Job summary and/or description of your work/research:
I am a Marine Science Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Barbara studying how rivers and oceans mix together in places called estuaries. I use images taken from space to learn how water moves and changes in these important habitats to better understand how to help these places stay healthy for animals and people. I’m especially passionate about making sure science is welcoming to everyone, because I believe different perspectives make for better ideas to solve big environmental problems.
What do you enjoy most about your work/research:
Being a marine scientist has taken me all over the world, including Australia, The Netherlands, and Japan! When I am not researching on my computer, you can find me out in the water putting out scientific instruments or flying drones over kelp forests off the coast of Santa Barbara. I enjoy building my community and meeting cool people all over who do amazing work geared toward protecting our environment.
Inspiration:
I grew up in Long Beach, California and have been within an arm’s reach of the ocean all my life. My passion to study the ocean has always been there but it is through my scientific community that I built while studying Environmental Science at the University of California, Davis that truly made me think I could make this my career. Surrounded by mentors and classmates who shared my curiosity, I realized that studying the ocean wasn’t just a dream but it was something I could do every day to help protect the places I love.