Alexandra Thomsen is currently an Master’s student in the Environmental Science Program at California State University, Monterey Bay with a focus on Marine Science. Her research interests include anthropogenic effects on coastal ecosystems, conservation and restoration practices, and ecosystem services of coastal habitats. For her Masters thesis, she is collaborating with Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve to better understand the drivers of marsh plain colonization and to inform “best practices” for marsh restoration based on different indicators of success.

Shelby Moshier is currently a biology Master’s student at California State University, Fresno. For her thesis research, she is working with Dr. Joshua Reece to investigate the impacts of dredging on coastal bird and macroinvertebrate biodiversity. She plans to pursue a career as a research professor and is broadly interested in evolutionary genetics, phylogenetics, and studying the impacts of disturbances on coastal biodiversity.

Jennifer Fields is currently a Master’s student at California State University, Northridge in Dr. Nyssa Silbiger’s Quantitative Marine Ecology Lab. She is interested in the effects of climate change on ecosystem function in rocky intertidal communities. She hopes to incorporate interdisciplinary, whole ecosystem approaches into her research to help inform conservation management decisions.

Ellie Brauer received her B.S. from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2017 and she is currently continuing her studies at Cal Poly in pursuit of Master’s degree in Biology. She is interested in how variation in ocean conditions affects growth rate in fish and she hopes to pursue fisheries science as a career.

Carl Hendrickson is a Master’s student at the San Fransisco State University Estuarine and Ocean Science Center. He studies eelgrass restoration in San Francisco Bay and how ecosystem services offered by Living Shorelines Restoration Projects can help counter climate change impacts.