciencecamp.com).

Maureen Hayden – Ph.D. student, Texas A&M University in Marine Biology (with Dr. Mary Wicksten); MS, Walla Walla University (with Dr. Kirt Onthank) – worked on thermal preferences in the Smoothskin Octopus (Muusoctopus leioderma).

Teegan Innis – Data Science and Visualization Consultant at ERM: Environmental Resources Management; had been Research Specialist, U. Penn. (symbiosis of reef-building corals using molecular biology, physiology and microbial laboratory techniques); MS, Three Seas Program – Northeastern University (Marine Biology).

Meagan Leppicello – Aquarist and Education Intern, Save The Bay (2024)

Katherine Marr – Master Educator, Chincoteague Bay Field Station; Adult and Family Educator, Chincoteague Bay Field Station (as per LinkedIn); had been Intern, Reef Environmental Education Foundation, in Key Largo, Florida.

Fiona Mackechnie – PhD candidate, University of Auckland (NZ, 2021); MS Student, University of Highlands and Islands (Scottish Association for Marine Science), Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Aquaculture, Environment and Society.

Jillon McGreal – Marine Technician, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS); had been Marine Technician Intern, GSO/URI on R/V Endeavor; Field Technician, GSO; Research Assistant, Maria Mitchell Association on Nantucket.

Suzanne Meiman – Guest Services, Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, FLA

Alexandra Moen – Assistant Dive Safety Officer, URI.

Allison Myers – Peace Corps Volunteer/Coastal Resource Management Volunteer in the Philippines. “I’m so excited to use my knowledge and experience in such a rewarding way! CRM Volunteers work in partnership with local government officials and cooperate closely with NGOs and academic institutions. Together they assist coastal populations in developing, implementing, and managing integrated CRM plans and projects. They also assist communities with organization, environmental education and training, and establishing the bases for legal protection of fish stocks and marine habitats”.

Rachel (Revolinski) Amaro – New England Aquarium (2016-2017)- rescue and rehab department; Customer Service MGH (2017-2019); Anesthesia research technician
Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists (2019-2022); Lead surgical floor supervisor
Southview animal hospital (2022-present); had been Aquarist Intern, Coral World Ocean Park, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Mary Catherine Rocca – Lead Scientist, NJ Marine Science Camp, 8th Grade Science Teacher at Long Branch Middle Schools; Intern, Mote Marine Laboratory (marine mammals)

Dr. Krystal Schultz – Veterinarian, Small Animal at South Windsor Veterinary Clinic; DVM, Tufts University Veterinary School (2019).

Dr. Teresa Schwemmer – Post-Doc, Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network; PhD, Stony Brook University (School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences) – working on physiological effects of ocean acidification on Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia.; had worked for Dr. Seibel, URI.

Clarisse Sullivan – Molecular Lab Manager, Coral Resillience Lab, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology; MS, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, in Biological Oceanography (Rappé Lab) – working on bioinformatic analysis of DNA sequence data from Juan de Fuca Ridge Axis; Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations Graduate Fellow; participated in research cruise to North Pond in the Atlantic Ocean in 2017 to collect ocean crustal fluids from borehole observatories.

Vanessa Van Schaik – Northeast Sales Manger, Huber, UASA

Katherine Viducic – MS Student at URI with Dr. Austin Humphries

Michael Vondras – Intern, Hudson River Mercury Surveillance (with Dr. Holsen at Clarkson University); teaching Marine Biology classes to home schoolers with Homeschoolers on the Hudson.

We need information about:  William Botta, Rhianna Bozzi, Rachael Desfosses, Bryanne Fontaine, Ryan Kenneally, Katrina Kleinhans, Nicholas Koester, Kelley McBride, Michael McNally, Jessica Perreault, Michael Petitpas, Elizabeth Raymond, Thomas Reiske, Richard Turcotte, Jacqueline Weeks, Amy Whitehead, Quentin Wysopal

Class of 2014

Michael Canton – PhD student and RISE Scholar (MS 2016), New Mexico State University (environmental and wildlife science)

Taylor Clement – MS student, Western Washington University (marine genomics)

Dennis Conetta – PhD student in the Putnam Lab, URI.

Katelyn (Dash) Wadland – Lab Manager/Research Technician, Marder Lab, Brandeis University; MS in Lane Lab (BioSci/CELS) at URI.

Allison Holevoet – Mangrove Restoration Coordinator, University of the Virgin Islands, for the SEAS Islands Alliance; works with GRROE (Growing, Research, Restoration, Outreach, and Education) US Virgin Islands (Mangroves); MS, University of the Virgin Islands; had been AGU Voice for Science Fellow, and Pacific Fisheries observer.

Dr. Christopher Holland – Post-doc in Fisheries at Oregon State Univ.; PhD, Texas A&M University (animal behavior; lab of Dr. G. Rosenthal); taught middle school in Alaska in Spring 2014.

Nicholas Jouett – doing research at BIOS in Bermuda.

Dr. Eilea Knotts  – Instructional Faculty/Lab Coordinator, Univ. South Carolina; PhD, University of South Carolina, at the Baruch Marine Field Lab (effects of inhibited carbonic anhydrase on the natural phytoplankton communities in coastal waters); MS in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia SC

Megan Landis – working with Soundwatch on San Juan Island in association with Friday Harbor Labs (U. Wash.) – monitoring whale acoustics and looking at boat regulations in relation to cetacean movement.

Michael Long – (FAVS major, minor in Marine Biology) – MS student at UMass Amherst – working for Mass Audubon at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod on horseshoe crab acoustic telemetry in Wellfleet Harbor; had worked for the Southern New England Cooperative Ventless Trap Survey through GSO, the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, and the city of Attleboro Conservation Commission.

Sarah Merolla – Researcher, Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, 2023); had been Researcher at Bodega Bay Marine Lab (UC Davis); MS, California State University Northridge – worked on effects of ocean acidification, water flow, and morphology on coralline algae in Moorea, French Polynesia

Hayleigh Mildon – Veterinarian Assistant, Bluffs Animal Hospital (FLA).

Rebecca Scott -Associate Research Scientist, Marine Fisheries Stock Assessment group, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, FL; PhD student, University of South Florida, supported by  NOAA Marine Resource Assessment Fellowship; MS, Georgia Southern University (stream fish community ecology); had been Ecosystem Modeler, NOAA NMFS’s Chesapeake Bay Office. Used statistical modeling to estimate disease-associated mortality of mycobacteriosis in striped bass; provided modeling/data/GIS support tomodelers in the Chesapeake Bay Office; involved in the creation of an ecosystem model of the Upper San Francisco Estuary and an Atlantis model of the Chesapeake Bay.

Benjamin Sevey – Teaching HS computer science in VT; had been Substitute Teacher, Middletown Board of Education, Newington, CT; completed a second major in Computer Science at URI.

Ryan Shanaghan – Commercial Boat Captain and the director of maritime operations for a tour boat/whale watch company in Santa Barbara, CA; West Coast Groundfish Fisheries Observer, Alaskan Observers, Inc.; Marine Science Instructor, Seacamp and Newfound Harbor Marine Institute, Big Pine Key, FL., leading groups (grades 4-12) on 3-5 day field trips in the Florida Keys.  SMALL WORLD STORY – bumped into Caroline Breakell at the NMFS office in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Alicia Siravo – MS, California State University – Northridge, worked on coral reef ecophysiology (in Moorea); had been Coastal Fellow with Dr. Forrester (“Comparing methods of coral restoration: do corals benefit from a nursery period prior to transplanting on the reef?”)

