Summer Scholars

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Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP) facilitates educational experiences to raise awareness and enjoyment of the Marine Garden at the iconic landmark on Cannon Beach. HRAP is also a member of the interagency team developing a site management plan for the newly-designated Chapman Point Marine Garden at the north end of Cannon Beach. Jonathan will aid that effort by contributing to a human dimensions study on visitation and awareness of the rules, regulations, and goals of the Marine Garden designation.

Jonathan completed his Associate of Arts at Portland Community College (PCC) and is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science & Management (ESM) at Portland State University (PSU). He plans to complete that within the year (2025). His favorite course at PCC was Freshwater Habitats (BIO); at PSU, his favorite course was Applied Watershed Restoration (ESM) with Ecology and Management of Fire (ESM/GEOG) deserving a notable mention. All of those were heavy on fieldwork, which is what he enjoys most in the discipline of ESM.

For a few years before returning to college, Jonathan canvassed for Bark, the local nonprofit which has advocated and defended the social and ecological benefits of Mt. Hood National Forest for decades. That experience nourished his interests in social ecology, citizen science, collaborative governance, and applying the precautionary principle in ESM. Greg Bourget, who started Bark's canvass team, had refocused on industrial air-pollution with the local nonprofit Portland Clean Air, and he asked Jonathan to analyze ODOT and OR-DMV data for an estimate of diesel-fleet emissions in the Portland Metro area. Jonathan's focus on urban toxicity deepened when he served as the computer lead on a summer team, guided by Dr. Linda George (PSU-ESM), supporting community partners with research on the impacts of e-commerce distribution centers on proximal communities. Most recently, he has focused on hydrosocial stories, collaborating with a team on Water & Society research for a Build & Broaden scholarship, guided by Dr. Alida Cantor (PSU-GEOG) and other mentors.

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I have been placed with the MidCoast Watersheds Council (MCWC) in Newport, Oregon to assist in fisheries and beaver based restoration efforts. I will be collecting field data pertaining to beaver activity in central Oregon's coastal watershed and synopsizing survey information using maps. Within this role, I am excited to learn more about beavers' role as ecosystem engineers in watersheds, communicate survey findings, and connect with partners from a variety of agencies, including local, state, federal, and Tribal organizations.

I am a senior studying Environmental Science with a minor in Spanish and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Washington University. Before attending WWU, I completed an associate of biology alongside my high school diploma through Washington State’s Running Start program. I was accepted to WWU as a Marine Science Distinguished Scholar, so I spent my first week of university at Shannon Point Marine Center learning about methodologies in marine science. I have since adopted assistant research roles in a marine ecology lab addressing the invasive European green crab’s threat to native eelgrass and benthic macroinvertebrate communities on the Pacific Coast as well as in the Environmental Hydrodynamics Lab processing GNSS data from drifting buoys to estimate water velocity around the Swinomish clam garden in La Conner, Washington.

As our coasts struggle globally to adapt to a changing climate and loss of ecosystem services, I am inclined to study estuarine processes, blue carbon sinks, and habitat restoration in the context of anthropogenic forcing. Because I grew up in rural inland, I am especially interested in the ways that agricultural activity impacts coastal and marine systems. Professionally, it is my utmost aspiration to catalyze restoration efforts and confrontation of extractive practices harming biodiversity and human health through research as well as collaborate broadly to advocate for culturally conscious and socially just solutions.

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I will be working as an Oregon Coastal and Ocean Information Network intern with the Oregon Summer Scholars program! At this internship I will be improving the Coastal Researcher Explorer infrastructure, developing comprehensive educational outreach material, and engaging with diverse stakeholders through various avenues of communication. Through this internship I plan on improving expanding my skillset by expanding my experience with ArcGIS and other modes of creative design outlets to enhance data communication.

I am currently a 4th year Sustainability major at San Diego State University graduating in Spring 2026. My interdisciplinary education has offered me the ability to engage in critical discussions about conservation policy, water resource management, and create cohesive narratives out of complex data. After graduation, I plan on pursuing a masters degree in coastal management and policy to help develop practical solutions to protect critical coastal wetland habitats.

As a Latina of Isthmus Zapotec descent, I am passionate about promoting marine conservation and coastal restoration opportunities for Latine and Indigenous youth. I believe that today’s most pressing environmental and social challenges require the development of policies and management practices that prioritize conservation efforts and center Indigenous stewardship. One way to address these issues is through participatory science, which involves increasing awareness and access to community science opportunities. In my career, I plan to prioritize community outreach as a key component of these efforts.

