Hometown: Washington, DC

Degree seeking: M.S., Fisheries, Juneau

Year of expected graduation: 2005

Major professor: Dr. Anthony Gharrett

Previous university: Long Island University

Previous major: Marine Biology
 

Briefly describe your graduate project: I am looking at outbreeding depression in hybrids of spatially separated populations of pink salmon. This project (R/31-06) is the continuation of work previously conducted, where hybrids were made of salmon from Auke Creek (near Juneau, Alaska) and Pillar Creek (near Kodiak, Alaska). I am looking at how the effects of outbreeding depression can increase after several generations, as well as what potential problems can result from it in terms of family size, reproductive success, and meristic traits and counts. If outbreeding depression occurs, there is the risk of losing the true genetic composition in a population of salmon if it were to become hybridized. Thus how outbreeding depression occurs and its impact on future generations is an important consideration in the management of fisheries and in the preservation of purely wild stocks.

Why did you choose UAF? I chose UAF because I had an incredible research experience during my undergraduate studies. During the summer of 1997 I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Kodiak on a chum salmon spawning habitat analysis. Besides this, throughout my undergraduate studies, I had several opportunities to travel to various places around the world and study some incredible organisms, but I found that I enjoyed my time in Alaska the best. I wanted to return to Alaska to study salmon, and UAF was the ideal school for that.

Favorite pastimes and hobbies: I enjoy hiking, fishing, berry picking and jam making, mushroom collecting, kayaking, and reading.

Most interesting educational experience so far: During my undergraduate work, I had some amazing opportunities to travel to places like Costa Rica, Tonga, northern Canada, and of course, Alaska. Since being in graduate school, however, my most interesting experiences so far have been working at the weir/hatchery in Auke Bay, helping to sort through all the different returning fish species, while collecting the samples needed for my project, as well as working on a juvenile flatfish project in the Bering Sea where we trawled for, collected, and sorted many different species of marine organisms.

Future plans: Eventually I would like to obtain a Ph.D. and work as a fisheries biologist, taking what I have learned during my research and applying it to the conservation and restoration of fish stocks, particularly salmon, in Alaska.

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