DANIELLE CARTER

Danielle is a third year Marine Science graduate student. Her current research focuses on habitat connectivity, specifically on how marine inputs are subsidizing island food webs in Baja California, Mexico. She has spent 3 summers working on this research in Bahía de los Àngeles, a small fishing town on the Sea of Cortez.

Danielle has worked for the department as a graduate assistant, lecturer, and lab instructor. She also has worked as an instructor with Ocean Discovery Institute, teaching both field and classroom based lessons to 3rd-12th graders.

Danielle graduated from UC San Diego in 2008 with a BS in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience.

Why did you choose USD?

“It gave me the opportunity to both stay in San Diego and continue to conduct research in Baja with Dr. Drew Talley.”

What is your favorite aspect of the USD community?

“Coming from a large school, it is nice to be part of such a small program where you can really get to know all of the professors. Also, having a small cohort serves as a great support system.”

JOSH LINCK

Josh Linck is currently in his second year of the Marine Science Graduate Program. His research is carried out at Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute under Mark Drawbridge. He is studying the effects of different weaning diets on larval California yellowtail that have been bred in captivity. This research has implications for optimizing the survival and growth of this species in a commercial aquaculture setting. Josh received his B.S. from UC Santa Barbara before coming to USD.  He also teaches part-time at a charter school located in Del Mar.

Why did you choose USD?

“I grew up in San Diego and always dreamed about doing research with SeaWorld. Now I’ve been given that opportunity. ”

What is your favorite aspect of the USD community?

“The faculty from the MARS department as well as the entire university have been very friendly and helpful from the start.”

MORGAN MARTIN

Morgan is a second year graduate student in Marine Science. Her interests include physiology and ecology of marine mammals. Specifically, her research focuses on the diet of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)that live on two of the nearby Channel Islands. Her research involves identifying otoliths and cephalopod beaks to species in order to determine how sea lion diet changes over time. Morgan serves as a graduate student representative for the MARS program and has work experience as a research assistant at NOAA. She has completed two trips to San Nicolas Island and plans to visit San Clemente Island soon.

Morgan graduated from the University of New Orleans with a B.S. in Biology in 2010 and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Marine Science after finishing her M.S. at USD.

Why did you choose USD?

"I was excited by the idea of furthering my education on the West Coast. My undergraduate knowledge was based off of what occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific was still a mystery to me. I think I made a great decision to come here."

What is your favorite aspect of the USD community?

"The small class sizes allow students to get to know the faculty well. The faculty members have an open willingness to see that students succeed as best as possible."

SAMANTHA
SAN FRANCISCO

Samantha San Francisco is currently a second year graduate student in the Marine Science department.  She is working with Dr. Hugh Ellis, studying the energetics of the Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) and how Eared Grebes impact their surrounding ecosystem.  The majority of this project will be based on observations of the grebes at two different study sites.  Samantha has been interested in the physiology of birds for several years, and being able to do a thesis project on this subject is extremely exciting.

She received a B.S. Marine Science (concentration in Marine Biology) with minors in Chemistry and Theatre, from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.

Why did you choose USD?

"After applying to a variety of schools (based on faculty research interests), I decided to come to USD because I was most interested in the faculty member that I would be working with, as well as the possibilities of the project that I would be working on. "

What is your favorite aspect of the USD community?

"My favorite aspect of the USD community is the fact that it is a relatively small graduate program, which means that there is a close-knit interaction between faculty and students.."

kEVIN STOLZENBACH

Kevin started the MARS program in 2011 and is working in Dr. Kaufmann's lab while also working as a graduate assistant under Dr. O'Shea for the Marine Science and Environmental Studies Department.  His research at USD focuses on juvenile California halibut (Paralichthys californicus) in Mission Bay, San Diego, examining how they respond to a natural gradient in pollution within the bay.  As a graduate assistant, his primary responsibilities are operating the ICAP, CHNS analyzer, microwave digestion equipment, and XRF for analytical work on sediment and tissue samples.Kevin also has experience using SCUBA as a research tool, having worked for the Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research (SBC LTER) lab as a research diver from Jan 2010-June 2011.  He currently assists at SDSU teaching the AAUS Scientific Diver course and working toward his Divemaster certification.Kevin graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Aquatic Biology and a minor in Chemistry in 2011.  In the future, he hopes to continue research in the areas of temperate reef ecology and environmental toxicology.

Why did you choose USD?

I chose USD because of the smaller size of the program and the opportunity to get to interact with the faculty more closely.  I was also able to design my own project with Dr. Kaufmann, which was a big plus for me since I'm getting the chance to work with fish and incorporate environmental chemistry and biochemistry into my project.

What is your favorite aspect of the USD community?

Living and working in San Diego presents a lot of opportunity to be out in the ocean and outdoors.

brianna tracy

Bri is a third year graduate student in Marine Science.  Her thesis research project is entitled "Temporal and spatial variation in native and non-indigenous ascidian settlement within fouling communities in Mission Bay, San Diego, California".  As a USD student, Bri had the opportunity to attend a funded month-long course on tunicate taxonomy with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Bri also serves as the secretary for the USD Graduate Student Council.

Bri has a B.S. in Marine Science (2010) from the University of South Carolina.  In the years to come, she plans to (hopefully) secure a job working in Marine Policy and Environmental Conservation or consider a PhD in Marine Science or Biology.

Why did you choose USD?

“ I had two requirements of a program when I was applying to grad school: I wanted to do field work and I wanted to pick my own project.  USD let me do both.  I applied to universities across the country and ultimately chose USD for this reason…that and I wanted the excuse to live in southern California for a few years!"

What is your favorite aspect of the USD community?

“The 'small-school, private' aspect of USD appealed a lot to me coming from a large, public university. I really appreciate the availability of my advisor and feel it has absolutely helped me get the most out of my Master's experience and really benefited my project.”