Coastlines and Oceans Division Research Award

Past Awardees

• 2024
  • William Wied, from Campbell Global Change Biology Lab, to support the processing of samples associated with the final chapter of his dissertation. Processed samples will help in the understanding of the mechanisms behind fish-mediated nutrient delivery.
  • Treiana Zuill, a student from the Fourqurean Seagrass Ecosystems Research Lab, will travel to Bermuda for dissertation field research. She will work on developing restoration techniques for seagrass meadows which have been recently lost because of overgrazing.
  • Paula Pabon Quintero, a student in the Harborne Tropical Fish Ecology Lab, to support sample processing for her dissertation. She will be conducting DNA metabarcoding of fish stomach content to gain a better understanding of fish diets in the Florida Keys.
  • Keith Casey, from the Kiszka Marine Conservation Ecology Lab, will purchase hydromoths (underwater sound recorders) to monitor the movements and behavior of bottlenose dolphins in Biscayne Bay, as part of his dissertation research.
  • Nicolas Rivas, a student from the Santos Seascape Ecology Lab, to support fieldwork for his dissertation. He will be studying trait mediated indirect effects of parrotfish on Florida coral reefs.
  • Gina Badlowski, a student in the Santos Seascape Ecology Lab, to support travel to the World Seagrass Conference held in Naples, Italy in 2024. She will be presenting her work and helping co-organize a workshop.
  • Leah Cifers, a student in the Butler lab, will travel to the Florida Keys for her work on the factors that govern dispersal of Caribbean King crabs.
  • Jezebel Powers, is a PhD student in the Campbell Global Change Biology Lab, to analyze samples as part of her research on the role of herbivory in blue carbon stocks.
  • Michelle Caputo, a postdoctoral research associate at the Kiszka Marine Conservation Ecology Lab, will present her work at the Biennial Conference of Marine Mammals in Perth, Western Australia. Her presentation will focus on modeling habitat preferences of Bryde’s whales in the tropical waters of the western Indian Ocean.
  • Grace Obiyo, a student at the Kiszka Marine Conservation Ecology Laboratory, Her work will focus on quantifying emerging contaminants (PFAS) in small cetaceans harvested and used for human consumption in the Caribbean.
  • Aloyse Thais Abreu, from the Marine Community and Behavioral Ecology Lab, will investigate the in-water distribution and densities of sea turtles in East National Park, Dominican Republic.
  • Andre Briscoe, a student at the Eirin-Lopez Environmental Epigenetics lab, to investigate the role of nutrient pollution on coral reef thermal tolerance for his dissertation work in Puerto Rico.
  • Gabriela M. Ochoa, from the Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab, to deploy acoustic tags on predatory shark species in Belize, where she will investigate their movements and habitat use.
  • Erin Johnson, from the Marine Community and Behavioral Ecology Lab, to cover seagrass sample laboratory analyses. Her work aims at understanding the effect of herbivory on seagrass dynamics in St Joseph Bay, Florida.
• 2023
  • Michelle Caputo is a post‐doctoral researcher in Dr. Kiszka’s lab whose research focuses on studying the behavior and ecology of dwarf sperm whales off St. Vincent and the Grenadines using both acoustic and visual surveys. Her award will support travel costs related to field research.
  • Marianna Coppola is a PhD student in Dr. Santos’ Lab whose work focuses on using unmanned aerial vehicles to map seagrass habitats in the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay. Her award will support training in the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles and their application for environmental science.
  • Catherine Guinovart is a PhD student in Dr. McCartney’s lab who is employing a participatory ethnographic case study across five Maya communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico to how culturally relevant biology curricula affect science and cultural identity development in primary school students from Maya communities. Her award will support travel expenses related to field research.
  • Riley Hatch is a PhD student in Dr. Rodriguez‐Lanetty’s lab whose work focuses on studying changes in the bacterial microbiome of the Symbiotic microalgae of the family Symbiodiniaceae and of the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana under simultaneous hyperthermal conditions and heavy nutrient loading. This award will support the purchase of laboratory supplies and analysis of samples.
  • Leila Soledade Lemos is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Soares Quinete’s lab whose research focuses studying contaminant (PFAs) exposure, stress‐related hormone levels, and oxidative stress biomarkers in American manatees through analysis of fecal samples. This award will support fieldwork for sample collection, data gathering and analysis of samples.
