On March 16, we had our 2024 Girls in Ocean Science Conference!

We welcomed the following scientists:

• Abigail Gray, surfboard shaper from Hobie Surf Shop
• Morgan Raith, artist and science communicator
• Anna Golub, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, PhD Student

In collaboration with the Sahm Naturalist Academy Program, we also invited a small group of conference attendees to spend the night at the Institute for an incredible weekend of science and learning among like-minded peers.

Mattel generously helped sponsor this event by donating a Marine Scientist Barbie for every attendee!

On April 22 and 23, over 100 students joined us for the conferences.

We welcomed the following scientists:

• Dr. Lisa Crummett – Evolutionary Biologist, Soka University. Dr. Crummett has studied mollusks, marine cyanobacteria, and marine bacteriophage. She is interested in exploring how infection by bacteriophage might affect cyanobacterial metabolism and how life history traits of lytic bacteriophage (latency period and burst size) could vary over time and space in the marine environment. She also has interests in the association between the industrial diet and type 2 diabetes risk!
• Nancy Caruso – Founder, Get Inspired, Inc. Her mission is to inspire stewardship and curiosity for the natural world through the exploration of science. They do this through 3 different ocean restoration programs, an immersive outdoor environmental science program, and through teaching a sustainable farming technique called aquaponics. All of this work is done in classrooms and outdoors with kids and adults to help them experience science so that they may be inspired by our beautiful planet and know how to conserve and protect it!
• Jordyn Neal – Master of Science in Organismal Biology, California State University, Fullerton. Jordyn is a student in Dr. Misty Paig-Tran’s Functional Anatomy, Biomechanics, and Biomaterials (FABB) lab. She is investigating the filter morphology and performance of megamouth sharks. She is using various imaging techniques (SEM, Histology) and modeling to figure out how these denticulated filters work to retain prey. She is also the recipient of the 2022 CSU Violet Horn Fellowship! After her Masters, she plans to further her career in academia and pursue a PhD. Her goal is to become a college-level professor in Biology/Marine Biology
• Capt. Carolyn Wasser – Captain, ___. Carolyn is originally from Pennsylvania where she graduated with a degree in education with emphasis on history and library science. She has sailed the East Coast, the West Coast and Great Lakes and has her 100 ton near coastal masters license. Her hobbies include rock climbing, hiking and gardening. During the pandemic, Carolyn created LAMI’s virtual education program including a 12-week program for K-2 and a 3-week program for middle school. If she could be any sea creature, she would be a sea squirt. She’s a master pinata maker and is mediocre at hula hooping. Carolyn loves cats and the color green.
• Taylor Naquin, Master of Science in Marine Biology, and Vivian Sieu, Master of Science in Biology, California State University, Fullerton. Taylor and Vivian work in the Burnaford Lab at Cal State Fullerton where they study intertidal community ecology. The Burnaford Lab values the variety of perspectives and experiences that can be contributed by a diverse set of individuals.
• Laura Frank – Assistant Director and Tonga Program Lead, Waitt Institute. Laura supports Tonga’s effort to conserve 30% of their ocean space and sustainably manage their EEZ through Marine Spatial Planning. She provides core support to the Institute whose work engages governments and NGO’s around the world. Laura was previously a researcher in the Genetics, Aquaculture, and Physiology group at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, and a California Sea Grant State Fellow at the Unified Port of San Diego where she supported several environmental conservation, blue economy, and mitigation banking projects. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Communication: Advertising and Public Relations from Emerson College and a Master of Science in Marine Science from the University of San Diego where she focused on applied physiology research for yellowtail aquaculture.
• Dr. Kristen Davis – Associate Professor, University of California, Irvine. Dr. Davis joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2012. She is a physical coastal oceanographer who is interested in studying circulation in the coastal ocean, its natural variability, and influence on marine ecosystems and human-nature interactions. She earned a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University in 2009 and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Applied Physics at the University of Washington.

2021 GIOS Scientists

Middle & High School Visiting Scientists

Middle School Conference: April 17, 2021

Andrea Carrassi

Community Engagement Coordinator, The Bay Foundation

Andrea has her Bachelors in Global Environmental Change and Sustainability from Johns Hopkins University and is currently a Community Engagemenet Coordinator based in Los Angeles.  Andrea works to educate the public in boater pollution prevention. Before her work at The Bay Foundation, Andrea conducted field research on octopuses in Fiji and Tanzania-Zanzibar.

Angelina Komatovich

Senior Aquarists, Aquarium of the Pacific

Angelina is an estemmed aquarist known as the “octopus whisperer” at the largest aquarium in Southern California, and the fourth largest in the nation. She has the important job of keeping the animals safe, happy, and healthy.

