Roxanne is a second year Marine Science student in Dr. Graham’s Phycology Lab. After completing her B.S. in Biology and minor in Spanish from UCLA, she worked for a medical non-profit in South America. She shifted gears when returning to the U.S. and worked at aquatic and animal rehabilitation institutions including the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Currently, Roxanne’s research is focused on giant kelp’s acute physiological response to biomass loss after kelp forest disturbances. She is investigating the reproductive and growth responses following biomass loss. Roxanne is also active in different student groups facilitating marine science education and collaboration.

Luke Townsend is currently a master’s student in Dr. Scott Hamilton’s Ichthyology Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. For his thesis research, Luke is investigating Monkeyface Pricklebacks (Cebidichthys violaceus) for finfish aquaculture by conducting an alternative feed study along with a temperature range experiment. The results of his research would determine if Monkeyface Pricklebacks are a suitable alternative species for freshwater eels in seafood dishes.

Sergio is originally from Costa Rica and moved to California to do his master’s with Dr. Chris Lowe’s at the Shark Lab. His research focuses on the movement and aggregation behavior of  endangered Pacific nurse sharks and their use of a marine protected area in the north Pacific of Costa Rica. With this project Sergio aims to obtain fundamental biological knowledge for the species that can inform future management and conservation through its distribution in the tropical Pacific coast of Latin America.

Maggie Dillon is a Master’s student in Dr. Jeremy Claisse’s lab in the Biological Science department at Cal Poly Pomona. Her thesis uses video footage from remote operated vehicles to assess how fish use subsea pipelines off oil rigs as habitat in comparison to rocky reef and sandy bottom habitats. She hopes the results of her thesis work will be used to help inform State and Federal policy decisions surrounding the decommissioning of petroleum pipelines in California.