University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
2014
A Great Lakes transplant while a love for all things Alaska fisheries. After a couple semesters of fieldwork at the University of Michigan Biological Station, I took my passion for science and the outdoors to the Last Frontier and worked as a North Pacific Fisheries Observer for the better part of a decade. I've worked on commercial vessels in some of Alaska's largest fisheries and hope to contribute research to help management in the future.
I am working alongside other researchers at NOAA and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to develop Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIRS) models. FT-NIRS may offer managers and researchers a new tool to rapidly assess age, maturity and body condition of fish. Walleye Pollock and Pacific Cod reared at NOAA's Little Port Walter offer a time series to inform these FT-NIRS models. My research incorporates traditional otolith preparation techniques to daily age juvenile Pacific Cod. Comparing lab-reared fish to wild populations will help determine whether these spectroscopy models are suitable for use across different geographic regions. Incorporating additional environmental data into these models may additionally increase accuracy and robustness.