Chelsea (Stephens) Gomez – Research Assistant, Brown University, Dep’t. Cognitive, Linguistics, and Psychological Sciences; MS in Irvine Lab (BioSci/CELS) at URI (developmental biology).

Callie Veelenturf – PhD student, University of Central Florida; Founder, The Leatherback Project (non-profit conservation of sea turtles); MS, Purdue University (lab of Dr. Paladino,  a world expert on sea turtles) – spent time on a remote island off of West Africa studying sea turtles.  Most interested in combining social science and conservation biology; had done several sea turtle-related internships in Florida, Costa Rica and Panama.

We need information about: Nikolas Blenis, Crysania Brady, Wynton Brewster, Jessica Burke, Annalisa Caruso, Miguel Costa, Kyle Crothers, Jason Greenberg, Caitlyn Hackmann, Kristin Horn, Jesse Iacono, Michael Kenslea, Megan Landis, Callie Longval, Hayleigh Mildon, Sarah Miller, Kaitlyn Nevers, Justin Warrener.

Class of 2013

Jonathan Bartlett – working for Wildlife International in Easton, MD doing ecotoxicology. He reports that:”Wildlife International is currently hiring……willing to fully train anyone with a marine science degree who has just finished school. Any recent grads who are interested in ecotoxicology should definitely check it out.” 

Amy Battocletti – MS student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Georgetown Univ. – studying impact of genetic variation within plant species in salt marsh ecosystems; US Navy Veteran (2001-2008; First Class Petty Officer, tactical meteorological and oceanographic forecaster at the Naval European Meteorology and Oceanography Facility and the Naval Oceanography Anti-Submarine Warfare Detachment with the 6th Fleet Command in Naples, Italy)

Carly Crane – Ass’t. Director/Program Assistant Fairfax County Park Authority; Admin Asst. – National Zoo, Washington DC; Intern, Mossel Bay South Africa (shark ecology).

Russell Dauksis – Field Biologist, Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains (RCDSMM); MS, California State University at Northridge (fish ecology)

Michelle Dennis – working for Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division as Environmental Compliance Specialist in the Coastal District office, Brunswick, GA; had been Student Researcher, Department of Environmental Management; MS in URI MESM program.

Kaeli Fertal – Communications and Engagement Manager, Washington Wild; Environmental Education Coordinator, Sound Salmon Solutions (WA state); had been Research Biologist at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Principal investigator for the blue crab project out of Cedar Key, FL working to assess the health of the spawning stock. Also assists in baseline monitoring of stone crabs and assists Fisheries Independent Monitoring team with fish IDs and dissections.

Crisostomo Gomez – Fisheries Biologist (Vancouver, BC); Fisheries Biologist, ERM: Environmental Resources Management; Research Technician, Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Fisheries Biologist, ERM: Environmental Resources Management; MS, University of British Columbia, Department of Zoology

Jacob Harris – working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Christina Horstmann – Environmental Specialist III, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP); MSc, James Cook University (Australia); Contractor for EPA – working on  projects involving regional coral reef conservation management strategies for Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and the Florida Keys.

Nicole Kovara – Zookeeper at the Staten Island (NY) zoo.

Teresa Lincoln – Naturalist for whale watch company in Juneau, AK.

Dr. Brandyn Lucca – Post-Doc Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington; PhD, Stony Brook University (2014) working with Dr. Joseph Warren (Acoustic Laboratory for Ecological Studies, www.somas.stonybrook.edu/~warren/jdw.site.html) studying ecological impacts of artificial reef deployments using active acoustics. 

Samuel Martin – started his own marketing business.

Catherine McCaughey – Video Intern, Nautilus Live (www.nautiluslive.org); Working at URI/GSO.

Meg McConville – MS (Marine Science), University of North Carolina, Wilmington; had been Educator for Save The Bay and Pow!Science! LLC.

Iain McCoy – MS in URI MESM program; participated in GSO cruises to Antarctica (2013, 2014); worked at GSO in Dr. Durbin’s lab; worked with Dr. Rod Mather in Bermuda on Underwater Archaeology project.

Sean McNally – PhD student, Inter-campus Marine Science Program, UMass Boston; Sea Grant Knauss Fellow; had worked at WHOI on coral microbe interactions; TA and science diver at BIOS in Bermuda; (sean.mcnally001[at]umb.edu)

Ivy Mlsna – Ocean and Coastal Protection Unit Fellow, United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Samantha Musser – Assistant for J-term Bonaire course w/ Dr. Forrester; Lab Technician, Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories (Lancaster, PA).

Dr. Shelby Rinehardt – Assistant Professor, Drexel University (PA);  Post-Doc, Hebrew University Institute of Life Sciences; PhD and NSF Graduate Research Fellow @ Joint Doctoral Program in Ecology, San Diego State University and UC Davis – studied population and community dynamics of omnivores in southern CA salt marshes.

Katherine Rodrigue – Research Assistant, Marine Fisheries, RI Division of Fish and Wildlife; Science/Data Assistant aboard the E/V Nautilus (www.nautiluslive.org); had worked in Thornber lab

Dr. Ryann Rossi – ORISE Post-Doc, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (modeling of ecosystem services); Post-Doc, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium; PhD (2018) North Carolina State University; NSF Graduate Research Fellow, North Carolina State University – working on mangrove ecology (Layman Lab)

Sam Seeland – Marine Biologist, Barnegat Bay Partnership (NJ); Marine Recreational Fishing Surveyor, RTI International.

Jeffrey Swanlund – Public Programs Manager and Boat Captain at Save The Bay; Worked as an environmental educator at Seacamp in Big Pine Key, Florida; traveling teacher for Mystic Aquarium; Education Fellow through Americorp at the Learning Community in Central Falls; Summer naturalist and seasonal staff at the Norman Bird Sanctuary.

Casey Tremper – ORAU Contractor, US EPA; MA in Marine Affairs @ URI; Administrative Assistant, New England Institute of Technology; AmeriCorps Volunteer at New England Science and Sailing Foundation (in New London, CT).

We need information about:  Michelle Aguiar, Lindsey Beausoleil, Keith Bruni, Andrew Casal, Kimberly Delaney, Ryan Hall, Dylan Harris, Aaron Hawkins, Alexandra Karaczynski, Rebecca Kraut, Charles Markos, Patrick McGovern, Colleen Murray, Dillon Reilly, Joshua Zaffino

Class of 2012

Lauren Carter –Fisheries Technician at Idaho Fish and Game; worked for NOAA in Louisiana; had been Research Technician, NOAA Fisheries, Narragansett, RI; Volunteer Technician, North Attleboro (MA) National Fish Hatchery; Seasonal Diadromous Fisheries Technician, MA Division of Marine Fisheries; MS at URI, in Webb Lab (BioSci/CELS) – development of the lateral line system in cichlid fishes.

Betsy Cohen – works at Pfizer; MS in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology,  UMass-Dartmouth.

Caitlin (Del Sesto) Bucci – Research Assistant, Charles River Laboratories; Had been Manufacturing Associate at Shire; MS at URI with Dr. Gomez-Chiarri (FAVS/CELS) working on sea star wasting disease – READ about it; had been Intern, New England Aquarium and Mystic Aquarium.

Megan Ferguson – Research Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2023); MS University of South Florida;  working on project related to Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill; Research Associate, Louisiana State University, with Dr. Mark Benfield – processing ROV video and using a Zooscan to scan zooplankton samples from research cruises after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; had worked with Dr. Menden-Deuer at URI/GSO.

Brandon Fuller – MESM at URI; had worked for the URI Coastal Institute; co-directed documentary focused on the RI BioBlitz; wrote about science communication and worked with the Climate Change Collaborative.

