woman scientist

in the field

Tag: SIO

Undergraduate Next Generation of Polar Scientists in the Vernet Lab

September 1, 2021 /

Meet the next generation of polar scientists working with me in the Vernet Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography! 

For the 2021 summer (10-weeks), Anesse Pinpokintr and Christian Johnson, two incredibly bright and passionate undergraduate students, worked on analyzing FjordPhyto data as part of the Scripps SURF program (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship)! 

It has been awesome to finally interact in person, show them the lab, and to also finally meet last year’s SURF student Karina Halliman who worked with Tammy Russell and who just graduated with her Bachelors degree! 

 These students helped analyze years of FjordPhyto phytoplankton data and wrapped their minds around all things Antarctic – all the while learning a splash of bioinformatics, genetics, statistics, and what it means to be a polar scientist!

They presented their findings after 10-weeks of the program at the SURF Student Symposium, in person on campus! This was their first scientific poster presentations and they did an outstanding job! I’m very proud of them and honored to work with them.

 Before the summer ended and everyone had to disperse back to their homes, the Vernet Lab was able to have an in-person BBQ where we could actually interact in person for the first time for some of us!

The Vernet Lab is the best!

Share this:
Facebooktwitterby feather

Teaser video – behind the scenes interview with Gaby Lamanna

March 31, 2020 /
The FjordPhyto citizen science project brings people together, because conservation is a “we”.

Everything you see is a work of art created by an actual person (or team of people). This short video about the efforts of the Antarctic citizen science project – FjordPhyto – was produced and directed by Gabriela Lamanna using video footage taken by Allison Cusick’s journeys to the Antarctic. We wanted to introduce you to Gaby and share her story. To share how she got involved with the FjordPhyto project, why she is obsessed with cold regions despite her upbringing in the tropics of El Salvador, and what her plans are after she completes her Masters degree from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Q: Gaby, What drew you to make a film for the FjordPhyto project?

The minute I heard of FjordPhyto I was hooked! The fact that people can participate in citizen science by collecting phytoplankton in Antarctica is fascinating, everyone should know about this! I heard about the Vernet Lab needing someone to create content with all the footage graduate student Allison Cusick has from her expeditions in Antarctica, and there was no way I wasn’t saying yes!

I wanted to create a short video of FjordPhyto so that people can learn about the project in little time, just a minute!

I envisioned incorporating multiple voices representing different ethnicities and ages to narrate the story because I want the public to know that anyone can participate in citizen science!

I love the sentiment, “you protect what you love”, and if people get involved with science, there is a higher chance of them deeply understanding current problems like climate change. The more people fall in love with conservation, the better we will all be at protecting ecosystems!

One of the reasons I find FjordPhyto so special is that it brings people closer to researchers. I think there is a misconception that scientists are unapproachable, but the truth is scientists are more relatable than what people might think.

How fun is it that people can help them collect data and contribute to polar research!? Now, I know going to Antarctica is not for everyone, but I hope this video sparks curiosity to learn about other citizen science projects close to you!

Q: How did you get involved in ocean conservation and science storytelling?  

When I tell people I have been completely fascinated with uncomfortably cold places since I first saw snow at the age of 22, they exclaim in disbelief: “But you grew up in the tropics!” To that I respond, “that’s exactly why!”. I was fortunate enough to grow up in El Salvador, a place with warm weather year-round, and even warmer people. My roots to the tropics are strong, but I knew that if I wanted to protect the ocean, I had to leave home to pursue a better education.

As soon as I graduated high school, I left to the United States to follow my dreams. I studied marine biology at Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College (Jupiter, Florida), where I had the blessing of having one of the best teachers I have ever met. His love for ocean conservation stuck with me to the point that I decided to pursue my master’s in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

I have loved the ocean from a young age, especially the animals in it. However, the origin of my true love started at 16 when I was introduced to surfing.  I realized, the ocean gives us more than we can ever give back: waves to dance on, a place to grieve loss, medicine to heal, and the best part: as long as you are near the ocean, you will always have the curiosity of a child. You protect what you love, so it is no wonder that I wanted to become a marine biologist.

However, as much as I love science, there was always something missing for me. This all changed when I discovered science storytelling.

Q: What was it like growing up in El Salvador and how did this influence your creative outlets?

Being able to have a creative outlet means more to me than I will ever be able to explain. I have never been the best at expressing myself using words, but I am able to express myself through visuals.

Back in El Salvador schools work a little different. I went to the same school for 15 years, in a class of 22 people. Back then I didn’t think anything about it, because things seem okay when you haven’t seen anything different. But now that I look back, I think WOW! I can’t believe I spent so much time in a place where we would line up every morning and our teachers would check that our socks and tennis shoes were spotless and completely white, our skirts past our knees or else the principal would make you rip the stitching in front of her to make it longer, our nails short as can be, earrings as small as possible, our natural hair color without any modifications, no bracelets on your arms…

I could keep going, but in a short sentence… it was a place where self-expression would get you a trip to the principal’s office.