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Madeline Young will be working with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service to evaluate individual tagging and tissue sampling methods for broodstock Pacific oysters as a part of the ongoing Pacific Oyster Genomic Selection project.

I will graduate from Western Washington University in the Spring of 2025 with a B.S. in Marine and Coastal Science. Marine biology has always been my main focus throughout my education, but I am grateful to have received an interdisciplinary background to marine science through this program. I feel this background has added to my perspective as a scientist, and helped me to approach problems from multiple angles. Throughout my final year of undergrad, I worked on a capstone research project utilizing low-coverage whole genome sequencing to characterize Salish Sea intertidal invertebrate population connectivity to better predictions of how these populations will respond to sea level rise.

I am primarily interested in marine invertebrate biology and genomics. My undergraduate research experience has inspired me to focus on ecological applications of marine invertebrate genomics, and I am passionate about adding to our understanding of intertidal ecosystems. I am excited to learn more about the processes of genomic selection and aquaculture in helping to preserve vulnerable species, and I hope that this opportunity will help me to gain new skills as I pursue graduate school and future marine invertebrate research.

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This summer, I will be working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)’s Water Program team. I will assist in conducting electrofishing removal surveys and identifying areas of cold water refugia. Through this experience, I hope to make meaningful contributions to these local conservation projects and gain more hands-on fieldwork skills working with native species. I also aim to be able to gain more insight about the processes involved in environmental management and the protection of vulnerable species.

I am an upcoming graduate at California State University, Sacramento. I will be receiving my bachelor’s Environmental Studies and am also a member of the Evolutionary Ecology of Fishes Laboratory, where I assist with research on the reproductive biology of freshwater fishes. Through this lab, I have conducted various research projects in Costa Rica focusing on breeding cichlid populations in their natural habitats. This experience has greatly enhanced my understanding of parental behaviors and reproductive strategies in cichlid fishes, as well as how these species interact with their environment.

My professional and research goals are focused primarily on conservation of aquatic ecosystems and freshwater fish. In particular, I am interested in monitoring ecosystem and population health, studying the ways in which environmental changes such as habitat loss or climate change impact aquatic species. As I develop both my professional and academic interests, I aim to continue working in research or collaborate with state organizations on conservation efforts to protect these vital ecosystems.

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My Summer Scholar position is with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Shellfish and Estuarine Assessment of Coastal Oregon (SEACOR) project. As a part of the SEACOR team, I will conduct a study of shellfish populations and estuarine habitats in Yaquina Bay.

I will be graduating in the spring of 2025 with a B.S. in Environmental Science with a focus in Applied Ecology and a Certificate in Geographic Information Science. My studies have primarily focused on the intersection of ecology and geospatial data. Outside of the classroom, I have held positions doing wildlife rehabilitation and aquatic ecosystem monitoring.

I plan to take a gap year before pursuing a graduate degree in the field of ecology. I'm not sure exactly what I plan to study, but I hope to take this time to gain experience and knowledge regarding various ecological subjects. My current interests include marine invertebrates, riparian vegetation and coastal systems.

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I will be working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) Cleanup Program on the implementation of the Moore Wright Island Natural Area Sediment Cleanup project along the Columbia Slough in Portland, Oregon. I look forward to being involved with field tasks, data analysis, and community outreach about the project. I am excited for the opportunity to both conduct and communicate cleanup efforts to create a safer environment for Portland residents!

I graduated from Hawai'i Pacific University (HPU) in 2024 with a B.S. Environmental Science. While I was in school, I worked part-time at the HPU Center for Marine Debris Research, using analytical chemistry to study plastic pollution in the environment. My senior capstone project was an interdisciplinary study on where waste ends up on the island of O'ahu, both in the landfill and as debris on the beach. I had the incredible opportunity to present my capstone work at the MICRO conference in Lanzarote, Spain in September 2024.

I am still figuring things out, and I am learning to be okay with that! I have spent the last 4 years studying plastic in the environment, quantifying it in environmental matrices and analyzing how it degrades over time. It is something I continue to be passionate about, especially as there is growing public interest in micro and nanoplastics. This summer I look forward to trying something new and exploring career opportunities in the government sector in environmental cleanup!