  • Sarah Luongo is a PhD student in Dr. Papastamatiou’s lab who is conducting research to determine behavioral strategies used by dolphinfish to maintain high growth rates in an oligotrophic pelagic environment. She is using this award to pay for travel expenses associated with research on dolphinfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
  • Pedro Augusto da Silva Peres is a post‐doctoral researcher in Dr. Bracken‐Grissom’s lab who is conducting the first population genomic study exploring global connectivity of deep‐sea crustaceans and fish. He will use this award to present at the 10th International Crustacean Conference.
  • Sara Schoen is a PhD student in Dr. Harborne’s lab whose research focuses on monitoring the potential health risks of fish consumption from Florida waters to local fishers and to assess the contribution of different prey species to mercury concentrations found in Florida bull sharks. He will use this award for supplies and the analysis of samples.
  •  James Sturges is a PhD student in Dr. Rehage’s lab whose research focuses on evaluating fish movement, i.e., common snook and other consumers, patterns following Hurricane Ian using acoustic telemetry arrays. He will use this award to present at the Movement Ecology of Animals Gordon Research Conference.
  • Nick Tucker is a PhD student in Dr. Boswell’s lab whose research focuses on studying the environmental forces that mediate the distribution and frequency of permit spawning aggregations. He will use this award to purchase supplies needed to perform field research.
• 2022
  • Boya Paul Zhang is a PhD student in Dr. Wdowinski’s lab whose research focuses on 1) post‐Hurricane Irma mangrove recovery using remote‐sensing and machine learning techniques and 2) monitoring of surface water level changes in the Everglades through the development of a space‐based multi‐sensor monitoring system. He used award to present his research at the American Geophysical Union meeting.
  • Lainie Esch is a PhD student in Dr. Harborne’s Lab whose research focuses on using a species distribution model to predict the entire geographic potential of an invasive species
  • (Neopomacentrus cayanomos) in the Greater Caribbean and describe environmental conditions that may limit their distribution. She used this award to present her work at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) Conference.
  • Hannah Virgin is an undergraduate student in Dr. Whitman’s Lab, whose research focuses on the use of Hot‐Spotter for photo‐identification to monitor a protected population of green sea turtles. She used this award to travel to Eleuthera, Bahamas to work at the Cape Eleuthera Institute to conduct field work and engage in professional training associated with this research.
  • Jessica Quinlan, PhD student in Dr. Chapman’s lab, is conducting research that aims to improve shark fisheries management in developing nations, i.e., Belize, through the application of novel, cost‐effective methods for collecting species‐ and size‐specific catch data from shark fishers. She used this award to cover costs associated with attending the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) Conference.
  • Matt Woodstock is a PhD student in Dr. Zhang’s lab whose research is focused on the development ecosystem models for the oceanic Gulf of Mexico, with a specific emphasis on the mesopelagic zone (water column deeper 200–1,000m depth). He used this award to cover costs associated with virtually attending the 2022 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Ocean Sciences Meeting.
• 2021
  • Boya Paul Zhang, a student in Dr. Wdowinski’s lab, will present his research on post-Hurricane Irma mangrove recovery and monitoring of surface water level changes in the Everglades at the American Geophysical Union meeting.
  • Lainie Esch, a student in Dr. Harborne’s Lab, whose research focuses on using a species distribution model to predict the geographic potential of an invasive species in the Greater Caribbean will present her work at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) Conference.
  • Hannah Virgin, from Dr. Whitman’s Lab, researches the use of Hot-Spotter for photo-identification to monitor a protected population of green sea turtles. Will travel to Eleuthera, Bahamas to work at the Cape Eleuthera Institute to conduct field work.
  • Jessica Quinlan, a student in Dr. Chapman’s lab, is conducting research that aims to improve shark fisheries management in developing nations by utilizing cost-effective methods for collecting species- and size-specific catch data from shark fishers. 
  • Matt Woodstock, from Dr. Zhang’s lab, to support research focused on the development ecosystem models for the oceanic Gulf of Mexico, with a specific emphasis on the mesopelagic zone.
• 2020
  • Serena Hackerott, a graduate student at the Eirin-Lopez Lab for Environmental Epigenetics researching coral epigenetic modifications and their connection with the performance of two important reef-building species in the Caribbean. Her acquisition of the Center for Coastal Oceans Research (CCOR) Travel Award allowed for a sample collection trip in Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands, to characterize environmental conditions, coral performance, and coral epigenetic modifications during the winter and dry season periods.