Alethia Hartenstine –Working at the URI Outreach and Energy Center.

Michael Justa – Wilderness Guide, Juneau, Alaska; had worked as a naturalist on a whale watch boat.

Alexa (Kretsch) Galvan – Fishery Management Planner, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, – analyzing fisheries data and advising the Commission (VA’s regulatory body for fisheries and marine habitat).

Nicole (Leporacci) Lineberry – Senior Environmental Scientist, Division of Planning at RI Dep’t. Transportation (2017); completed MESM at URI; had been Intern, Mote Marine Laboratory and Science Instructor at Seacamp in Big Pine Key, Florida

Leah Lewis  – Staff Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; MA Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD, 2017); NSF Graduate Research Fellow – worked in Marine Bioacoustics Lab on behavioral context of blue whale calls in Southern California); had worked at NMFS Narrangansett- genetic identification of fish eggs using DNA barcoding, and identification of paralarval cephalopods.

Amber Lisi – Lab Manager, U. Mass Dartmouth – supports research efforts for the state scallop fishery; MS, UMass – Dartmouth – American eel migration and ecology.

Dr. Benjamin Negrete – Post-doctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia; PhD (NSF Graduate Research Fellow), University of Texas Marine Science Institute (2017) – fish physiology; had worked in San Diego – instructional assistant for kids with behavioral, and learning disabilities.

Megan Nepshinsky – Graduate student, Nicholls State University (Louisiana); Bird Ecology. Field Assistant and Intern, Massachusetts’ Audubon Society, working to protect shorebird habitat on Monomoy Island, Chatham.

Bryan Pestone – Commissioned Officer, NOAA Corps (2013), stationed on the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer; had been Science Instructor at Seacamp in Big Pine Key, Florida.

Julie Reiske – Seasonal Environmental Educator, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona. Also, part-time bio tech and limnologist for a fish hatchery in Kingman, AZ;  flying into the Grand Canyon next month to survey endangered fish species on the lower Colorado River.

Dr. Tanja Schollmeier – PhD, Univ. Alaska – benthic food webs in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas; has been on three Arctic research cruises and spent 6 weeks on a Coast Guard icebreaker taking benthic samples and ice cores for her research; will be participating in science open water trials of the new U. Alaska research vessel Sikuliaq.

Rachael Thompson – Executive Director, Glynn Environmental Coalition (Education and Environmental Advocacy), Brunswick, Georgia; Watershed Outreach and Development Assistant at Still Riverkeeper (GA); Naturalist, Little St. Simons Island, Georgia – developed and presented environmental programs; had been Intern in bioacoustics lab, U. South Carolina (Beaufort) with URI Alum Dr. Eric Montie; had been Environmental Educator, Jekyll Island 4H Center in Georgia.

Christy Varga – works at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (aquarist, rearing animals); had been Senior Lead Fish Technology, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute.

Elizabeth Walsh – Intern, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium working with sea turtles and sea horses.

Angela Williams – MS student, URI – Medical Lab Science (cytopathology).

Melissa Wands – Husbandry Assistant, SeaWorld Orlando; had been Animal Rescue and Pinniped Husbandry Intern, Mystic Aquarium. Also working as a teacher’s aid with high functioning special needs pre-schoolers; volunteer with the Mystic’s Animal Rescue Program.

Dr. Amanda Ziegler – Post-Doc in Norway; Ph.D., Univ. Hawaii, Biological Oceanography (http://amandaziegler.weebly.com)

We need information about: Michael Cohen, Haley Fillo, Kirsten Gash, Charles Harwood, Nicole Langlais, Lauren Liberti, Michael O’Brien, Taylor Perkins, Corey Petrella, Thomas Seckel, David Vendettuoli.

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Class of 2011

Emily Becker – Lab Technician (Bradley lab) at URI: Wildlife Biologist II, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Waddell Aquaculture Center;  Armstrong State University (Georgia) developing and building their Aquaponics Department/research facility; Manager, Fish Farm (in Maryland);  Assistant Manager, Zebrafish Facility, Duke University Medical School; MS in Webb Lab (BioSci/CELS) on development of lateral line system of cichlid fishes.

Correna Blewett – Staff Biologist, Natural Resource Services, Inc. (Burrillville, RI); Research Assistant/Diver, Aquarium Manager, Maria Mitchell Association (Nantucket); Farm Hand, Matunuck Oyster Farm; completed URI’s “Blue MBA” program (business and oceanography) .

Jessica Bonamusa – Environmental Analyst at New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission; Head of Development, The River Project; MS – Duke University, Master of Environmental Management.

Kristina Camarena – DVM Student, Oregon State University Veterinary School (class of 2027); Worked in Dr. Lisa Levin’s lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography…getting ready to start applying to graduate school……!”

Dr. Connor Capizzano – Post-Doc, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (North Chatham, MA); PhD, UMass Boston, Marine Science and Technology (2020), NSF IGERT Fellow; MS, University of New England (fish biology); had been Intern, Shark Behavioral Ecology at Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota FLA; worked on BP oil-spill related cruise in the Gulf of Mexico.

Emily Carter – Has worked at Shedd Aquarium and Oregon Coast Aquarium; Intern at Disney’s The Seas;  Intern, Bimini Biological Field Station, lemon shark biology and ecology (2011).

Dr. Kendall Day – Veterinarian, Center for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care (Lewisville, TX); DVM, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine; had been Intern, Wildlife Pathology Unit, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation

Alison Dombrowski – MA in Secondary Education and Teaching, Quinniapac University (CT); had been Intern at the Sound School in CT.

Jeffrey Duxbury – PhD Student, Louisiana State University (Geology and Geophysics); managing sedimentology research laboratory; UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot (Army Reserve); had been US Army Chemical Officer (Environmental Compliance Officer); did second BS in Geology at Louisiana State University.

Rosmin Ennis – Research Analyst, U. Virgin Islands; MS, U. Virgin Islands 2014 (“Coral reef health responses to chronic and acute changes in water quality gradients in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands”); worked for Dr. Oviatt (GSO) on nutrient input into the Bay from various waste water treatment facilities in the Narragansett Bay watershed; rennis917@gmail.com.

Lilli (Falconer) Deering – Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator – Women’s Swimming; Veterinary Technology degree in 2014; had been Intern, Animal Rehabilitation Program at Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota, FLA (2011).

Lynn Ficarra – PhD student, UMass Boston (lab of Dr. Ron Etter) – studying processes and biogeographic patterns of evolution in the deep ocean.

Dr. Joshua Hower – Veterinarian (DVM), College Road and Carolina Beach Animal Hospital (Wilmington, NC); DVM, University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School (Class of 2015)

Kayla Hunt – Associate Scientist, Amgen; had been Marine Educator, Seacamp in the Florida Keys, and worked in public education at the Key West Aquarium.

Thor Jensen – volunteering in Falkowski Lab at Rutgers Univ. working on molecular biology of coral calcification; working for an Aquarium company and starting his own company.

Brooke Konkle – MS, Texas A & M Corpus Christi, working on algae and biofuels.

Christina (Lemnotis) Caccioppoli – doing MBA at URI (Fall 2017); had worked at Mystic Aquarium

Brittany (McGee) Swanwick -Program Director, Catalina Island Marine Institute (2024); Marine Science Instructor, Guided Discoveries (Catalina Island); Marine Science Instructor, Catalina Island Marine Institute (May 2014); MA in Environmental Studies, Montclair State U. (2014); had been Watershed Ambassador for the NJ-DEP through AmeriCorps; environmental/marine educator at Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ.