I grew up thinking that I did not have a pinch of creativity in me, but the truth is, after the 5th grade, art class, music class, any type of creative class was not a part of our curriculum at school. However, my love for photography and filmmaking was inevitable, and I began documenting my life with what I had: a GoPro that a friend had found in the ocean while surfing. The very first GoPro model ever released!

I was ecstatic!!!

I started making short films about surfing, travel and family.

Eventually, I got a DLSR camera, but it always remained a hobby…

… until I discovered that scientists are extremely busy and that they need help with showing their work to the public.

My two main passions combined: science and visual storytelling, I had finally found my niche.

There is nothing quite like finally finding where you belong. I found love not only in having a camera as my tool, but in spending hours editing. Post production is therapeutic for me!

Q: What do you enjoy most about the Master’s program you’re in and where do you see yourself in the future?

I have so far loved my experience in the master’s program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, because it is interdisciplinary.  Not only are we allowed to combine science with other disciplines, but we are encouraged to do so!

In my short time here, my professors and mentors have impacted my life in many ways, and my career goals have become clearer than ever. I hope to someday bring the knowledge I have gained here back to El Salvador, where conservation efforts are greatly needed.

For the remainder of my time in the Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Masters program, I will be starting a new project creating an expanded informative “documentary style” video about the efforts of researchers in Antarctica.

When I finish, I hope to use aerial photography to start a mangrove monitoring program in El Salvador, since these efforts are still not in place in the country. I also hope to use filmmaking to bring awareness and promote conservation efforts, and especially to use my work to help low income vulnerable coastal communities in El Salvador.

Follow Gaby on social media at @gabylamanna

Follow the Antarctic Citizen Science project FjordPhyto @fjordphyto

Share this:
Facebooktwitterby feather

Exploring unknowns with Tammy Russell

August 29, 2018 /

I always find the moment surreal when you finally meet someone in person whom you’ve been following on social media for years. Tammy Russell and I had “known” each other on Instagram for a while, connected by our love for Antarctica and doing science in the field. We had both also volunteered for a SCAR campaign to blast Wikipedia with profiles of accomplished female researchers working in Antarctica. I’m happy to report the team uploaded over 150 biographies of female scientists to Wikipedia in 2016!

We had exchanged a few messages discussing our winding “late-bloomer” career paths through science, but I never thought I would have the chance to meet Tammy in person. Then, one day on Instagram, I saw that she had been invited to the Open House for prospective graduate students at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (the same school I was currently attending)! Open house is an overwhelmingly exciting time in a graduate students life and I am happy to report, Tammy will be joining the PhD cohorts at SIO this year!

I’m excited to share Tammy’s interview with you all:

What is your earliest memory of being hooked by science?

I grew up on a small farm and was always drawn to nature. I spent as much time as possible outside; catching lizards, climbing trees and watching the stars. I knew from a young age I wanted to work in science, whether that was with animals or up in space. I was really obsessed with frontiers, and for much of my childhood I thought I would be the first person on Mars. That desire to explore unknowns really cultivated a deep curiosity for the world and led to my interest in exploring the oceans and Antarctica. When I was in junior high, I attended camp at the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI), and it was the first time I was exposed to marine biology and hands-on science. At CIMI, I first snorkeled, did dissections and looked under a microscope. I think that experience really solidified my motivation to pursue a scientific career.

Did you know what you wanted to study before beginning your undergraduate degree?

I knew I wanted to get a degree in Biology, and after traveling a bit after high school, I started my Bachelor’s degree at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand. I did two field projects there, both on the impacts of invasive mammals on native species. These were fantastic experiences. After a couple of years there, I returned to the States, with my intent on returning and finishing my degree. But I ended up taking a very winding path and it took me many years to eventually be able to return to college. I restarted my degree at Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC), in Southern California. After a couple years at MSJC, I was able to transfer to University of California, Santa Cruz, where I just finished my Bachelor’s in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

What was your first science-related job?

Because I have been in school for such a long time, most of the field work and research I have done has been through internships and volunteering. But I have always tried to maintain animal-related jobs: an animal hospital, city animal shelter, a reptile pet store, where I did husbandry, as well as educational presentations. I am currently a naturalist on a whale watching boat in Moss Landing, CA.

Where have you traveled with work in the field?

At UCSC, I was involved in Dan Costa’s Lab, working with northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park. Although just north of Santa Cruz, it is another world. We went out each week to resight tags on the seals to monitor when animals were returning and how long they were staying. We also would attach and remove satellite tags and other instruments, such as accelerometers or cameras, which was always an amazing experience getting to be so close to these massive animals!

I also did an internship, and currently still volunteer, for the nonprofit, Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, where I have been fortunate enough to work on seabird population studies out on Año Nuevo Island. The island is strange and wonderful place. It was once home to a light tower and large home for the light tower keepers and their families, but now it has been completely taken back by the animals and is currently an important breeding location for many seabirds.

