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Jeffrey Ellis is pursuing a dual M.S. in marine biology and coastal zone management at Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center. His master’s thesis focuses on regression modeling or mortality rates at haul back and by-catch of the pelagic longline fleets in the Atlantic Ocean. Jeff has a passion for learning about and exploring the marine environment. He volunteers as a marine turtle specialist with the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, participates in the annual International Coastal Cleanup at John U. Lloyd State Park, and is a mentor for students entering his program of study at Nova. Upon earning his master’s degree, Jeff hopes to study fisheries management, working towards more sustainable fishing techniques, while pursuing his doctorate.
Christy Foust is pursuing a Ph.D. in ecology and evolution at the University of South Florida. Her doctorate research, which expands on her master’s thesis, examines how stressors related to climate change such as increased salt marsh salinity affect genetic structure of plants. In addition to working as a graduate teaching assistant and community college adjunct professors, Christy works in an integrative biology lab. Her lab mentor says, “The work she is doing on salt marshes will have far reaching broader impacts…with implications for society from predicting response to climate change to improving agriculture.” Christy plans to pursue a career in academia where she can train the next generation of biologists, giving undergraduate and graduate students an appreciation for coastal systems, while contributing to the body of research on coastal communities.
Michael Dickson is pursuing an M.S. in fisheries and aquatic sciences at the University of Florida. Mike is an accomplished diver. In addition to assisting with the deployment of artificial reefs in the Steinhatchee Fisheries Management Area, Mike helped conduct field and laboratory experiments that investigated the effects of a deadly virus on juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters in the Florida Keys and assisted with sampling of grouper populations off the Florida Big Bend. Mike’s career goal is to research species in benthic habitats of Florida, integrate research and conservation practices, and incorporate his research into educational outreach programs that promote community awareness of marine conservation issues.
2011 FOWA Scholarship for Outdoor Communicators
Austin Gallagher is the winner of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association 2011 Scholarship for Outdoor Communicators. The scholarship is given annually to students whose career goals are to communicate to the public a love and appreciation for hunting, fishing and other aspects of the outdoor experience. Gallagher, who received the maximum scholarship award of $1,000, is pursuing his doctorate in ecosystems at the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy at the University of Miami. His dissertation research involves working directly with the angling community in southern Florida to promote sustainable catch-and-release shark fishing. He writes for his college’s science blog, and has contributed underwater photography to numerous public seminars, photo contests, and exhibits at several aquariums and museums nationwide.
2012 Guy Harvey Scholarship Recipients
Felipe Carvalho, a native of Recife, Brazil, is known as a prolific publisher of peer-reviewed scientific journals, and an award-winning presenter at national and international fisheries meetings. He has earned his master’s degree in the Program of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at UF, and is now a doctoral student there continuing his research in blue shark stock assessments.
He has already served six times as a national representative to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the international organization that focuses on the research and management of Atlantic tunas and other species such as sharks caught during tuna fishing.
Sarah Stephens 
holds her undergraduate degree in zoology from North Carolina State University, and is now pursuing a master’s in the Program of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at UF.
As part of her current research, she organizes Florida’s conservation tagging program for permit, one of the state’s most economically valuable recreational fisheries. The program relies on recreational anglers to report data on tag and capture locations when they land a previously marked permit, which in turn generates information that researchers use to assess fish populations and movement patterns. The research is a joint venture among UF, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Bonefish Tarpon and Trust.
Laura Habegger
is a native of Argentina and holds her bachelor’s degree from the University of Buenos Aires. She completed her master’s degree from the University of South Florida studying the bite force mechanics of top predators such as bull sharks and great barracuda. Her doctoral work at USF is the first ever to study the bill mechanics and feeding adaptations in marlin, swordfish, sailfish and other pelagic predators.
The bill is the most prominent feature of billfish, but there are competing explanations for its function. Habegger’s interdisciplinary approach to finding the answer incorporates elements of engineering, anatomy and physiology mixed with materials testing, high-speed photography and digital x-ray imaging.
Sean Bignami
is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aquatic biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Bignami plans to use his Guy Harvey scholarship to further research that attempts to quantify for the first time the effects of ocean acidification on the development, growth and behavior of two popular catches of marine fish, cobia and mahi-mahi.
He also plans to dedicate much of his career to sharing the results of his research with decision-makers to ensure marine resources are managed effectively. He has also been actively involved in teaching marine science to teachers and students, and for the last two years has worked with the “Science Made Sensible” outreach program. The effort pairs Miami graduate students in science, math and engineering disciplines with middle school science teachers to provide students with more hands-on learning experiences.
Kier Smith
is a native of Minnesota who has found a second home at sea. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Florida Atlantic University, holds advanced scuba and rescue diver certifications, and has logged more than 15,000 nautical miles on ocean-going vessels.
He plans to use his award to fund his master’s work at FAU, which seeks to reduce the incidental catch of sharks and rays in long line commercial fisheries. Previous research has shown that fishing hooks treated with rare-earth metals react in saltwater and produce a stimulus that a shark’s peculiar electrosensory system can detect and avoid. The high cost of the metals, however, makes use of the hooks unfeasible.
Smith and his research professor have received a preliminary patent on a technique they think mimics the deterrent properties of rare-earth metals in a more cost-effective way. In essence, the hook is treated with a mix of zinc and graphite, which, when immersed in saltwater, becomes essentially a battery, producing an electric stimulus that repulses sharks.