Dr. Nicole Millette – Assistant Professor, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (phytoplankton ecology);  Woods Hole Sea Grant Postdoc Fellow at WHOI; had been Post-Doc at Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division (Northern Gulf Institute), NOAA; PhD, University of Maryland, Horn Point Lab, in Biological Oceanography.

Eric Muhlbach – Research Technician, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Megan O’Brien – Fulbright Fellow and MS student in Iceland studying fisheries biology; MS in Dr. Chris Lane’s Lab (Bio Sci) on algal genomics (project started as an undergraduate)

Amanda Pratt – MS Student in Marine Sciences at Stony Brook University.

Rebecca Sacks – Analytical Chemist/Laboratory Technician, Founders Science Group in Cumberland, RI

Stephanie Schofield – Educator, Education and Conservation Department, SeaWorld Orlando, FLA.

Allison (Seifter) Bruscato – Assistant Trainer (Cetaceans, Pinnepeds), Mystic Aquarium; had been Marine Mammal Observer in Alaska for LGL Ltd., an environmental research company doing population and species surveys mostly in the Chukchi Sea’ worked for Sea to Shore Alliance conducting Right Whale Aerial Surveys in Georgia in collaboration with NOAA; Intern, Whale Center of New England.

Katie Stryker – Marine Mammal Intern at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

Kerianne Taylor – Assistant Director, Camp Seewee (South Carolina)

Kristina Terpis – Lab Technician, Lane Lab, URI, working on algal genomics; had been lab tech with Dr. Mike Lomas lab at BIOS (Bermuda) working on relationships between phytoplankton diversity and macronutrient cycles; had worked for Dr. Bob Campbell (GSO) on Arctic amphipods and effects of warming of the oceans.

Kristin (Vanhouwe) Spirdone – Veterinary Technician Cowesett Animal Hospital (Warwick, RI)

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Jeremy Carey, Alex Milton, James Riddle, Thomas Tedeschi,

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Class of 2010

Ashley Bertrand – Assistant Researcher, Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Joanna (Borr) Leonhardt – Teacher of Exceptional Children – Charleston County School District (SC); Supervising Teacher, Upper Elementary, Louisiana Resource Center for Educators (Baton Rouge); had several other teaching posts; Director, SeaQuest Program at Camp Fuller (YMCA) in Narragansett. Justin Leonhardt (Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology, 2010) is a biologist with the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries.

Christopher Cilfone – Naturalist/Deckhand. Dolphin Jet Boat Tours and Harv and Marv’s Alaska Whale Watching. Juneau. AK.

Callie Crawford – Assistant Professor, Coastal Carolina University; PhD, NJ Institute of Technology (Flamming Lab, biomechanics of fishes); MS, College of Charleston (worked on CT imaging, variation in the skeletal anatomy and phylogeny of cartilaginous fishes with Dr. Gavin Naylor); Intern at Mote Marine Lab (Sarasota, FLA) in animal rehabilitation and Marine Naturalist Intern at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (WA).

Heather Cyr – did research in Costa Rica on ecology of the planktonic cyanobacteria with Dr. Dreux Chappell (post-doc in Dr. Bethany Jenkins’ lab, CMB)

Jennifer (Dautrich) Gautam – Marine Science Instructor, Project Oceanology (in CT); had been Intern, NUWC in Newport (whale bioacoustics data); Camp Counselor for Save the Bay (RI).

Heather (Drumm) Riddle – Data analyst working on whale bioacoustics at Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI.

Ananda Fraser – Program Servicing Officer, RI DEM; Adjunct Professor in Environment and Biological Science, Johnson & Wales University; MS in URI’s MESM program with Dr. Forrester.

Emily (Frederick) Stephens – Working with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (Commercial Fisheries Division) in Haines, AK; had been Naturalist/Deckhand, Dolphin Jet Boat Tours and Harv and Marv’s Alaska Whale Watching, Juneau, AK. (NOTE: Emily did Study Abroad in Alaska, and was hooked!)

Karin Fulkerson – working with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Species Modeling team on the interaction of anthropogenic sound and marine mammal and sea turtle populations.

Kevin Tan Fung – MS, University of New Haven (studying seasonal movements of shortnose sturgeon in the Connecticut River)

Melissa Genazzio –  Staff Scientist for SAVI-CoopEUS for NEON (NSF-National Ecological Observatory Network, in Colorado); had been Science Assistant in the Geosciences Directorate, Ocean Sciences Division of NSF . MS at UNCW; had been Research Assistant in Coral Reef Ecology Laboratory at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON); Intern, Gulf of Maine Research Institute (Portland, ME) investigating alewife stock structure in different watersheds and and comparing growth rates using otolith analysis.

Ashley Heinze – Research Assistant, Updike Lab, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. MS, College of the Atlantic – thesis on impacts of whale watching; had been intern with Cape Ann Whale Watching Co. in Gloucester, MA.

Annamaria (Izzi) DeAngelis – Research Acoustician, Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NMFS); worked for NOAA – NEFSC’s Protected Species Branch; MRes in Marine Mammal Science from the University of St Andrews, Scotland; Research Assistant, Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University (with Dr. Chris Clark). Working on processing acoustic data on marine mammals from the Gulf of Mexico after the Deep Horizon oil spill and monitoring right whales off the east coast to prevent ship strikes. Had been Data Entry Clerk, whale bioacoustics study at Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, RI. Now (e-mail: the_izzi@hotmail.com)

Amy Kolb – Supervisor, Zebrafish Ops, University of Massachusetts Medical School; had been Aquaculture Specialist, Boston Children’s Hospital; MS, Hofstra University (fish nutrition and development); Animal Care Technician, Charles River Laboratories; Assistant in Dr. Collie’s lab (GSO) assisting with Narragansett Bay trawls and doing stomach content analysis on New England fishes.

Lauren Kondracke – Registered Nurse at Stony Brook Medicine (NY)

Dr. Robert Kozol – Post-Doc, Florida Atlantic University (sensory motor behaviors in fish); PhD, U. Miami (worked on developmental genetics of zebrafish; mutant models for autism); Research Associate, U. Miami with Dr. Julia Dallman (zebrafish genetics); had worked at UConn in Dr. Ann Bucklin’s lab as manager of Census of Marine Zooplankton Database; also worked on a research project regarding phylogeny of two calanid (copepod) species (rkozol@my.uri.edu)

Peter Lewis – Director, Astyanax (Blind cavefish) Stock Center, Florida Atlantic University; had been Animal Care Technician, Charles River Laboratories, contracted at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, specializing in care and breeding of wild type and transgenic zebrafish; had been environmental biologist in MA.

Joseph Marini III – Natural Resource Technician, Town of Plymouth, MA; presented a paper at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Providence RI in July based on shark work with Dr. Wetherbee.

Amy Maynard – MS student studying to be a Pathology Assistant at Quinnipiac University. Pathology assistants assist pathologists in autopsies and prepare surgical specimens for histological slides; had been Research Assistant at Pfizer in CT.

Meghan McGowan – MS in Library Studies

Matt Pezzullo (FAVS 2010) – Worked with the NMFS Apex Predator Program for two years and now has 3-month contract doing work with their tag database and research in Delaware Bay and at several shark tournaments.

Ben Quatromoni – teaching at private school in RI.

Dr. Ashley Stoehr – Assistant Professor of Biology, Fairfield University (CT); Adjunct Professor, University of Bridgeport; Faculty, Shoals Marine Laboratory; Ph.D., UMass Dartmouth – worked on thermal physiology of high performance fishes with an emphasis on swordfish.

