Jennifer Lam, a graduate student in Marine Resource Management, won the “People’s Choice” poster award at the Heceta Head Conference in Florence, OR. Her poster is titled: “Dose of reality: What can we learn from pet owners to guide more effective environmental stewardship of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs)?”
Jen is a second year student in the MRM program who’s making a big impact on our local community. See one of her recent Sea Grant publications here.
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.
Jessica completed her M.S. in the MRM program in 2004. Her graduate research focused on public involvement in the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy decision-making process. Also during her time at OSU Jessica was an editor for the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences newsletter and an Ocean Conservancy Ecosystem Manager.
Upon graduation Jessica worked in both government and NGO positions. She worked for five years as a Natural Resources Policy advisor to Oregon Governor Kulongoski. Her responsibilities in this role included providing disaster assistance to economically distressed salmon fishermen, collaborating with California and Washington on ocean conservation and science, and developing wave energy projects along Oregon’s coast.
She transitioned into a position as a Senior Policy Advisor with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C. where she reported to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Jessica worked with the White House and diverse federal entities to implement the National Ocean Policy.
In a move that brought Jessica back to Oregon she accepted a position with the strategic positioning firm Strategies 360 as the Senior Vice President of the Oregon Office.
Becky received her B.S. degree in Global Environmental Sciences from the School of Ocean, Earth, Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University for Hawai’i (2009). She conducted her undergraduate research on the island of Maui to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of Blue-spotted groupers (Cephalopholis argus) containing ciguatoxin, macroalgae hosting dinoflagellates, and the associated human health implications for near-shore fishing communities.
Becky joined the Ocean Ecology and Biogeochemistry Lab working with Dr. George Waldbusser in Fall 2011 to pursue her interests in advancing collaborative partnerships between coastal stakeholders and scientists. Her thesis work involves developing and conducting an online survey with the West Coast shellfish industry to understand their perspectives and experiences regarding ocean acidification. Additionally, she is developing a user-friendly website with interactive management tools, including a biological stress index, that can provide commercial and educational utility. Becky also has designed and conducted experiments to investigate the impacts of pCO2 frequency, duration, and intensity on Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae viability. Additionally, she is an Oregon Sea Grant Scholar. Stationed at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport OR, Becky enjoys surfing, sailing, and rock hounding… after work of course.
Look for Becky and her lab-mates in this Oregon Sea Grant publication.
Want to know more about Becky’s research? Below is a recent abstract of her master’s research:
EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF THE U.S. WEST COAST SHELLFISH INUDSTRY DEALING WITH OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
Rebecca A. MABARDY*, G.G. WALDBUSSER, F. CONWAY. College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331
Nearshore and estuarine environments along the U.S West Coast have been identified as “hotspots” experiencing accelerated impacts from ocean acidification (OA). Water with poor carbonate chemistry has been correlated with production losses of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae at hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest. Limited and unreliable supply of larval seed has implications for the economic well-being of commercial growers. However, little is known about how the shellfish industry perceives OA related obstacles and envisions adaptation.
We conducted a 44-question, online survey of shellfish hatcheries and growers across Washington, Oregon, and California to better understand stakeholder perspectives and experiences, and to assist in tackling this information deficit. Eighty-six stakeholders participated (45.5% response rate) from the oyster, clam, mussel, geoduck, and abalone industries. Participants reported their understanding of OA drivers, experience from OA impacts, level of concern, and adaptation strategies. Respondents indicated which environmental measurements and information sources inform their business practices, the usefulness of University-based research, and their willingness to share monitoring data.
Participants identified the shellfish industry as the entity with highest priority for addressing OA, followed closely by science. 52.0% of respondents indicated they have personally experienced negative impacts from OA, and 63.6% feel the shellfish industry is definitely or somewhat able to adapt. 74.6% percent of participants think University-based research is usually or extremely useful, and 68.7% reported they are very willing to share data with scientists. This research has implications for advancing mutually beneficial relationships between science and industry when addressing the multifaceted problem of OA.
