I am a PhD student in the department of Ocean and Earth Sciences at ODU. I work in Dr. Margie Mulholland’s lab, and my research will relate to the water quality impairments and the initiation of harmful algal blooms (HABs) from pollution run-off due to king tides in the Lafayette River. Specifically, I am interested in identifying the phytoplankton species and quantifying the blooms as it relates to the magnitude of nutrient pollution. On a larger timescale, I am evaluating the potential correlation between past flooding events (king tides and storms) to chlorophyll levels (as a proxy for phytoplankton abundance).
Prior to joining the Mulholland lab, I worked as the lab manager of a biomechanics lab at Duke University. Advised by Dr. Sheila Patek, I Investigate the impact of environmental temperature on snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis) claw kinematics and sound production.
I received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies. While at Dartmouth, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant under the direction of Dr. Anne Kapuscinski. I helped test the implementation of experimental fish food for Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) using macro-algae supplemented diets, aimed to reduce phosphorus pollution from aquaculture farms. Additionally, I worked in Dr. Celia Chen’s Lab as a part of the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program, investigating the impact that various environmental factors have on the biomagnification rate of MeHg from contaminated marine sediments through estuarine amphipods (Leptocheirus plumulosus). I also completed an internship with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations where I calculated the greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s small-scale fisheries.