Meet Our Interns

I am a rising senior in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. It was a great experience to intern at the PIFSC and under the guidance of my main mentor, Justin Hospital from the Socioeconomics Division, I was able to engage in a few different projects.

The first ongoing project that I assisted with consisted of collecting consumer level prices of reef fish, bottom fish, and different tunas at eight different markets once a week. These data will allow for a better understanding of the Hawaii seafood market dynamics and how prices fluctuate between the paths from the fishermen to the consumer.

Along with going to different markets to collect retail data once a week, I also shadowed Laurie Richmond and Dawn Kotowicz of the Human Dimensions Research Program once a week. They were interested in understanding the flow of fish from the Honolulu Fish Auction to consumers and all the “middle men” transactions. Talking with buyers and following some of them to their different facilities and stores, provided a better perspective of who will be affected by fishery management decisions. A project like this will hopefully bridge the disconnection between policy makers and the people that are affected by management decisions.

The main project that I worked on was based on analyzing Guam market biosample data collected from 2009-2011 that had not been analyzed. Mr. Hospital was able to connect me with several scientists in the Fisheries Biology and Stock Assessment Branch at PIFSC such as Jon Brodziak, Joseph O'Malley, and Robert Humphreys. I then analyzed the data by creating length weight relationships for several bottom and reef fish species. I also searched for patterns regarding size distribution and species composition in relation to fishing method and region.

I was very privileged to participate in this internship at the PIFSC. I received a very well rounded experience with projects from different focus areas. People went out of their way to help me or include me in their events and other projects even though it may have added more work for them.

I am a rising senior at Cornell University majoring in Science of Earth Systems concentrating in Oceanography. I am from northern Virginia and I worked at the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) on tow image analysis of Rose atoll and Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) samples looking at the benthic community structure and cryptic marine invertebrates of the atoll.

During the spring of 2010, I spent the semester on the Big Island through Cornell's Earth and Environmental Systems program. It was an amazing experience covering a wide range of topics from geology, corals, biogeochemistry, and Hawaiian culture. The program provided me with a thorough background on Hawaiian ecosystems. Immediately following the semester, I participated in University of Hawai'i Hilo's Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques (QUEST) scientific diving field class at Ke'ei. It was a comprehensive introduction to data collection and surveying techniques via scuba. Following graduation, I plan on attending grad school for marine science. In my free time this summer I stir-fried farmer's market veggies, watched Game of Thrones, took a sailing class, did ocean swims, and scuba dived. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on a few of the many great projects at CRED and experience the great weather, bus system, and delicious mangos of O'ahu this summer. Most of all, I'd like to thank my mentors Bernardo and Molly and all the wonderful people at CRED and the Science Center for a great summer.

I am a rising senior at Stanford University, majoring in Earth Systems with a focus on the oceans. This summer, I have been fortunate to work with PIFSC's Ecosystems and Oceanography Division (EOD), which tackles ecosystem-scale questions about biological, physical, human and other interactions in the Pacific Ocean. My project focuses on the physical oceanography (currents, eddies, upwelling) off the Kona Coast of the Big Island, as part of a larger Integrated Ecosystems Assessment (IEA) of the region. Our goal is to better understand the dynamics and interactions of the region, including how the oceanography changes over time, and affects the biology (everything from plankton to pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins) off the Kona Coast. My summer internship has been incredibly beneficial for my growth as an oceanographer; I've so far covered everything from learning several new computer programs to helping collect and analyze water samples and micronekton on a recent cruise off the Big Island.

My marine interests are as wide-ranging and diverse as the ocean itself. Aside from this summer, I have had the opportunity to study the sea from many angles. Some of my past experiences include tagging and working with green sea turtles in Baja California, sailing on tall ships around Cape Cod and from Honolulu to the Line Islands, quantifying the fish communities around shipwrecks on Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef, and analyzing daily changes in the activities of sea cucumbers on the Great Barrier Reef. I am also incredibly passionate about ocean conservation and plastic reduction, as well as encouraging people to appreciate the beauty of the natural world around them. I'm excited to continue to learn about the Kona Coast ecosystem during my project this summer, and to hopefully figure out how to weave all of my various ocean interests into my future work!

I live in the Washington, D.C. area but escaped to California for college. I'm starting my senior year at Stanford, majoring in Earth Systems, an interdisciplinary major in environmental science and policy. My summer internship is with the Protected Species Division, specifically the Cetacean Research Program. I am working with spinner dolphin observational data, and am currently tracking individuals across years and databases (different organizations submit photos) to help create the Pacific Islands Photo-Identification Network (PIPIN) database for spinner dolphins (you can read more about PIPIN here: http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/psd/mmrp/cetaceans.php), which is the first collaborative catalog of spinners in Hawai'i. Once I have completed work on the Big Island's catalog, I will compare the individual dolphins found around the Big Island with those found around O'ahu to look at movement between the islands.