Kelsey Gianou ‘12
Employer: NOAA
Position: NOAA Coastal Management Fellow
Location: Puget Sound, WA
During her tenure as an MRM student Kelsey produced both a written thesis as well as a mobile app available for public user. Her graduate work focused on aquatic pesticide management and database production. A copy of her thesis “Aquatic Pesticide Best Management Practices and Relational Database for the Protection of NOAA Trust Species” is available here.
Upon graduating from the MRM department Kelsey secured a position as a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow stationed at the Washington State Department of Ecology. As a fellow her project focuses on developing guidance to assist local shoreline planners in the promotion of appropriate “Green Shoreline” projects in Puget Sound. Green Shorelines involves the use of soft alternatives to hard structures on the shoreline for erosion control. Her fellowship products will provide guidance to local shoreline planners to help promote, incentivize, and improve the process of implementing Green Shoreline projects for private shoreline property owners. Read on to here what Kelsey has to say about settling into her current position as a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow:
“I am 8 months into my Fellowship at the WA Dept of Ecology and having a blast! The first few months were focused on settling into the office, learning about Puget Sound, the issue of shoreline stabilization, and talking to a wide variety of professionals to get a sense of what type of assistance I could contribute. I have since crafted a work plan and I’m happy to say that I’m moving along in developing guidance for local jurisdictions for implementing Green Shorelines. I’ve also tagged along on several site visits to wetlands and beaches, attended conferences and meetings, and have presented my fellowship at a few different gatherings. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to interact with multiple stakeholders on the issue, including federal, state, and local government, architects, academic professionals, WA Sea Grant, extension officers, consultants, and shoreline property owners. The support that I have received from the employees and from local jurisdictions, consultants, and other organizations has been outstanding. It is a great working environment here at the Northwest Regional Office. Although my project is not without challenges, I remain optimistic that I’m creating something needed and will be utilized beyond the term of my fellowship. It is extremely satisfying.“
Morgan Bancroft ‘13
Advisor: Lorenzo Cianelli and Cliff Ryer
Field of Study: Fisheries
Morgan, better know as Mo, is seeking a M.S. in Marine Resource Management under the joint guidance of Lorenzo Ciannelli in the Fisheries Oceanography Lab at OSU and Cliff Ryer from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Newport, OR. His research addresses at the effects of hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen) and 
temperature on the growth of juvenile English sole (Paroprhys vetulus), and larval Dungeness crab (Cancer magister).
Hypoxic events, or ‘dead zones’, are characterized by seafloors or riverbeds littered with the carcasses of fishes and invertebrates. Hypoxia is generally coupled with warm water temperatures, low flow and eutrophication in enclosed systems. Along the Oregon Coast, however, summer upwelling conditions draw water from deep-ocean oxygen minimum zones resulting in this natural phenomenon. While these hypoxic events clearly have detrimental effects on adult fish and invertebrate species, the long term effects of low dissolved oxygen on juveniles and larvae are relatively unstudied.
Oregon estuaries and nearshore habitats are influenced by a variety of oceanographic conditions and are critical nursery grounds for commercially and ecologically important species. Mo’s experiment is comprised of temperature and dissolved oxygen controlled tanks that simulate a range of summer ocean conditions that may occur in these nursery grounds. Growth will be measured as an indicator of habitat quality: the resulting experimental data will be compared to field measurements to create a predictive model of habitat quality after larval settlement.
Before coming to Corvallis to study at Oregon State University, Mo was a fisheries observer on commercial fishing vessels, fishing from various ports on the Oregon Coast. Prior to that, he worked with different projects for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as an experimental biology aide, measuring biological data from shellfish, hagfish, spot prawns, abalone, salmon and sundry other organisms. As much as he enjoys working elbows deep in fishes and invertebrates, he also came to appreciate some of the conversations and the perspectives of commercial fishermen and other stakeholders. Hoping that someday he might become a valued member of a fishing community in some capacity, he sought the multidisciplinary MRM program to develop his interests and fisheries management skillset.