Noelle Tubbs – Student, Tufts University Veterinary School (2023); MSc, University of Cape Town, South Africa (studying endangered African penguin, looking at behavior and physiology with respect to predictions of the effects of future climate change); had worked at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB); Was Intern, RI Department of Environmental Management, Office of Water Resources.

Alexandra (Widmer) Mattia –  Development Officer, Corporate Engagement at Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo/NY Aquarium); had been Key Account Manager, GENEWIZ (in NY tri-state area), a contract research organization (CRO) that specializes in DNA services: DNA sequencing, Gene Synthesis, Plasmid DNA prep, Next Generation Sequencing, cloning, genotyping, etc.

Emily Vincent – MS student, Central Connecticut State University.

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Justin Benttinen, Elizabeth Czok, Marc Fischer, Marie Gaura, Stephanie Gildea, Victoria Gomez, Jared Griffin, Daniel Hofmann, Kayla Hyman, Kira Marino, Jacqueline Niles, Alexander Paradise, Marisa Pardo, Adam Salisbury, Rurainy Sirois, Nicole Tamanini, Christie Wilson

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Class of 2009

Emily Blair – MS student, Cal State Long Beach –  wetland restoration ecology.

Thomas Cardillo – Analytical Chemist at Alpha Analytical

Nathaniel Coolidge – Outreach Educator, Save the Bay/Americorps (2009)

Catherine Donahue – Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa and working on oyster mortalilty with funding from a United Nations Development Programme grant. (ceedonahue@gmail.com)

Kendalyn Eldredge – working at NUWC in Newport doing environmental planning and marine mammal modeling; attended a training course in West Virginia on Endangered Species Act interagency consultation. (kjeldredge@gmail.com)

Emily Field – Ph.D. student, Florida State University  in algal/marine ecology (with Dr. Randall Hughes) (emfield87@gmail.com)

Tara Gardner – Lab assistant @ GSO – analyzing benthic marine invertebrates (2008-2014); Member Coordinator @ athletic club (2013-2015), Associate Financial Representative @ Northwestern Mutual (2015-present)

Elizabeth (Hansel) Simounet – Associate Scientist, Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in Providence (“We have offices all over the world so I frequently get plugged into some really interesting projects. We often hire local talent. We have 3 URI alum’s here in our office! We hire geologists, engineers, and scientist (even marine biologists like myself.”); had worked for RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in marine policy involving mapping and checking businesses/industries that affect the Blackstone River watershed.

Nicole Heidt, MD – Physician, Residency in General Surgery at Maine Medical Center (Portland, ME); Fellowship in vascular surgery at Duke University (2024)

Rebecca Karis – working for Dr. Graham Forrester (URI, Dept. of Natural Resources Science) in Carribean on coral transplantation project (summer 09)

Lauren Killea – working at Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, CT doing science outreach/teaching; did MS at URI/GSO in biological oceanography (“Microbial community composition of marine biofilms in a northern temperate estuary”) with Dr. Miranda; Assistant Coach of URI Rowing Team. (lkillea@gmail.com)

Nicholas Larghi – Wildlife Photographer; MS, U. South Florida (with Dr. Stephen Deban; nlarghi@gmail.com); had worked at the Sawyer School as an Instructor in the Medical Department (taught Medical Terminology and Health Science).

Jocelyn Pelser – working in Dr. Karen Wishner’s lab at GSO (summer 09)

Katherine Saiya – Aquarist Specialist for Charles River Laboratories at the National Institute of Health (Bethesda, MD), caring for zebrafish and frogs for NICHD researchers. (PugPups13@aol.com)

Andrea Scott – working for Connecticut Dep’t. Environmental Protection.

Megan Shearer – Research Assistant, Cardiac Research Lab, Rhode Island Hospital. (megshearer@gmail.com)

Dawn Simmons – working for RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) as Intern (Summer 09) (dawn.simmons1986@gmail.com)

Dr. Rachel (Wigton) Jastrebsky – Faculty, The Holderness School (Plymouth NH); Adjunct Faculty at Virginia Wesleyan University; PhD, Old Dominion University – worked on cephalopod biomechanics; had worked at NUWC in Newport; taught Algebra and Marine Biology at Portsmouth Abbey School.

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT : Ashley Burch, Julie Furmanski, , Melissa Gebert, Deborah Hamilton, Peter Heaton, Jessica Potvin, Jaime Robinson, Karen Rogers, Amy Viveiros

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Class of 2008

David Bailey – Researcher in Woods Hole in Aquaculture; MS at Univ. New Hampshire; had been Diver/Collector for the MBL in Woods Hole, MA; Teaching Assistant at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences; NMFS Fisheries Observer; Coastal Engineer at Woods Hole Group, an international environmental, scientific, and engineering consulting organization. Now

Chelsea Burau – NBEP Intern, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program

Nicole Charriere – Biological Technician, NMFS in Woods Hole, MA; works on NOAA research vessels (2011) (Nicole.Charriere@noaa.gov)

Laura Chartier – EPSCoR Summer 2008 Fellow (Spatial Variation in Marine Invertebrate Reproduction throughout New England) then moving to Hawaii.

Christina D’Agostino – Fisheries Specialist and Task Leader at NOAA NERO Fisheries Statistics and Logistics Office, Gloucester, MA. Currently overseeing the Vessel Trip Report Data Processing Center in the Fisheries Statistics Office. The data we process is used by biological samplers, port agents, statisticians, scientists, etc. to set federal catch regulations each year. “I’ve found that one of the best ways to get your foot in the door is networking- it’s how I landed my current position! NOAA has many volunteer and internship opportunities available on the east coast that could open a lot of doors come graduation time.” Christina.D’Agostino@noaa.gov

Renee DiPippo – Research Assistant with Dr. Darryl Keith (US EPA Narragansett), trying to find a way to monitor harmful algal blooms more efficiently through airborne remote sensing; did Rhode Island School of Design’s Natural Science Illustration program.

Mitchell Doctor – Microsoft Specialist at Microsoft FLA; MS, Nova Southeastern University (FLA)

Rebekah Duhamel – Research Assistant, Costa Rica Expedition with Department of Natural Resources Science (URI).

Dr. Corey Eddy – Fish Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife; PhD and NSF Graduate Research Fellow, UMass Dartmouth; had been Teaching Assistant, URI/BIOS in Bermuda; worked for NMFS Apex Predator Program, NOAA Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.

Cherisa Friedlander – Commissioned Officer in NOAA Corps (noaacorps.noaa.gov/), stationed on Fisheries Survey Vessel, NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker; MS at California State University Monterey Bay in Applied Marine and Watershed Science, while assigned to Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz, CA; led research project dealing with reproductive ecology of Petrale Sole (Eopsetta jordani). Had been Bay Camp Director and Education Specialist at Save the Bay. (cherisa.l.friedlander@noaa.gov)

Emily Greenhalgh – science writer at MBL in Woods Hole; Science Writer, NOAA’s Climate Program Office in Silver Spring, Md; MS in Science & Medical Journalism, Boston University; had been fisheries observer and a data specialist at NOAA/NMFS, Woods Hole. Had been Student Services Contractor/ Biological Sciences technician, US Environmental Protection Agency. (emily.greenhalgh@noaa.gov)

Joshua Helms – (double major in MAF). Works for Regulatory Division at the New England District Office, Concord, MA; had been Project Manager/ Biologist for the US Army Corps of Engineers. MS at UMiami, worked at WHOI, was Salt Marsh Monitoring Intern (Association to Preserve Cape Cod), Environmental Consultant, MA Natural Resource Officer, National Park Service Biological technician. Joshua.m.helms@usace.army.mil

Susanna Izzo – Education Intern, Discovery Cove, Sea World

Matthew James – Intern, Save the Bay

Danielle Jones – Technical Assistant, McLaughlin Research Corp./Naval Undersea Warfare Center (Newport RI)

Kasi Kelly – Volunteer, Whale Enrichment Team and Diver, Mystic Aquarium.