“I believe we have discovered a far more cost-effective way to create the same deterrent effect that has the potential for large-scale use in commercial long line fishing,” Smith wrote in his scholarship application. “This study has the potential to reduce the impact of this industry on shark populations and the marine ecosystem worldwide.”
Nutrient Dynamics Fellowship (2011-2013)
Lisa Gardner Chambers is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Soil and Water Sciences at the University of Florida. Her research will investigate whether dynamic fluctuations in salinity and increased nutrient inputs synergistically affect the activity of soil microbial communities in coastal wetlands, and consequently alter normal wetland function so that wetlands become more prone to disturbance by sea-level rise. Lisa received her B.S. in natural resources from The Ohio State University, and her M.S. in oceanography and coastal sciences from LSU. She holds a graduate fellowship from the National Science Foundation, has received numerous awards, published four articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has a tremendous track record of professional leadership, service and volunteer work.
Michael Gil is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biology at the University of Florida. His research will examine the mechanisms behind nutrient-induced grazer responses in coral reefs and how those responses may be mediated by both the nature of enrichment and spatial habitat characteristics. Michael has a B.S. in marine and freshwater biology from the University of Texas, where he graduated magna cum laude and with honors. He holds numerous awards associated with his research, teaching and academics, has a wide breadth of experiences as a student researcher and teacher, is founder and president of the Gator Nation Conservation organization, and he has published several reports related to his research on coastal ecosystems.
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service – Sea Grant Fellowship in Marine Resources Economics (2009-2011)
Chris Kennedy is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of Wyoming. His research deals with incentive-based fishing policies, including individualized fishing quotas (IFQs) and other methods to support sustainable fisheries. During the term of his fellowship, Chris will work with a federal fisheries scientist at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Miami, and with Brian Silliman, professor of zoology at the University of Florida, investigating the economics associated with management of the southeast Atlantic blue crab fishery.
"Although I have relatively broad interest in economic problems, the two areas of specialization I have chosen are environmental and resource economics, and trade and development economics," Chris says. "These fields were chosen based on the belief that successful conservation of natural resources depends on smart development and trade policy, and also that trade, when designed correctly, can help in the conservation of resources."
NOAA Fisheries Service - Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics
(2010-13)
Mark Fitchett, a doctoral student in marine biology and fisheries at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, is one of six national awardees of the joint NOAA Fisheries-Sea Grant Population Dynamics Graduate Fellowship. The program provides up to three years of funding for Ph.D. students to carry out thesis research in the study of the growth, recruitment and mortality of fish populations.
Fitchett’s research pertains to the Eastern Pacific sailfish recreational fishery. “This project will be the first of its kind to monitor and forecast sailfish (or any billfish species) through such an ecosystem-based approach,” Fitchett said. “The final product will be a valuable tool for the management of billfishes that are targeted by recreational fisheries.”
Past Population Dynamics Fellows
Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
The Knauss Fellowship program provides qualified graduate students pursuing careers in ocean and coastal resource policy with a one-year paid fellowship in Washington, D.C., in selected legislative or executive branches of the federal government. A year spent as a Knauss Fellow augments a student’s education by providing practical training and understanding of how marine issues are handled at the federal level. Not only does a fellowship benefit the student, it contributes to the pool of young and experienced graduates with knowledge and desire to pursue careers in marine and Great Lakes research, policy, and resource management.
The Knauss Program is in its 33rd year, and Florida Sea Grant has placed 46 applicants from Florida universities in that time. Placements vary from year to year. A list of locations and more information is available at our page on scholarship opportunities.
These individuals are serving as 2012 Knauss fellows:
Julia Galkiewicz recently received a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the University of South Florida College of Marine Sciences. She has a unique ability to present complex scientific problems to people of a variety of backgrounds, as evidenced in her extracurricular experiences and strong track record of journal articles and professional presentations at conferences. Julia has created marine science curriculum for SCUBAnauts International, a marine science education group for middle and high school students. For her doctorate research, she worked with the U.S. Geological Service to study deep sea coral ecosystems. Julia’s fellowship is with the executive branch; she is working in the NOAA OAR Communications Office.
Robert Jones recently received an M.S. in marine affairs and policy with a focus on fisheries and aquaculture management from the University of Miami. He has been actively engaged with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service on several fisheries projects, including his work onboard a commercial fishing vessel as an observer, the lead for data collection from the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawling fishery and as a laboratory technician. Prior to his graduate work dealing with Covina aquaculture, Robert conducted a highly innovative analysis of fisheries policy and fishing practices for salmon using game theory. His fellowship is with the executive branch; he is working in the State Department Office of Marine Conservation.
Sarah Laputz recently graduated from the University of Miami with a J.D. and an M.A. in marine affairs and policy, combining her passion for legal analysis of marine issues with her fascination of ocean resources. As an undergraduate, she solidified her career goals after spending time in Australia studying the Great Barrier Reef. She recently interned with the U.S. Coast Guard District Seven Legal Office where she analyzed environmental issues. Sarah hopes to translate her ability to simplify complex concepts for people without legal backgrounds into a career establishing educated and efficient policies for marine resource management. Her fellowship is with the executive branch; she is working with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Highly Migratory Species Division.
Sean McDermott recently graduated from the University of Florida with dual degrees – a J.D. and certificate in environmental and land use law from the Levin College of Law and an M.S. in interdisciplinary ecology from the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He worked with an environmental law firm to protect and preserve coastal lands and waters of the St. Johns River. Sean’s career goal is to combine his love for the environment with public service by working in environmental policy. Prior to entering his degree program, Sean served our country as an officer in the U.S. Navy. His fellowship is with the congressional branch; he is working with U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.
