Jay Vaughan grew up in New Jersey, where he was a professional BMX bicycle racer. He had dreams of going to the Olympics, but his hopes were dashed by a career ending crash into a Boy Scout lemonade stand. The Boy Scouts took away his honor badges and Eagle Scout status, leaving him lost and in despair. His sponsor, "Life is Good," abandoned him when he refused to race again without training wheels on the bike.

He moved to Florida in hopes of becoming a professional surfer. Instead, he landed his first job as a scuba diver on a south Florida golf course retrieving golf balls from alligator filled ponds. After a few close calls, he quit and pursued his undergrad degree at Florida Atlantic University. He selected FAU since he could set his class schedule around the tide charts for the best surfing. While on campus, he became president of the Laid Back Society, but they never held any meetings. While dining at Red Lobster with friends one night, he realized what had been missing from his life....shrimp! He landed an internship with world famous turtle expert Dr. Jeanette Wyneken, where he could peel shrimp day and night all summer long. He was promoted to technician when his talents surfaced for making fish and squid Jello for sea turtle food. This is when he knew that his future would involve turtles.

Jay left Florida for Corvallis, Oregon to study with world famous turtle-fish population biologist Dr. Selena Heppell at Oregon State University. He selected OSU for his Master's program because the mountain bike trails were far superior to those in Florida. Jay's office hours are from sometime to whenever, and his office is the green tent somewhere in the woods. Keep an eye out for a bouncy 4-legged boxer named Nico and you are probably getting close.

I am interested in the ecology and population dynamics of long-lived marine fishes, particularly through investigations and techniques that not only advance our understanding of a species, population, or community, but those which have direct relevance and application to improving conservation and management. My research has included studies of rockfish, sharks, and rays. Currently, I am examining the potential for naturally occurring elements deposited in the vertebrae of sharks and rays as they grow on their nursery grounds to distinguish their birth locations and am evaluating the potential for these markers to serve as tracers of movements, population connectivity, and critical nursery areas or habitat. Feel free to read about further details on this project and my past research.

I primarily study invasive species, especially their impacts on native ecosystems with the applications of several quantitative and qualitative modeling techniques such as loop analysis and Bayesian inference network. I worked on the interaction between the introduced bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) and native amphibians, and used Bayesian models to predict the potential affected habitats and habitats to be conserved. I am now involved  with a study on New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum), including their adaptation, spreading, and interaction with native species in Oregon.

More about Michael

Currently, I am pursuing my master's degree in Fisheries Science under the direction of Dr. Scott Heppell. My research examines the use of estuarine environments and settlement rates of larval and juvenile rockfish on the Oregon coast. My goal is to determine the spatial extent and timing of estuarine use by these species. Combined with several environmental variables, I hope to develop a rockfish recruitment index to aid in the management and conservation of these species. In addition to my fisheries sciences coursework, I am also pursuing a graduate certificate in marine resource management, in order to keep my research focus on science that is necessary for conservation work. I can be reached by e-mail at daublea (at) onid.orst.edu

Check out Ali's CV.

Broadly, I'm interested in wildlife conservation ecology, community-based conservation efforts, especially in Latin America. My project will look at sea turtle nesting population dynamics with a focus on ridley mass nesting aggregations (arribadas). I hope to address how best to balance nest survival and protection of sea turtle populations with the desire and potential for sustainable harvest of their eggs. I'm currently in my first year (2007) pursuing a Wildlife Science MS with Selina Heppell.

More about Melissa

My interests are currently focused on one aspect of reproductive failure of lake trout in the Laurentian Great Lakes, Thiamine Deficiency Complex (TDC). In the Great Lakes, lake trout eggs suffer from a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1). TDC results in fry mortality and is caused by adult female lake trout consuming prey fish with high levels of thiaminase, an enzyme that breaks down thiamine. I am identifying trophic pathways associated with high levels of thiaminase and potential sources of thiaminase in food webs. I am interested in determining the extent to which specific food web components are associated with high thiaminase activity and the degree to which the distribution of thiaminase in Great Lakes food webs is explained by trophic structure. The overarching goal is to use the results of this work to enhance lake trout restoration efforts.

