• Graduate Advisor: Prof. Roy Armstrong

• Area of Specialization: Bio-optical Oceanography and Remote Sensing

• Research Interest: Water quality/clarity characterization and estimation using bio-optical and remote sensing techniques

Growing up in coastal Southern California, I developed a natural affinity for the ocean at a young age. During my undergraduate career I was in charge of a Harmful Algal Bloom monitoring project for the Southern Coastal California Ocean Observing System as well as worked as a research diver for the university. After working on the project for over a year, I was invited by my advisor to join a research expedition to the Islands of Palau, using bio-optical and physical techniques to characterize water movement in a complex reef environment. This is where I was first introduced to the world of bio-optical oceanography and remote sensing and it fueled my interest in pursuing research in this direction. Upon return, I was accepted for a three month Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship program to work with Dr. Eric Hochberg at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science in his Coral Reef Ecology and Optics Laboratory where I worked on defining light use efficiencies of two species of coral in a flume setting using bio-optics. After graduating with a degree in Biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, I worked as a divemaster and shark handler on a shark diving and conservation boat until I moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands to work for The Nature Conservancy in their coral restoration and rehabilitation program. With the intention of returning to school to pursue a Masters degree, I was put in contact with Dr. Roy Armstrong who runs the Bio-optical Oceanography and Remote Sensing lab at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez where I am now currently a student. My research focus deals with improving our understanding of the drivers of water clarity of the Southwest coast of Puerto Rico and the specific biogeochemical properties that affect light attenuation to help improve retrievals of water quality using remote sensing in these optically clear waters.