Holly Lohuis

Marine Biologist and Educator, Ocean Futures Soceity

Holly has been a marine educator for over 25 years. She has worked with the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, and Island Packers. Acting as a liaison between the Ocean Futures Society and scientists, Holly has been diving the world’s oceans with Jean-Michel Cousteau and his team since 1996. One of her many responsibilities include confirming the factual accuracy of Ocean Futures Society’s documentaries and publications. Holly is enthusiastic to share her personal story of ocean exploration, marine education, and environmental advocacy.

Maria Madrigal

Education Program Specialist, USC Sea Grant

Maria graduated with her Bachelors degree from Loyola Marymount University and her Masters degree from Lesley University in Ecological Teaching and Learning. She currently works with the USC Sea Grant to support coastal based education programs, especially in transitioning in-field programs to virtual platforms and distance learning.

Sabrina Mashburn

President, SoCal Turtles Inc

Sabrina is the President of SoCal Turtles, Inc, which works to inform the public about Southern California’s local sea turtles and how we can help them better survive in a highly urbanized area. She works with NOAA for their sea turtle monitoring programs.

Yamilla Samara Chacon

Graduate Student and Research Assistant, California State University, Long Beach

Yamilla attended Keiser University, Latin America before completing her undergraduate degree at Florida International University. She is currently a graduate student and research assistant at California State University, Long Beach in the Shark Lab, where her current research project is on the diets of juvenile white sharks in Southern California.

High School Conference: April 18, 2021

Bella Doohan

Masters Student, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Bella is a graduate of University of California, San Diego with her Bachelors degree in Marine Biology and is currently a Masters Student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. There her primary research is on rocky intertidal ecosystems focusing what on geographic features encourage growth of different seaweed species.

Brittney Goodwin

Registered Veterinary Technician, Aquarium of the Pacific

Brittney is a Registered Veterinary Technician at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. As a Veterinary Technician, her day-to-day activities includes administering medical treatments, assisting the veterinarian with examinations, and sample and hospital ogranization.

Christine Bonadonna

PhD Student, University of California, Irvine

Christine started her college career at Orange Coast College before transfering to California State University Long Beach, where she recieved her Bachelors degree. Her current research at UCI focuses on freshwater ecology and the effects of climate change on invertebrate communities found in ponds in Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Devin Spencer

Hatchery and Production Manager, The Cultured Abalone Farm

As a Hatchery and Production Manager, Devin is incharge of spawning and caring for all of the abalone on the farm. She maintains the farm’s bloodstock (parent abalone) and raise juvenile, and manages the movement and growth of the adult abalone on the farm. Devin recieved her Bachelors degree from Texas Christian University and her Masters from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Grace Chan

PhD Student in the Kwasi Connor Lab, University of California, Irvine

Grace recieved her Bachelors degree from University of California, San Diego and her Masters degree from the University of Washington. Her current research at UCI focuses on heat stress tolerances in intertidal mussels to understand how they may respond to environmental stressors and climate change.

Kristen Donald

Pacific Marine Mammal Center

Kristen has been involved with marine mammal research, education, husbandry, rehabilitation, rescue, and training for over 24 years. Her current research is focused on if there are health and developmental benefits to enrichment activities and items to rehabilitating seals and sea lions. She is also involved in a coastal bottlenose dolphin ID effort in Orange County.

Dr. Lei Lani Stelle

Professor of Biology, University of Redlands

Dr. Stelle is a professor of Biology at the University of Redlands, where she studies anthropogenic impacts on marine mammals in Southern California. With the assistance of students and volunteers, she studies and monitors the distribution, behaviors, and physiology of populations of all local cetacean and pinniped species. At the University of Redlands, she teaches courses in marine ecology, comparitive physiology, and GIS mapping.

2020 GIOS Scientists

Middle & High School Visiting Scientists

Middle School Conference: February 15, 2020

Dr. Abigail Cannon

PhD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Dr. Abigail Cannon completed her PhD studying tropical seagrass beds in the Smith Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her experience includes underwater research identifying algae and processing data.

Gabriella Berman
Volunteer Researcher, Bowman Lab, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Gabriella graduated in 2018 from the University of Montana with a BS in Biology. During her undergraduate Gabriella studied how animals adapt to live in extreme environments, and how animal behavior and the environment combine to produce fantastic ornamentation. More recently, she has been conducting postbaccalaureate research under Dr. Jeff Bowman studying polar microbial ecology. Gabriella has proposed a PhD project on community connectivity at whale falls in the deep sea.

Heidi Waite
PhD Student, Sorte Lab, University of California, Irvine

Heidi’s research focuses on understanding how climate change is affecting coastal intertidal ecosystems. Specifically, she is studying how intertidal mussels cope with increased temperatures across their life stages. Heidi is passionate about science outreach and fostering diversity in STEM.

