Seaspace Scholarship

The 2009 SEASPACE Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the scholarship competition. Eight college students were chosen to share in this year's scholarship fund. The Scholarship Committee is comprised of an all-volunteer group: Jesse Cancelmo (Chairman), Dwight Coles, Claudia Ludwig, Carolyn Peterson, Robyn Rhea, Jean Truax, Jim Ward, and Dick Zingula. The committee would like to thank all SEASPACE volunteers and participants who contribute to making this program a success.
Our 2009 scholarship recipients are:
Undergraduates
Megan Betteley is enrolled at Marietta College in Ohio where she majors in Biology. She is currently designing a research project to determine whether and to what extent, molecular protective protein levels will change algae that have been subjected to environmental stresses, namely temperature and pH.
Alexandra Tcaciuc has a perfect GPA as an undergraduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. Her interests are questioning how man-made chemicals interact with the ocean and decision-making for environmental contamination problems.

Graduates
Gabriella Ahmadia is pursuing her PhD in Coastal and Marine Systems Science at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. Her area of research is the ecology of coastal reef fishes, particularly the smaller (<50mm) fish that maintain a close association with the benthos. She seeks a better understanding of the ecological processes needed for effective management of coral reefs.
Rachel Clausing is working on her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of California at Los Angeles. She pursues an increased understanding of the impact human nutrients are having to California coastal marine communities in order to develop better strategies for resource protection.
Ami Krasner, a repeat SEASPACE Scholarship winner (2008), is pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. Her primary career goal is in marine mammal rehabilitation medicine. Ami has completed three internships. At Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce she conducted dolphin research; at the Fisheries and Wildlife Management Assistance in Arlington she worked on endangered mammal populations; and at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, CA she researched the effects of fishing interactions on the local pinniped populations.
Melissa Ann Ocana is a Wildlife Science major at Oregon State University. Her olive ridley turtle research project will help assess the health of this endangered population and provide scientific input to the discussion over sustainable harvest of the otherwise destroyed turtle eggs as a resource for the local community.
Paul Suprenand is pursuing a PhD in Marine Science at the University of South Florida. He is working to better understand the changes in ocean carbon chemistry (acidification) resulting from the increase in CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. Sampling will be done in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean.
Sarah Valencia is pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She is conducting research on the spawning behavior of red abalone to provide information that ultimately will allow fishermen to monitor and participate in the management of the fishery.