* Stay tuned for news from 2020-21, coming soon! *

Fall 2019:

• Advanced to PhD candidacy! I defended my dissertation proposal and received feedback from my committee.
• Became a published scientist. Read more about our paper "Assessment of elkhorn coral populations and associated herbivores in Akumal, Mexico" in Frontiers in Marine Science here.
• Presented a poster at the 72nd Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) conference in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I was also awarded The Outstanding Student Achievement Award for best student poster! 

Summer 2019:

• Submitted abstracts to present at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) and International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) conferences.
• Continued writing and analyzing data for dissertation.

Spring 2019:

• Submitted first co-authored manuscript about the potential role of the long-spined sea urchin (Diadma antillarum) and parrotfish herbivores in the recovery of elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) in Akumal, Mexico, led by Bruno lab PhD candidate Laura Mudge. 
• Awarded Rufford Small Grant from the Rufford Foundation. Read about my project here.
• Spent three months in Belize, interviewing fishers about their experiences with new fisheries management policies and surveying the reef environments where they fish.

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​Summer/Fall 2018:

• Successfully completed written comprehensive exams (the first step towards becoming a PhD candidate).
• Received OpenROV Trident underwater drone (on right) through the National Geographic Society's Open Explorer SEE Initiative. 

Spring 2018:

• Awarded Graduate Scholarship in Marine Conservation from the Women Diver's Hall of Fame (WDHOF).
• Awarded Mingma Norbu Sherpa Memorial Fellowship from the Carolina Center for Public Service at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• Awarded Early Career Grant from the National Geographic Society. Read more here and here.

Summer/Fall 2017:

• Co-organized SciREN Triangle Networking Event in Raleigh, NC.
• Completed 5-month training to become a Divemaster through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), with instruction from Water World Scuba and Marine in Durham, NC.
• ​Traveled to Belize twice to collect preliminary data about fisheries management initiatives and network with in-country collaborators at the Belize Fisheries Department and numerous environmental organizations. 

Spring 2017:

• Attended and presented at the 2017 Benthic Ecology Meeting in Myrtle Beach, SC. Presented talk titled: "MPAs did not mitigate coral reef phase shifts in Belize caused by disease and warming."
• Participated in numerous science communication and outreach events, including the North Carolina Science Festival, Culbreth Middle School's Science Day, and the SciREN Coast.
• Awarded Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. 
• Awarded Pre-Dissertation Field Research Grant from UNC's Institute for the Study of the Americas.

Summer/Fall 2016:

• Conducted fieldwork in Mexico and Belize with members of Dr. John Bruno's Lab, past and present.
• Began 2-year position of Ecology Senator for the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSF) at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Spring 2016:

• Attended 2016 Benthic Ecology Meeting in Portland, ME.

Summer/Fall 2015:

• Began graduate school at UNC-Chapel Hill! 

Receiving the Outstanding Student Achievement Award at GCFI in Punta Cana, DR. Nov. 2019

Posing with some of my field assistants after a day of surveying fishers in Monkey River, Belize. June 2019.

The OpenROV Trident underwater drone (top left). I can operate it using a tablet while it remains tethered to the control panel (top middle).

Posing with the SciREN Triangle organizing team after a successful networking event in September 2017.

Becoming a PADI Divemaster in 2017 involved a lot of reading, practical skill demonstrations and patience.

In May 2017, I met sailboat fishermen who had been at sea along the Belize Barrier Reef for 5 days and had snapper, lionfish and conch in their ice box.

In 2016, I spent several weeks in Akumal, Mexico, conducting research with Laura Mudge.