I was born in the arctic north of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 'Eh. After subsisting for many years on whale blubber and Molsons (or was it Labatts?), I ventured west to dabble in Cariboo, 'Eh. Perfect. It should be noted here that Halifax has the largest kidney transplant facility in Canada, which I expect to put to good use later in life, 'Eh. Along the way I wept as Canadian hockey teams moved to the States and the Stanley Cup went to ice free places such as Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Carolina, 'Eh. I would be remiss here if I did not better explain my Cariboo dabbling. You see, I received some type of diploma from the University College of the Cariboo, 'Eh. Yes, Cariboo. No, not caribou. Contrary to popular belief, Canada does not spend much time educating their caribou. Now moose, that's a different story altogether...The school and diploma have something to do with Kamloops, B.C., but my mind fails me, 'Eh. Excuse me while I pop open a fresh Bradoor. Speaking of Kamloops, it was while I was dabbling in Cariboo that I fell in love with slime and scales, and realized that I HAD to pursue a life with fish, 'Eh. What better than salmon and steelhead in The Big (La Grande for those of you from Quebec). Numerous sunken screw traps, hours of breaking ice, and days at The Depot and I finally find myself in sunny Corvallis, Oregon under the guidance and leadership of Scott Heppell, PhD, 'Eh. It is here that I realize there is no greater glory than the study of Prosopium. I prefer them smoked, which may explain the absence of tags numbered 107-110, 'Eh. I am always looking for volunteers, those equipped with Big and Lil Chiefs are welcome. It has been a long but rewarding journey thus far, 'Eh. Remember, Halifax will always be there. Moosehead anyone? 'Eh.

I am a first year grad student with Selina Heppell and Michael Harte (MRM) as my advisors. I am interested in the identification and creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), including the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In addition, I would like to incorporate an educational outreach component into my studies, which would put the data gathering process and the creation of a MPA into an understandable form for K-12 students or the general public.

Heather entered the Marine Resource Management Master's program at Oregon State University in the fall of 2007 with the intention of working with marine reserve issues. She has been involved with the Oregon marine reserve process since then, through her work with her main advisor, Selina Heppell, and by working with the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). Heather assisted Dr. Heppell with the Sea Grant outreach meetings that reviewed the effects of temperate reef reserves, the organization and execution of the Oregon Marine Reserves Size and Spacing Workshop held by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) in April of 2008, and assisted with the preparation of the final Size and Spacing workshop report. For DLCD, Heather helps manage the Oregon Marine Reserves informational webpage.

From her involvement in these several different aspects of the Oregon marine reserve process, Heather has developed her thesis entitled: "A comparison of tropical and temperate marine reserves: implications for Oregon's marine reserve science." The ongoing process of establishing marine reserves in Oregon has many people questioning if and why marine reserves are necessary in Oregon and what their anticipated benefits might be. Specifically, coastal residents and stakeholders want to know what the scientific evidence is to support assertions that marine reserves in Oregon will increase biodiversity and biomass while protecting habitat, and result in numerous other expected benefits. The overall findings from her analysis aim to provide local scientists and managers with information to present to stakeholders and others with vested interest in the science behind marine reserves.

I am beginning a GRA in Marine Resource Management at Oregon State University. My interest is community based management and how it can be informed by collaborative research. I am currently working on a tagging study looking at the effects of barotrauma on gravid female rockfish out of Port Orford, OR, working with the fleet to collect information and tag specimens. Depending on tag returns, this study can give information on growth rate, survivability of BOFFFs, home ranges and migration, habitat preference, natural mortality, release methods, exploitation rate, and abundance. This information can then help form proposals on management strategies from the local level. From this study I hope to further the acceptability of cooperative research and advance local management along the Oregon coast in cooperation within the existing management framework.

Check out Suzanna's resume.

I'm interested in fish ecology, especially the role of fishes in marine ecosystems. Currently, I'm researching forage fishes around the Pribilof Islands in the eastern Bering Sea through at-sea sampling with mid-water trawls. My work is part of a larger ecosystem study on the Bering Sea where I'm collaborating with other researchers to understand the foraging patterns of marine mammals and seabirds around the Pribilof Islands. I plan to identify patches of forage fish by mapping biomass and energy content of the trawl catches which will then be compared to distributions of top predators. I'm pursuing a master's degree in Fisheries Science with Dr. Scott Heppell as my advisor.

Check out Luke's CV.

My first experience working with sea turtles was as an intern for ProCaguama in Baja California Sur, Mexico. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a BSc in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 2007, I worked in Uruguay on an international project between NOAA and the National Direction of Aquatic Resources (DINARA) of Uruguay. There, I collaborated with team of Uruguayan fishery biologists on various projects, including the evaluation of circle hooks in the Uruguayan pelagic longline fishery as a potential sea turtle bycatch reduction measure. I also had the opportunity to jointly coordinate the deployment of satellite transmitters on juvenile loggerheads captured as bycatch on some of Uruguay's commercial pelagic longline vessels. Currently, my research revolves around understanding the movements of loggerheads in the Southwestern Atlantic and their interaction with regional commercial fisheries and oceanographic variability. I am working towards a MSc with Dr. Selina Heppell as my advisor while continuing to collaborate strongly with Uruguayan scientists. Follow Uruguay's tracked turtles!

Check out Caren's CV.

I am currently an undergraduate student in OSU's biology department pursuing a BS with a marine biology option. I am an Oregon native and have spent a lot of time at the coast and out on the ocean fishing, diving, and all those great coastal activities. I have a very broad range of interests and am trying to narrow my focus. I have been working with the Heppells and various graduate students since Winter term '08.