Michelle came to the MRM program from Juneau, Alaska where she spent five years working with and studying humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). She received a B.F.A from Boston University in 2002 and completed post baccalaureate coursework at the University of Alaska Southeast. Additionally, she is a graduate researcher with the Alaska Whale Foundation, which directed by her advisor, Dr. Andy Szabo.
Under Dr. Szabo’s guidance Michelle designed and executed a one-month pilot study in 2011 on humpback whale communication and social behavior from the historic Five Finger Lighthouse. In 2012 Michelle led a field team comprised of undergraduate and graduate interns (and her dog Vista) through a 3-month field season from the remote lighthouse to collect the data for her MRM master’s thesis: “Vocal behavior of Southeast Alaskan humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): classification and context.”
Michelle is particularly interested marine mammal communication and the impact of human interactions- positive and negative- on cetacean behavior and distribution. She uses passive acoustic monitoring in combination with visual observations to collect baseline data on animal behavior that can be archived for future comparison, and studied for evidence of species resilience. Additionally, Michelle is passionate about including students and the public in her research. Throughout her fieldwork Michelle maintained a blog which can be found here. You can read more about her research in a 2013 editorial published by OSU’s magazine Terra.
Michelle enjoys berry picking with her pup, spring time in the Pacific Northwest, and the great wide Pacific Ocean.