Dr. Monique LaFrance – Marine Ecologist, National Park Service; MS and PhD at GSO/URI (King Lab) working on ‘Integration of biotic and abiotic data to map benthic habitats within Block Island and Rhode Island Sounds’; Researcher, King Lab – Mapping and monitoring the habitats of RI’s coastal waters.

Christopher Lapointe – MS student in in Coastal Zone Management and Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University; Research Assistant, National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University. (clapoint@nova.edu)

Evan Lindsay – Intern, Town of Nantucket, MA, Marine Coastal Resources Department

Sara MacSorley – Founder and Author, Super Cool Scientists LLC, an organization working to promote inclusion in science, technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM), I celebrate women in science through story and coloring books (see: Super Cool Scientists on Amazon; 2nd edition forthcoming); Had been Director, Green Street Arts Center and Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science, Wesleyan University (CT); had been Project Administrator, RI NSF EPSCoR (www.riepscor.org) where she coordinated a statewide program to advance marine life science research and education in Rhode Island; student in URI’s “Blue MBA” program (Oceanography and Business).

Jennifer McGovern – Teaching surf lessons/waitressing, waiting to hear from Triumvirate for a position as an Environmental Specialist.

Elizabeth Mellon – Shellfish Hatchery Assistant, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group

Melissa Mercier – working for Beckman Coulter (Manager, Manufacturing Science); MS at GSO/URI (Rynearson Lab) – worked on Genetics of coastal and estuarine diatoms; Research Assistant in the Rynearson lab (GSO)

Matthew Miller – Fishes and Special Exhibit Intern, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL, then returned to RI

Jessica Morris – Data Manager, NBIC at Smithsonian Institution; had been Seasonal Resource Assistant, Connecticut Dep’t. Environmental Protection; worked as marine instructor on Catalina Island, CA for the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI). “I teach 4th-12th grade marine science and lead 3-5 day snorkeling, kayaking, and hiking trips for school groups.”  jessym218@yahoo.com

Andrew Mroczka – Planning to obtain a graduate degree in Education to teach Biology

Kelly Pennoyer – MS, Texas A&M Corpus Christi – studying molecular ecology and evolution; MS, University of New England (2013); Intern at Camp Emerald Bay, Catalina Island, CA; had beenTeaching Assistant, BIO 101 at the URI CCE campus, and Assistant Instructor for AFS 270 to get dive master certification.

Kate Pisano – Training and Development Manager at Kenzan; Had been Director of AmeriCorps Programs at Serve Rhode Island, Rhode Island Area; had been Americorps intern with OSEEC (Ocean State Environmental Education Collaborative), which includes Save the Bay, Roger Williams Zoo, and the Norman Bird Sanctuary. “At Save the Bay, I am doing outreach to the South County community through programs for elementary school students and the general public, such as our film festival. I have been able to work at the Exploration Center in Newport, helping at touch tanks, shore line walks, and seal watches, as in the Providence office where Americorps work with various schools and the Boys and Girls Clubs. While my goals as a marine bio graduate still include grad school and ultimately doing research, the education aspect has been very interesting and rewarding, and I would recommend Americorps to anyone looking to get their foot in the door.” (kfp0425@savebay.org)

Dr. Jessie Sanders – Veterinarian (DVM); Owner of Aquatic Veterinary Services & Santa Cruz Koi (CA); Owner, Aquatic Veterinary Services of Northern California; DVM, Tufts University (Class of 2012). Featured in NY Times in June 2024.

Jillian Schneider – Lab Technician for Dr. Seibel (URI, Dept. Biological Sciences)

Carla Scocchi – Founder of the Maine Ocean School (http://www.maineoceanschool.org; in Searsport, ME), a new public magnet high school dedicated to the maritime arts that provides a “hands-on, minds-on” education on the water, in the lab, and in the classroom (Vice Chair of Board of Trustees); Director of Science Program, Boothbay Sea and Science Center (2014); MS in Education at U. Maine (2015; Maine Center for Research in STEM Education); had been Senior Assistant Scientist and Admission Counselor with the Sea Education Association (www.sea.edu; see video of Carla on the SSV Cramer).

Kevin Smith – Internship at RI Department of Marine Fisheries

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Michael Collins, Joseph Connor, Raymond Deckel, Timothy Delp, Jeffrey Devine, Sandra Giovannini, Philip Kalf, Thomas Kinahan, Simon King-Trudeau, Renee Mevs.

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Class of 2007

Breena Apgar-Kurtz – Finfish Biologist for the Lummi Nation (Pacific Northwest); Had been Fisheries Technician, Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Completed Master in Marine Affairs (MMA) at University of Washington with a specialty in salmon management; Had been Visitor Information Service Officer, Glacier Bay National Park (tatshenshiniriver@hotmail.com)

Charles Bangley – PhD. Student, East Carolina University (Ichthyology)

Danielle Duquette – Research Assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Had been Marine Research Assistant, GSO/URI, helping to run the seawater facilities at GSO and set-up/management of the new freshwater recirculating system at East Farm; MS at University of New Hampshire (with URI Alum David Berlinsky) on sex change/sex differentiation and the effects of cortisol/stress on black sea bass. Had worked as a Student Services Contractor for the EPA – Population Ecology Branch, then as volunteer and intern at the Mystic Aquarium (dduquette@mail.uri.edu)

Erika (Goblin) Tavares – Lab Manager/Research Assistant, Brown University for biomechanics and functional morphology labs in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; had been Naturalist, RI Dept. Environ. Management; worked at Save The Bay with AmeriCorps (Erika_Tavares@brown.edu).

Dr. Stephanie Guertin – completed PhD a URI (w/ Dr. Kass-Simon)

Jillian Hesse – Biologist and Administrative Assistant at McLaughlin Research Corporation; Naturalist/Interpreter, Disney World, Florida, then internship at Dolphin Quest Bermuda, and then worked at Beavertail Aquarium (Jamestown, RI)

Dr. Cara Hotchkin –  Ph.D. in Bioacoustics, Penn State Univ. Working for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) in Norfolk, VA as a natural resources specialist.  hotchkin.cara@gmail.com.

Robbie Hudson – PhD student, URI; Restoration Ecologist, Save the Bay; had been intern at Save the Bay as an undergraduate (rhudson@savebay.org)

Billy Linehan – Fisheries Observer, NMFS, Alaska

Dr. Patrick Lyons – Faculty member at CIEE research station in Bonaire (Dutch Caribbean); had beenIntroductory Biology and Marine Biology instructor at Oregon Coast Community College (Newport, OR); received PhD at Stony Brook University; (patrick.lyons5@gmail.com)

Melissa Parr – Teaching Assistant, Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences; will then work in San Salvadore as a Divemaster

Amie Parris – Beach Coordinator for Beach Monitoring Program at the RI Department of Health

Alexia Pool – Lab/Field Research Technician at Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, North Carolina (UNC Chapel Hill) working in the Coastal Fisheries Oceanography and Ecology Laboratory; member Morehead City Masters Swim Team. Had been Peace Corps Volunteer on Vanuatu, a small island nation in the South Pacific (2007-2010) (alexia.pool@gmail.com)

Linnae (Rondeau) Delp – Teacher of biology and chemistry at Chicopee High School in Chicopee, MA; working on her PhD in Geology at UMass Amherst with a focus on foraminifera distribution in the Gulf of Maine; had worked with RI DEM, doing macroalgae helicopter surveys in Narragansett Bay (linnae939@yahoo.com)

Kathryn Vogel – PhD student in Marine Biology (physiology), University of Maine

Heather Wolfer –  Scientist at Merck; PhD student, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore working on the behavioral and physiological effects of hypoxia on the Atlantic croaker in Chesapeake Bay (hmwolfer@umes.edu)

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: , Matt Griffin, Yvette Haughney, Amanda Karch, Christa Salvatore.