  • Benjamin Binder, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Boswell Lab for Marine Ecology and Acoustics whose research focuses on hydroacoustic survey techniques. Ben’s dissertation primarily focuses on FSA monitoring and the biotic and abiotic factors that influence their occurrence. He will use this award to present his research at the Annual Southeast Acoustics Consortium (SEAC) meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida.

  • Drew Butkowski, a Ph.D. student at the Harborne Lab for Tropical Fish Ecology researching the synergistic effects of loss of reef structure, seagrass patch quality, and seagrass extent on reef fish while also facilitating predictions about future seascape scenarios to guide management efforts. Drew’s abstract was accepted by the 14th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS). This award allowed him to attend and present his work from his first dissertation chapter on the foraging and distribution of grunts in the Florida Keys, and explores the influence of seascape context and habitat quality on reef fish foraging across a seascape. 

  • Cody Eggenberger, a Ph.D. student at the Coastal Fish & Fisheries Ecology Lab researching habitat utilization of recreational fish species in northern Florida Bay mangrove lakes. The award allowed him to attend the Primer/PERMANOVA workshop in Gainesville, FL providing him with hands-on training with his data relating environmental conditions to prey fish community assemblages in the coastal Everglades

  • Kathryn Flowers, now a Postdoctoral Fellow in Ray Biology and Conservation at the Mote Marine Laboratory. During the disbursement of the award she was a member of the Chapman-Papastamatiou Laboratory for Predator Ecology & Conservation and studied the role sharks play in driving southern stingray behavior and habitat use in Belize. The Division of Coastlines and Oceans travel award funds allowed her to perform fieldwork that would complete the data collection phase of her research which contributed to several publications.

  • Allison White, a PhD Student in Dr. Kevin Boswell’s Fisheries Ecology and Acoustics Lab researching the application of active acoustic methods to provide population size and distribution data on reef fishes in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. She utilized her travel funding to participate in the Southeast Regional Acoustics Consortium (SEAC) conference in St. Petersburg, FL. 

• 2019
  • Camila Caceras, a student in the Heithaus lab, will present her research on elasmobranch exploitation in artisanal fisheries at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Snowbird, Utah.
  • Lainie Esch, from the Harborne lab, will travel to the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America in Orldano, FL to research the threats posed by the aquarium trade for introducing non-native fish to Florida's reefs.
  • Carissa Gervasi, a student in the Rehage lab, to present her work on acoustic tagging and tracking of Crevalle Jack at the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation meeting in Mobile AL.
  • Serena Hackerott, from the Eirin-Lopez lab, to support for field research in Bonaire on epigenetic modifications in corals caused by environmental conditions.
  • Jordan Massie, a student in the Rehage lab, to present his talk "Meeting in the Middle: Resource Tracking of Freshwater Prey Subsidies by an Estuarine Consumer, Common Snook in the Florida Everglades" at the Joint Conference of the American Fisheries Society and the Wildlife Society in Reno, NV.
  • Valeria Paz, from the Heithaus lab, to present a talk based on her dissertation research entitles "Investigating the Habitat Use of Coastal Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Response to a Major Hurricane" at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona.
  • Bradley Strickland, from the Heithaus lab, to the attend the  Ecological Society of America’s annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky and present his dissertation research on predicting how animals respond to extreme weather events based on a study of the responses of juvenile bull sharks to a coldsnap in 2010 and Hurricane Irma in 2017.
  • Serena Hackerott, a PhD student in Dr. Eirin-Lopez' lab, to study the application of environmental epigenetic approaches to improve coral reef conservation in Bonaire.
  • Courtney Knauer, a PhD student in Dr. Heithaus' lab, to investigate the behavioral ecology of hawksbill turtles in Madagascar.
  • Sarah Luongo, a PhD student in Dr. Papastamatiou's lab, to study the energetics of Nassau grouper in Cape Eleuthra, the Bahamas.
  • Jessica Quinlan, a PhD student in Dr. Chapman's lab, to study the population structure and habitat use by sharks in Belize.
  • Dr. Lorian Schweikert, a postdoc in Dr. Bracken-Grissom's lab, to support a project investigating the link between skin photosensitivity and dynamic camouflage in hogfish at the Keys Marine Lab.
  • Maurits van Zinnicq Bergmann, a PhD student in Dr. Papastamatiou's lab, to investigate the habitat and space use of sharks in Bimini, the Bahamas.
  • Dr. Elizabeth Whitman, a postdoc in the Heithaus lab, to present the talk "Large grazer foraging habitat use and resource selection is affected by the invasive seagrass, Halophila stipulacea, in the French West Indies" at the 2019 ASLO meeting in Puerto Rica.
• 2018
  • Dr. Jeremy Kiszka will be traveling to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to work on a new project on the ecology and conservation of whales.

