The pursuit of her passion for marine sciences has led senior Elise Koob far from her hometown of Scotia, New York. With funding from a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Abroad (SURF) from the University of New Hampshire, Elise traveled to Cleveland, Australia, to study the maturation, reproduction, and conservation of an important species of fish, golden trevally. Although Elise has always been interested in the research process, her SURF served as her introduction to the field of fisheries management research, which blends her major of marine and freshwater biology with her minor in environmental conservation. Elise found it rewarding to learn not only how to research the biological development of a species, but also how to convert that information into sustainable fishing practices. Graduating in May of 2011 with a Bachelor of Science, Elise plans to continue on to graduate school and pursue a career in fisheries science research.
Dr. Molly Lutcavage, currently Research Professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, served as Elise’s mentor during her time as Associate Research Professor on the University of New Hampshire faculty. Elise assisted with several projects in Dr. Lutcavage’s Large Pelagics Research Lab before approaching her with the idea of a SURF-Abroad. Dr. Lutcavage was essential to the formation of Elise’s project, advising Elise on her interests and goals and connecting Elise with her foreign mentor.
Dr. Lutcavage is glad to see Elise write about her work in Inquiry, and said: “Any writing that has feedback and potential for learning has got to be good. My dilemma in reviewing her Inquiry report was how much to edit and guide her to a more conventional science report. This might be one of very few science writing outlets where she has an opportunity to write without much restraint, and can include personal points of view about traveling and people.” Dr. Lutcavage advised Elise, however, to be as precise and quantitative as possible. “She has a lot of talent and will blossom as a scientist with good mentoring,” Dr. Lutcavage concluded.
Elise’s foreign mentor, Dr.Shane Griffiths, is a Research Scientist at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO), Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research, located in Cleveland, Australia. Dr. Griffiths specializes in recreational fisheries research as well as the population dynamics of pelagic fish and pelagic ecosystems. At an international symposium in California, Elise’s University of New Hampshire mentor, Dr. Molly Lutcavage, met Dr. Griffiths and asked him if he would be willing to mentor Elise in her summer research. Dr. Griffiths agreed, and said he “found it very rewarding” to assist Elise in the planning, completion, and presentation of her research. He was actively involved in the writing of Elise’s article.
Read Elise Koob’s article The Quest for Fisheries Sustainability: Age, Growth and Maturity of Golden Trevally (gnathanodon speciosus) in Australia >>