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Class of 2006

Dr. Leanne Birden – Post-doc at Yale; PhD in Seibel lab at URI working on pteropod mollusks and the effects of global climate change

Samantha Kelly – Intern,Training Seals for US Navy in San Diego

Adriaina Ortiz – Marine Research??

Megan Priede – working at Mystic Aquarium and at URI tick lab

Heather Shannon – MS in Biological Sciences and Geological Oceanography; now Adjunct Professor, Johnson and Wales Univ. (RI)

Nora Sturgeon – Graduate student, College of Charleston

Daniel Syriala – Graduate student, GSO; now works for NOAA/NMFS Fishery Statistics Office.

Marianna Zahra – in charge of culturing all jellyfish species at Sea World Orlando and work directly with their turtle rescue and rehabilitation program (mczahra@aol.com).

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Erin Baxter, Kristin Colavito, Erin Connors, Susan Henry, Matthew Holt, Colleen O’Neill, Lindsey Pollard, Heather Smith, Tara Syc, Jennifer Tidswell, Alexandra Wilcox

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Class of 2005

Ashley Abcunas – Naturalist, Seacoast Science Center, NH

Melissa Chalek – Law Clerk, Rhode Island Supreme Court; Graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law; Research Assistant, Rhode Island Sea Grant (drafted legal framework chapter of Rhode Island Shellfish Management Plan); had worked as a zoo keeper since graduation first at Roger Williams Park Zoo (Prov, RI) and Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, MA). (kyhopper13@comcast.net)

Amanda Chesler – Hatchery Specialist, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (Oyster Hatchery; Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center)

Andrew DiMatteo – working at Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) in Norfolk, VA; MS in Environmental Management, Duke University

Dr. David Hudson – Research Scientist, Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk (CT); PhD at U. Conn. (2011); Fulbright Fellowship to study freshwater crabs in South America; Won Best Student Poster at 2011 SICB meeting for his work on “Invasive crab salinity preference: effects of acclimation and implications for estuarine distribution”.

Heather Leba – MS student, University of Hawaii (fish/ Dr. Cassie Cole)

Dr. Emily Shumchenia – Owns Science Communications firm (E&C Enviroscape); PhD at GSO (2010), and stayed on as post-doc.

Allison Stueben – Medical Technician (certification program)

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Amy Botti, Kevin Earp, Anne Farahi, Rebecca Ferrazza, Jennifer Hamilton, Trevor Higgins, Tracy Jamula, Kane LaRoche, Mandy Monroe, Michael Partica, Jennifer Picard, Frances Ann Raymond, Benjamin Rutt, Tina Sharp

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Class of 2004

Rachel Anderson – Environmental testing/education

Darcie Blanding – Mystic Aquarium?, graduate student, URI

Andrea Bonosoro – ? Substitute teacher, Long Island

George Kamajian – Medical Student, Penn. Coll. Osteopathic Med.

Michelle Kraczkowski – Graduate student, Wesleyan University

Jenna Krug – MS student, Cal. State Univ., Northridge (Marine ecology)

Karlee Markovich – Marine Biologist educator/aquarist, New England Aquarium

Kevin Neves – Graduate student, Delaware State University

Abbey Novia – MS student in Biology Education, UC Berkeley

Christen Pick – Microbiologist

Vincent Politano – ? Graduate student, University of Florida

Amanda Whispell – PhD student in Entomology at Rutgers University

Jason Theuman – Docent Program Manager, Chicago Zoological Society – Brookfield Zoo (2018); had been Educator, Buttonwood Park Zoo

Jessica Wellington – Tufts University, Cummings School of Vet. Med.

Dr. Jeremy Wright – Curator of Fishes, NY State Museum, Albany. PhD, U. Michigan (catfish).

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: David Carlson, Michael Concodello, Desiree Corideo, Devon Drewes, Amanda Henry, Gabriel Hiller, Ralph Riccio, Kate Ryan, Jennifer Thibodeau, Steve Versace

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Class of 2003

Christopher Bannon – working in NRS/URI

Rebecca Owens Bannon – working in NRS/URI

Michelle Bromley – Volunteer, Mystic Aq; Educator, New England Aquarium

Nathan Cartier – Working as a musician

Jill Dematas – Dolphin Trainer, Marineland, FLA

Jocelyne Dolce – Senior Instructor of Science Laboratory, Department of Biology, Wellesey College; MS in BioSci at URI (Wilga Lab).

Stacy Doner – ? ENSR Marine and Coastal Center

Dr. Allison Fong – Working at Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany; PhD in Oceanography, University of Hawaii (PhD Dissertation:  Effects of micro-environments and bacterial cell density on open-ocean microbial processes); MS (2006) in Oceanography, University of Hawaii (Thesis:  Mesoscale variability in nitrogen-fixing bacteria and rates of nitrogen fixation in the North Pacific Ocean).

Amy (Kowalski) Greene – MPA student, Suffolk University

Alyssa (Cole) Mages – Surgical Vet Assistant, and now Head Veterinary Technician at a small clinic in South Philadelphia. Going to school to become a certified veterinary technician (CVT).

Leonard Maiuri III – Water quality, PA Dep’t. Environmental Protection

Stefanie Masse – ? Branford High School teacher

Scott McGinley – First mate, schooners/tugboats

Dr. Monique Perron – Post-doctoral fellow at Brown University conducting research at EPA in Narragansett, RI; MS (2005) and Ph.D. (2009) in Environmental Health, Harvard University School of Public Health.

Tiffany Risch – Biology Teacher, Coventry High School

Amy (Schneider) Greene – Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Non Profit Management (2008). Currently Assistant Director of the Center for Community Based Learning at Lasell College

Jacqueline Shapo – NOAA, Coastal Management Fellow

Hillary Welch Vargas – (Double major in Ocean Engineering); Engineer, Raytheon; MS student in Ocean Engineering at URI with Dr. Jim Miller.

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Christie Blackwelder, Scott Cunningham, Lucia Herald, Maureen Kelly, Andrew Levine, Colin Lickwar, Michael Phillips, Sarah Pierce, Laura Smith, Tiffany Wallahora.

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Class of 2002

Amber (Bifolck) Fisher – Staff Research Associate at UC Berkeley in neurobiology, working on signaling pathways in the brain. Planning to relocate to Boston in 2011 and following a career in conservation biology. (abifolck@gmail.com)

Brendan Bray – NOAA, Silver Spring MD

Dr. Abigail (Knee) Fusaro – Assistant Professor, Marygrove College (Detroit) Fall 2014; had been Lecturer, University of Michigan-Dearborn; Postdoctoral fellow at Wayne State University and worked for The Ocean Genome Legacy in Mass.; received PhD from MIT/WHOI in Biological Oceanography.