  • Dr. Ligia Collado-Vides will be traveling to Belize to represent FIU on the board of the Association of Marine Labs of the Caribbean.

  • Dr. Camilo Roa, a post-doc in the Boswell lab, will be attending the upcoming meeting of the American Fisheries Society to resent his paper "Taxonomical classification of reef fish based on a swim bladder BEM modeling and Bayesian estimator".

  • Jimmy Kilfoil, a PhD student in the Zhang lab, will also attend the AFS conference to present his paper: "Validating the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to study the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) in the Bahamas".

  • Maurits van Zinnicq Bergmann, a PhD student in the  will be traveling to the Bahamas to continue his dissertation research using a spatial array of acoustic receivers to study movements and habitat use by tagged sharks.

  • Virginia Fourqurean, a PhD student in the Heithaus lab, will travel to Madagascar to begin her dissertation research studying the interactions of whale sharks, manta rays, and baleen whales.

  • Camila Caceras, a PhD student in the Heithaus lab, will present a part of her dissertation research focused on quantifying the magnitude of elasmobranch exploitation and bycatch in artisanal fisheries in various regions of the Caribbean at the III Sharks International conference in João Pessoa, Brazil.

  • Tom Frankovich, CCOR Research Faculty, to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands to collect diatoms that live on the skin of three species of sea turtle.

  • Lowell Iporac, PhD student in Dr. Collado-Vides' lab, to attend the specialty course in Invertebrate Zoology at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.

  • Jorge Perez-Moreno, PhD student in Dr. Bracken-Grissom's lab, to present his dissertation work at the 9th International Crustacean Conference in Washington, D.C.

  • Danielle DeLeo, Postdoc in Dr. Bracken-Grissom's lab, to present her dissertation work at the 9th International Crustacean Conference in Washington, D.C.
• 2017
  • Laura Timm, PhD student in Dr. Bracken-Grissom's lab, to travel to the Crustacean Society’s Mid-Year Conference (TCS) in Barcelona, Spain.

  • Kevin Boswell to go to the GEER meeting in Coral Springs.

  • Jason Howard, in Dr. Fourqurean's lab to go to the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation's fall meeting in Providence, RI.

  • Collado-Vides to attend the Association of Marine Labs of the Caribbean meeting in Mexico.

  • Alain Duran from Dr. Collado-Vides' lab to attend the AMLC meeting in Mexico.

  • Lowell Iporac from Dr. Collado-Vides' lab to attend the AMLC meeting in Mexico.

  • Jimmy Kilfoil from Dr. Zhang's lab to attend American Fisheries Society Meeting in Tampa.

  • Jeremy Kiszka to attend the 22nd Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in Halifax Nova Scotia.

  • Bradley Strickland from Dr. Heithaus' lab to attend the GEER meeting.

  • Courtney Knauer from Dr. Heithaus' lab to go to Madagascar for a month-long research trip.