Dr. Jenny Hofmeister
Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Dr. Jenny Hofmeister splits her time between invertebrate fishery management and endangered species restoration. She manages the California spiny lobster fishery, which involves collecting and analyzing fishery and population data to ensure the fishery is sustainable. In addition, Dr. Jenny works to restore abalone populations in Southern California and prevent one species, the white abalone, from going extinct. Dr. Jenny also studies how a major abalone predator, the octopus, moves through its’ environment and uses different habitats.

Dr. Kristen Sakamaki
Veterinarian, Pacific Marine Mammal Center

Dr. Kristen Sakamaki is the veterinarian at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, California. Many of their patients are California Sea Lions, Northern Elephant Seals and Pacific Harbor Seals. Dr. Kristen is responsible for assessing their health, nutrition and hydration on intake into the center, as well as performing any diagnostics and prescribing treatment. She also performs necropsies, sends out tissue samples for histopathology and collects tissue samples for research. Dr. Kristen’s greatest passion is taking animals on the brink of death, rehabilitating them and releasing them back to their ocean homes.

Dr. Regina Guazzo
Scientist, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

Dr. Regina Guazzo studies marine mammals for the U.S. Navy. Since whales spend most of their lives below water and produce sounds to communicate over long distances, Dr. Regina records underwater sound over long time periods to learn about whale behavior. She investigates how Navy activity, and natural changes in the environment such as background noise, storms and climate change, impact whale behavior.

Taylor Smith
Graduate Student, Shark Lab, California State University, Long Beach

Taylor is a graduate student studying the metabolism of Pacific Sleeper Sharks, a species that inhabits deep, cold waters in Alaska. Her research has taken her to Alaska where she utilizes respirometers to read the sharks’ oxygen consumption levels. Sleeper sharks have a lifespan of hundreds of years, and Taylor aims to better understand their health and metabolic rate to inform critical conservation efforts. Additionally, Taylor is a key member of both the lab’s Educational Outreach and Jaw Identification programs.

High School Conference: March 21, 2020

Angelina is an esteemed aquarist known as the “octopus whisperer” at the largest aquarium in Southern California, and the fourth largest in the nation. She has the important job of keeping the animals safe, happy and healthy.

Holly Lohuis
Marine Biologist and Educator, Ocean Futures Society

Holly has been a marine educator for over 25 years. She has worked with the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Ocean Futures Society and Island Packers. Acting as a liaison between the Ocean Futures Society and scientists, Holly has been diving the world’s oceans with Jean-Michel Cousteau and his team since 1996. One of her many responsibilities includes confirming the factual accuracy of Ocean Futures Society’s documentaries and publications. Holly is enthusiastic to share her personal story of ocean exploration, marine education and environmental advocacy.

Dr. Kristy Forsgren
Associate Professor, California State University, Fullerton (CSUF)

Dr. Kristy Forsgren is a reproductive physiologist and endocrinologist. She leads the Fish Reproductive Biology Lab at CSUF, to study rare, deep-sea, and internally fertilizing fishes. Dr. Kristy enjoys teaching, conducting research and participating in service activities.

Dr. Melinda Nicewonger
National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Dr. Melinda Nicewonger is an earth scientist with a focus on atmospheric chemistry and changes to atmospheric composition. She monitors the abundance and variability in ozone-depleting gases released to the atmosphere through natural climate processes: wildfires, the ocean, and plants and vegetation. Before her work at NOAA, Dr. Melinda took core samples from polar ice sheets, which contain tiny samples of the past atmosphere. With these samples, at the University of California, Irvine, she was able to reconstruct the levels of different gases in the atmosphere over the past 52,000 years, in order to understand the variability of wildfires through time.

Mo Wise
Wetland Scientist, Irvine Ranch Water District

Mo works in the Natural Treatment Systems Department at Irvine Ranch Water District. She helps treat urban runoff before it ends up in the Upper Newport Bay Marine Ecological Reserve, diverting urban runoff into manmade wetlands located throughout the Irvine region in the San Diego Creek watershed. Wetlands remove pollutants, bacteria and potentially harmful nutrients, which Mo monitors through water quality testing and ecological surveys.

Sachi Cunningham
Associate Professor, San Francisco State University (SFSU)

Sachi is a documentary filmmaker, surf photographer and multimedia journalism professor at SFSU. Her work in environmental filmmaking has spanned from filming a 350-pound blue fin tuna to big wave surfers. Sachi has been known to swim out into dangerous surf with her camera to make documentaries that can change the way people think about what is possible for themselves and others.

Sam Clements
Lab Manager and Staff Research Associate, Smith Lab, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Sam completed her MS research in the Smith Lab in 2015, where she studied the functional roles of herbivorous fishes on the coral reefs of Maui. In addition to her current role as the Smith Lab manager, Sam oversees the Scripps Ocean Acidity Real-time (SOAR) Monitoring Program. She also assists with a variety of projects, including the 100 Island Challenge, as a coral reef benthic scientist identifying coral, algae and other benthic invertebrates.