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As a fellow with Oregon Coastal and Ocean Information Network, I will advance the mission of promoting long-term collaboration among policymakers, managers, and researchers involved in coastal and marine projects. As I aid in expanding this network, I am excited to learn about the diverse perspectives of these different stakeholders on research topics I am aware of, have had personal experiences related to, and am learning about for the first time. I also look forward to building upon pre-existing technical skills related to outreach and engagement, including skills related to ArcGIS and creative web design.

I am a senior at Oregon State University pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Science in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University. I have been honored to work directly with academic scientists, agency managers, and community members in the marine and coastal sciences in Florida and Oregon as an undergraduate at New College of Florida, followed by Oregon State University. Collaborating with these incredible individuals has opened my eyes to the wide range of possibilities within marine and coastal conservation and to the similarities and differences in how conservation efforts are completed in each state. While focusing on marine mammal conservation in Florida, my time in Oregon has increasingly become more focused on the social sciences of marine conservation. For example, my current undergraduate honors thesis and major-specific internships have focused heavily on the stewardship of local communities of Oregon’s coastal and marine ecosystems and the upward and downward accountability with governmental agencies to enable this behavior. Collectively, my passion for marine mammal conservation and community outreach and engagement has inspired me to pursue a degree at Oregon State University in the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences program that combines and expands my knowledge in and experiences with these two interests.

My professional and research interests are focused on incorporating the needs of community members, coexisting marine wildlife, and the surrounding marine and coastal ecosystem into conservation decisions. My current research on the Oregon marine reserve system, as well as the conservation of beloved marine megafauna, has touched heavily on the social sciences - particularly in recognizing important factors such as the pre-existing use (extractive and non-extractive) of local communities relative to the marine and coastal ecosystems and wildlife, and incorporating this information into conservation decisions. I am also passionate about navigating the diverse opinions, beliefs, and perspectives surrounding marine ecosystems and marine mammal conservation, and discovering ways that strengthen an interdisciplinary network that collaborates on new and innovative conservation decisions and initiatives.

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Catelyn is a 2025 Summer Scholar for the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (SSNERR). Her role centers around leading educational science day camps, participating in estuarine fieldwork, and contributing data to better understand how sea level rise affects tidal marsh habitats.

Last year, Catelyn graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Arts degree in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. She also minored in Communication Studies, combining these two degrees in order to concentrate her educational goals around environmental conservation through science and communication. During her undergraduate career, she studied abroad in Australia to analyze the effectiveness and political viability of drumlines as a method of shark control in the Great Barrier Reef. She also studied two species of blind catfish that live in Edward's Aquifer, participated in marine science labs in Corpus Christi, Texas, and acted as President of a service organization for animals through her university. Since graduating, she has continued to learn and work towards her passion for conservation by working with the San Antonio Zoo's Center for Conservation and Research.

Catelyn has long since been interested in marine science, which has bloomed throughout the years into a general drive to pursue a career in environmental conservation and earn a higher degree in marine biology. Throughout her education, science has always been the most fascinating. Her main research interests center around animal behavior, predator-prey relationships, ecology, and anthropogenic pressures on marine ecosystems. In working as a youth tennis instructor for the past six years, Catelyn realized an additional passion of working with children and now strives to include youth science/conservation education into her long-term career.

2024 Sea Grant Summer Scholars 

• Arianna Arellano
• Destiny Coleman
• Linnea Gebauer
• Rana Almassmoum
• Samantha Dillard
• Isaac Olson

2023 Sea Grant Summer Scholars 

• Walter Avila
• Maia Norton
• Sadie Horner
• Russell Van Duyne
• Taylor Cockrell
• Aiden Rooney
• Lauren Rice
• Genie Springer
• Tate Scarpaci
• Caroline Rice
• Sof Fox
• Connor Gonzales
• Louli Ziels

2022 Sea Grant Summer Scholars 

• Alex Ang
• Brook Ashcraft
• Emma Chesley
• Jaime Gutierrez
• Matthew Jack
• Lauren Rice
• Chance Rueppel
• Sophie Truempi
• Louli Ziels
• April Jordan
• Armand Martinez
• Star Campos Garcia

2021 Sea Grant Summer Scholars 

• Joshua Fackrell
• Charlotte Klein
• Phoenix McFarlane
• Lisette Perez
• Jessica French
• Andrea Vega
• Amishi Singh
• Grace Roa
• Mikayla Reuter
• Yalin Li
• Lucas Parvin