Larissa Gillon – MS in Bio Sci at URI (w/ Dr. Cobb)

Rebecca Graves – Connecticut Dep’t. Environmental Protection

Elizabeth Kordowski – Executive Director, RI Lobstermen’s Association

Kara (Mahoney) Robinson –  Student Programs Coordinator, New England Aquarium in Boston; Right Whale EWS Aerial Observer

Jennifer Messineo – Division of Fish and Wildlife, St. Thomas Virgin Islands

Randall Meyer – Self-employed, research

Mary-Elizabeth Miller – Graduate student; research assistant at Cornell Univ.

Melissa Patrician – Research Assistant, WHOI

Lesley (Fillow?) Rossi – Division of Fish and Wildlife, St. Thomas Virgin Islands

Daniel Wieczorek ? Physical Science Technician, James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, NOAA

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Joseph Aiello, Erin Bodnar, Melissa Cassidy, Stephanie Forschner, Jennifer Haag, Katherine Kerr,Kelly Kreis, Jennifer Lally, Elizabeth Little, Melissa Novak, Jarrod Olbres, Christopher Renzi, Emily Sibley, Jillian Smith, Michael Smith, Jennifer Tilton, Kathleen Wall, Susan Wilson, Sharlene Woodman.

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Class of 2001

Christina Altimari – Environmental Scientist, ESS Group, Inc

Dr. Marina Ayrapetov – Research Fellow in Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was Research Associate, Rhode Island Hospital

Shanna (Brazee) Muise – MS 2004 at URI (with Emily Carrington)

Melissa Bugg – Staff, Chesapeake Research Consortium ?

Melissa (Casper) Silva – Adjunct faculty at Bryant University, Johnson & Wales, and University of Phoenix.  I work for Brown University as a assessment coordinator in the CAAS. (melissa_silva@brown.edu)

Michelle (Henly) Fye – Production Scientist II, Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., now Environmental Scientist with Fairway Laboratories, Altoona, PA.

Brian Gervelis – Contractor, NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Fisheries Sampling Branch; Master’s degree in fisheries science at URI while studying the age and growth of the thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) in the Northwest Atlantic with the API.  Upon completing his Master’s work, Brian took a position with the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program, working as a data editor.  He later served as NEFOP’s Northeast area lead assistant, working on a variety of issues facing observers stationed in the Northeast region.

Andrea Kecskes – Program Coordinator, GSO Office of Marine Programs at URI

Matthew Koehler – Ingenious Labs (biotech)

Christopher Mueller – BS Marine Biology, MS Biological Oceanography at GSO; works for Applied Science Associates

Jessica Powell – MS at URI

Jenifer Schadlick – MA Program in the Humanities, U. Chicago

Paul Sokoloff – ? MS student, UNH

Michelle Thomson – Adjunct faculty, Roger Williams University

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Karah Armstrong, Jason Bresnick, Laura DeStefaniz, Stephanie Kenyon, Hannah Liuzzo, Christina Miner, Rebecca Mitchell, Jill Olson, Michelle Orecchio, Kelly Rock, Leslie Smith

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Class of 2000

Elizabeth Bacon – High school teacher (Marine biology), York, ME

Brandi Bornt – Ducks Unlimited; Anitoch NE graduate

Michelle Burnett – RI Dep’t Environ. Mangement, Marine Fisheries

Catherine Colgan – Marine science educator

Pieter deHart -Assoc. Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies, University of Wisconsin – GreenBay; had been Dean of Environmental Conservation and Research and professor of Biology at Unity College; Asst. Professor of Biology, Virginia Military Institute, doing research in various aspects of marine and aquatic ecology. dehartpa@vmi.edu

Dr. Libby Ellwood – Global Communications Manager at iDigBio ; Ph.D. and post-doc at Boston University (Primack Lab), her work on ecological aspects of climate change was featured on “Living on Earth” on NPR in Spring 2012.

Kerry Mahoney – Wastewater management specialist, South Kingstown RI

David Medici – Graduate student in Louisiana; Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Inc.

Ted Racine – (Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology major) – NOAA Fisheries in Gloucester, MA. Task Leader for Fishing Vessel Trip Reporting project, and now working for NOAA Fisheries – Fisheries Statistics Office (FSO). “During my time at URI I worked in both Stan Cobb’s lab and at the Fisheries Center at East Farm. I worked on various lobster related projects, including the artificial reef project located in Dutch Harbor, a lobster tagging project and a Salt Marsh Assessment project. Because all of these project had been funded, in one way or another, by the NMFS (now NOAA Fisheries) I was able to meet and make some contacts within the agency. These contacts helped in obtaining my first “real job” (in my field of study) after college.”

Suzanne Randazzo – Research Laboratory Specialist, U. Michigan

Jennifer Skelly – MA education; teaching

Charlene Snyder – Medicine; dermatology

Geoffrey Sowan – zebra mussel research

Ryan Tainsh – MS student, URI (w/ Dr. Killingbeck)

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Joseph Cohen, Shawn Henderson, Christopher Ollerhead, Jessica Rumpf

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Class of 1999

Kathryn Doyle – High School teacher

Jennifer DeAlteris – MBA, UMass Dartmouth; Graduate student, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences

Shannon Kane – Senior Aquarist, Busch Gardens, Orlando

Sally Morehead – Research Scientist, Mission-Aransas NERR, U. Texas Marine Science Institute

WE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT: Allison Greaves, Raina Huebner, Kathryn McRedmond, Laura Stanish

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Class of 1998

Laura Williams – Wildlife Section Supervisor, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife

 

Prior to 1998 – (Students from Zoology/Botany in the area of Marine Biology)

Dr. Michael Judge (BS Zoology 1983) — Professor of Biology, Manhattan College

Dr. Kathryn Van Alstyne (BS Zoology 1983) — Marine Scientist, Western Washington University

Greg Skomal – BS and MS (with Bill Kreuger in Zoology). See:http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/05/07/eco.baskingsharks/index.html.

Robin Hadlock Seeley – (MS in Zoology, 1980 with Stan Cobb) –  retired; had been Assistant Director, Shoals Marine Laboratory (Cornell University and University of New Hampshire)

James Barbosa – Pharmacological research

Bruce Moravchik (MS Biological Sciences, with Dr. Stan Cobb) – Education specialist in NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS). He is a key developer of NOS’s Education Web site, a series of innovative online materials for students and educators that convey NOAA’s research, technology, and activities. Also manages NOAA Climate Stewards, a national program to provide educators with sustained professional development in climate and related sciences, and use collaborative online tools so they may help build a climate-literate public that is actively engaged in climate stewardship activities. Prior working at NOAA he established and ran a marine and environmental studies program at a private high school in Rhode Island, working with teachers and students on coastal ecology, aquaculture, and habitat restoration. He has taught oceanography for the Sea Education Association; studied the behavioral ecology of lobster and crab populations in Rhode Island and Maine; and conducted research in coral reef ecology in the Red Sea.

Dr.  Rom Lipcius (BS Zoology 1976) – Professor of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary and 2009 Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences

Dr. Grace Wyngaard (BS Zoology 1975) – Professor of Biology at James Madison University

Dr. David Campbell (BS Zoology 1975, Ph.D. Zoology 1983) – Program Manager, NSF K-12 Division of Education.

Dr. David O’Neill (MS Zoology 1974) – Chair, Biology, Community College of Baltimore County

John B. Williams (BS in Zoology B.S., 1973) – Professor, Dept. of Biological & Physical Sciences, South Carolina State University. Awarded University Professor of the Year and Governor’s Distinguished Professor; PhD (Marine Science) at North Carolina State (1978, with B.J. Copeland).

Dr. Wayne Souza– Professor, UC Berkeley (Ecology)

 

Other URI Alumni in Marine Biology etc.

Liz Caporelli – WHOI ship scheduler.