Through UCSC, I also did a field course in Sitka, Alaska. I really wanted to use the experience to try something completely different, so my field partner and I studied the effect of light levels on the red alga, Constantinea, with a combination of field observation and lab experiment. Working up in Alaskan waters in winter was truly an incredible experience (and I really valued my drivesuit!).

I am a NOAA Hollings Scholar, which allowed me to spend last summer on Oahu, Hawaii, working on the demographic distribution of black-footed albatross that are incidentally caught by longline fisheries. There, I got to learn about commercial fishing, mitigation measures to reduce bycatch and the fishery management process, as well as my research work.

What inspired you to become a scientist and work in polar regions? 

When I returned to college, I had a clear idea of the kind of work that I wanted to do: I wanted to study seabirds. As I have always been drawn to Antarctica, when I started thinking about the kind of research that I wanted to pursue, my interests were inevitably drawn there. When I first started at MSJC, I did not have a lot of confidence in myself. I knew I needed to transfer from there and get my Bachelor’s, but I hadn’t really considered how to get to the research that I wanted. I fortunately met several encouraging mentors at MSJC and had an amazing support system: my husband and my mom.

I soon found myself taking on more: pursuing undergraduate research, joining honors programs, and organizing events, like birds watching trips and a TEDx event! I was really encouraged and allowed to really spread my wings at that college. The first project I completed there was on the history of women working in Antarctica and ended up presenting it at an honors conference at UC Irvine.

While at MSJC, I had tried to stay on top of research that was going on in Antarctica, and organizations that are involved in the southern region, which led me to volunteer for SCAR in helping write Wikipedia pages on women that had worked on Antarctic research, and to attend the 80th anniversary for the American Polar Society. It was there, where I got to meet people I had looked up to in conservation, breaking boundaries and research, including Sylvia Earle, Claire Parkinson and David Ainley. Meeting these, and other researchers, really corrected the image I had of scientists, and made it much more realistic for me.

Before starting at UCSC, I volunteered for a number of nonprofit and government groups doing field and lab research. I valued what I was able to learn from these experiences, but I also found that I wanted to be the one who organized the projects, I wanted to have a say.

Between these experiences and finding that the people doing the kind of research that I wanted to do all had PhDs, really made me decide that I should pursue a PhD, and that it would allow me the opportunity to do research, but also to ask the questions and develop projects to answer them.

What are some inspirational materials you’ve used along the way?

I have a notebook that I write down potential research questions, quotes, trends that I’ve observed, doodles, etc. When I feel stuck I read through it. Some entries are really funny, some ideas are totally unrealistic, but going through it always gets me thinking.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Keep throwing yourself out there at new opportunities, no matter how unrealistic they seem, some are bound to work out.

What do you envision for your future (big or small)?

Well, I’m getting ready to start at Scripps Institution of Oceanography to pursue a PhD in Biological Oceanography. It still feels unreal, it’s beyond what I could envision happening to me, so I can’t imagine where my research at Scripps will take me or where I’ll find myself afterwards! No matter what I end up doing, as long as I’m still able to be involved in research, asking big questions and attempting to answer them, then I’ll be happy!

Huge thank you to Tammy for the interview and for her entrance into Scripps Institution of Oceanography! We wish you the best of luck in your future research.

To see more photos of Tammy in the field, head over to the Feature Album on Woman Scientist Facebook page.

Please feel free to share this inspirational interview with others!  Thank you all for reading and following Woman Scientist.

  Share this:
Facebooktwitterby feather

Allison Lee: Polar Phytoplankton PhD Student

January 11, 2018 /

A big thanks to Allison Albritton (formerly Randolph) for the interview on the Ocean Allison podcast before my trip down to Antarctica.

Episode #54, Allison Lee: Phytoplankton PhD Student.

 

Allison Lee is a biological oceanography PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, working to bring phytoplankton research to the world of Citizen Science in the Arctic and the Antarctic. In this episode we discuss her experience working in a lab setting, her inspiring blog ‘Woman Scientist’, her passion for phytoplankton research, and more.

Allison just completed a field season in Antarctica aboard the Hebridean Sky, launching her FjordPhyto Citizen Science project with willing and excited passengers. The beginning of this story was featured in the San Diego Tribune.   During the 2017 – 2018 Antarctic summer, citizen scientists from multiple tour ships will be collecting samples which contribute to current climate research.

If you’re interested to learn more about the Citizen Science Project – FjordPhyto – in Antarctica, follow along on the FjordPhyto website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Visit Allison Lee’s website womanscientist.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Allison Albritton is an ocean advocate, herself, sharing stories of positive change for the ocean. If you’d like to learn more about Allison Albritton, read the Woman Scientist interview here. Share this:
Facebooktwitterby feather

© 2024 woman scientist

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