One of the advantages of my major is that it is very broad, so I can take classes relating to many different subjects to determine what I'm most interested in. Right now I'm tentatively focusing on conservation biology. I'm really interested in ecosystem services (I'm a major fan of Gretchen Daily's work) and how human-caused changes to the environment impact these services.

I've had the opportunity to do a little research in the past. I studied how land use and climate change might affect nutrient availability and other environmental conditions that could promote the growth of the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria Trichodesmium on the Great Barrier Reef. I spent a quarter abroad in Australia and it was an amazing experience. The program was focused on environmental sciences and we got to learn about each ecosystem while living in it. This meant we got to learn about rainforests in the rainforests, mangroves in the mangrove swamps, and coral reefs + ocean ecosystems while on an island on the Great Barrier Reef! And recently I studied whether an understory palm, Reinhardtia gracilis, in the rainforest at Los Tuxtlas (in Veracruz, Mexico) is avoiding herbivory damage by mimicking herbivory damage (its leaves naturally have ragged edges and holes). However, both of these research projects were fairly short-term, so I'm very excited to get to work on a project for a longer period of time.

In my free time, I love to draw and paint (I nearly went to art school instead of Stanford), hug my four cats, and tutor little kids. I got SCUBA certified before spending a quarter in Australia and would love to get to scuba dive more.

I am a senior at Florida State University majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in biology and have a passion for marine sciences. This summer I'm working for the Protected Species Division studying the historical distribution of sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean.

I'm most interested in marine conservation and marine ecology. I've been fascinated with the ocean since I was a child, growing up on the coast of Florida. Last Spring, I spent the semester with the School for Field Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands studying tropical marine ecology and environmental policy.

I am a senior at Duke University with an interest in physical oceanography and animal migration pathways. I will be spending the summer in the Ecosystems and Oceanography Division at PIFSC, working with Loggerhead sea turtle tracks in the South Pacific Ocean.

I am originally from Acton, Massachusetts, and I am excited to be in Hawaii for the first time and take advantage of the weather and the beach in my free time. At Duke University, I spent a summer at the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort NC, completing a project on public perceptions of coastal land use. Using statistical methods, I studied how different stakeholders had divergent views about the land, its present use, and its future. In the fall, I plan to complete a thesis at Duke in physical oceanography and migratory pathways.

In May 2010, I graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BA in Environmental Studies and minor in Economics. During the summer of 2009, I interned with PIFSC in the Economics Program of the Fisheries Monitoring and Socioeconomic Division on a project led by Dr. Justin Hospital to perform retail monitoring of the main local fish markets in Honolulu.

Since I was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii, returning home to intern with NOAA was an exceptional opportunity. My primary project mainly involved visiting several different local fish markets, several times a week, and monitoring the types of fish, the cuts being sold, the prices of the cuts, and where the fish geographically were caught. Throughout my internship, I became well acquainted with the local fishermen and retailers, while also gaining the practical skill of fish identification. Another educational bonus from the project was that I was introduced to the specific fishing regulations that are part of the conservation efforts for fisheries and their ecosystems.

I also engaged in a second main project directed by Justin, created from my own interests in economics and conservation. I researched and collected information on the stability and status of the major bottomfish species, mainly snappers and groupers. Using this information, I composed an informal report of my findings. The report included as much legitimate information as I could find from bottomfish fisheries in Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, other Pacific Islands, Indonesia, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South Atlantic. I also gave a presentation on my findings upon the conclusion of my internship.

Besides my main projects, I was also introduced to many of the other departments within PIFSC. I had the opportunity to visit the Kewalo Basin Research Facility and see the green sea turtles that are studied at the site. I also had the opportunity to attend an aquaponics convention, which I found extremely interesting, even though it diverged from my main focus as an intern. Finally, I had the privilege to attend the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council meeting in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. The council meeting briefly introduced me to the fisheries policy-making field.

My internship with PIFSC was invaluable. I gained knowledge on the basics of conservation efforts, the experience of being a researcher, and an introduction to policy. In addition, my mentors and co-workers created an open environment for me, which invited me to dip into other departments that branched from economics. By being introduced to the broad spectrum of fields within PIFSC, I recognized that I didn't have to stick to one field for the rest of my studies. My internship with NOAA gave me the perfect opportunity to step back from my narrowly planned path and add variety to my goals. During the summer of 2010, I'm taking a restful break to reassess my future goals. I want to continue in my academic pursuits, but the direction of my studies is yet to be determined. I would like to delve into Sustainable Agriculture. This fall, I plan on interning on a sustainable, community-based farm, concentrating on animal husbandry. This experience will tie into my interest in Wildlife Management.