Dylan Cottrell (M.S. 2021) – Dylan graduated from the University of Oregon and headed to Malawi, Africa with the Peace Corps where he collected numerous near-death stories. After returning to the states, we were thrilled when he joined the lab and studied the effect of environmental stress on eelgrass around Long Island. Dylan ran our portion of the Shinnecock Bay Restoration Project while he was here and was a frequent dive buddy to the artificial reefs offshore. Upon his graduation, Dylan took to the sea and is currently a marine science instructor on one of the Sea | mester sailing yachts.
Kaitlyn O’Toole (M.S. 2020) –Kaitlyn was an undergraduate summer field technician who joined the lab after graduating. She collected water quality and seagrass morphometrics at the shallow and deep edges of eelgrass in Peconic Bay and developed a bio-optical model. She used her temperature logger data to project how eelgrass will respond to warming water temperatures in the next few decades. Currently, Kaitlyn is a field technician at the KAUST Red Sea Research Center and is developing her underwater photography skills.
Diana Chin (Ph.D. 2019) –Diana joined the lab from the consulting world and was awarded one of the prestigious NSF Graduate Fellowships. While in the lab, Diana pursued questions about the role of positive ecological interactions involving coastal foundation species. She worked locally with the Solemyid chemosymbiotic bivalves and eelgrass and in the tropics at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute with Lucinids and turtlegrass. After defending her dissertation, Diana was awarded an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship and joined the Altieri Lab where she is seeing how she can apply these positive interactions toward coastal conservation.
Leah Reidenbach (M.S.) – Leah joined the lab after graduating with her MS degree from California State University, Northridge where she researched the effects of nutrient enrichment and ocean acidification. While in the lab, Leah conducted a series of experiments looking at the impact of ocean acidification and increasing water temperature on the mesopredatory crab, Dyspanopeus sayi. After completing her experiments, Leah joined the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation where she is a research associate is responsible for maintaining their water quality monitoring program.
Rebecca Kulp (Ph.D. 2018) – Investigating the effect of habitat type on foraging efficiency
Amanda Tinoco (M.S. 2017) – Amanda led the Hurricane Sandy research for the National Park Service assessing how the seagrass and seagrass-associated fauna would respond to the newly created breach through Fire Island. She also dove offshore in the early artificial reef work. After graduating, Amanda worked as a lab tech at both Stanford and at the University of Southern California before heading to Macquarie University in Australia for her doctoral work where Amanda’s research seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying heat and bleaching tolerance in reef-building coral. Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems on earth. However, increasing ocean temperatures driven by climate change is resulting in mass coral bleaching and mortality. Using RNA-seq and CRISPR-Cas9, she aims to identify and test the function of early heat-responsive genes that protect against or lead to heat-induced mortality in coral larvae and bleaching in juvenile corals.
Elizabeth Gomez (M.S. 2015) – A dynamic oyster reef bioenergetics model: predictions of secondary production based on different restoration scenarios
Brad Furman (Ph.D. 2015) – Space acquisition strategies of Zostera marina
Brad is a scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Amber Stubler (Ph.D. 2015) – Effects of anthropogenic stressors on tropical sponge ecology
Amber is an Assistant Professor at Occidental College.
Lisa Jackson (M.S. 2014) – The effect of patch dynamics and nutrient availability on the production of Zostera marina seeds within Shinnecock Bay, NY
Lisa Jackson works with the South Florida Water Management District.
John Carroll (Ph.D. 2012) – The effects of habitat and predation on bay scallop populations in New York
Jamie Brisbin (M.S. 2010) – Genetic diversity and gene flow in Zostera marina populations across the Long Island Sound and South Shore Estuaries
Jamie is a US Air Force pararescueman.
Brooke Rodgers (M.S. 2010) – How does groundwater impact eelgrass in Long Island? The role of nitrogen and herbicide in reducing eelgrass growth, survival and photosynthetic efficiency
Chuck Wall (Ph.D. 2010) – Benthic-pelagic coupling in eutrophic estuaries from the temperate and sub-tropical zones: the contrasting roles of benthic suspension feeding and nutrient loading
Chuck is an Associate Professor at North Shore Community College.
Konstantine Rountos (M.S. 2008) – The role of porewater sulfide toxicity among other multiple stressors in Zostera marina populations in Long Island South Shore Estuaries
Konstantine is an Assistant Professor at St. Joseph’s College.
Alexa Fournier (M.S. 2007) – Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Long Island salt marshes: survey of an invasive crab and experimental evaluation of its interactions with resident species