Meet our current MRM-ers!
Ana Sofia Barrera
barranas@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Kirsten Grorud-Colvert
marine protected areas • conservation • coastal communities
Originally from Mexico City, I got my undergraduate degree in General Biology and Marine Science at UC San Diego. Although Mexico City is far from the ocean, I grew up visiting the Pacific coast very often. As such, I became extremely fond of the cultural and social practices surrounding my country's coastline. This fondness ties into my current research, which involves looking at the intersections between community and environmental well-being throughout coastal Mexico through the lens of area-based management. My long-term goal is to return home and work in marine conservation to develop and implement sustainable practices in collaboration with local communities.
Joellen Callahan
callajoe@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Michael Harte
co-production • human dimensions • environmental justice
I grew up on the East Coast, spending my childhood in North Carolina and attending college in Florida. I earned my B.S in Environmental Science at the University of Tampa, where I studied the environmentalist identity in Northern Ghana through the honor’s program. I also have experience working as a field technician for an environmental consulting group, studying listed and endemic species across multiple habitats in Florida. My thesis research explores the integration of local knowledge into climate resilience and its implications and perception of community residents for the remote island nation of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. My professional goal is to work within the participatory research paradigm alongside Island states.
Danae Deitrich
deitricd@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Sam Chan
invasive species • science communication • policy
Originally from Las Vegas, I grew up with a passion for protecting our ecosystems. I moved to Oregon in 2019 and received my B.S. from the University of Oregon in Marine Biology and Environmental Studies. I later worked as a water quality intern at the South Slough National Estuary Research Reserve which led me to MRM. My current research will focus on invasive species and the interconnections with people, policy, and sustainability. After grad school, my goal is to work toward practical applications of scientific research in public spaces.
Alicia Ellingson
ellingal@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Ford Evans
red seaweed • sustainable aquaculture • marine industry
Growing up in the mountains of Southern California and exploring the coastline during my undergraduate years, I’ve long been fascinated by the link between land and sea. Following graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I've lived and worked in coastal fishing towns throughout the West Coast, from which I've developed a passion for seaweed and shellfish aquaculture, both on-land and offshore. Developing sustainable farming practices to promote resilient coastal communities and marine ecosystems marks the heart of my research. Specifically, I’m experimenting with on-land cultivation methods for Pacific Dulse, a protein-rich seaweed grown on the Oregon coast and elsewhere. Throughout this work and thereafter, I am committed to strengthening relationships between farmers, researchers, and communities, ensuring all members feel valued in voicing their challenges, as these insights are critical to shaping effective and relevant solutions.
Emily Hicks
morrowe@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Tracy Crews
invasive species • aquaculture • oysters • biosecurity
I am studying the perceptions held by consumers and growers towards the invasive mud blister worm (Polydora spp.) in PNW estuaries. I'm also working on projects with Oregon Sea Grant on the impacts of a herpes virus on Oregon aquaculture, as well as national campus biosecurity policies. After graduation, I hope to continue working on campus biosecurity, as well as with oysters and invasive species. I live in Veneta, OR with my life partner, daughter, and cats. In my free time, I enjoy bicycling, hiking, reading scifi and fantasy, quilting, knitting, and baking.
Alexandra Kaminski
kaminsal@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Kelsey Emard
aquaculture • food sovereignty • livelihoods
Originally from Connecticut, I received my bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology with a minor in Marine Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. My undergraduate research focused on food sovereignty in relation to climate adaptation in coastal Fijian communities. This interest in food systems coupled with a love for the ocean motivated me to pursue a graduate degree. A desire to combine community-based sociological research with sustainable ocean systems brought me to the MRM program. My research focuses on the potential for implementing a biodiversity credit system to support Oregon’s aquaculture industry. I hope to improve the livelihoods of coastal communities through investigation of novel financial streams that value the ecosystem services provided by aquaculture.
Avery Kruger
krugerav@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Megan Jones
human dimensions • ecology • science communication
I grew up in Colorado and attended Colorado State University, where I earned a B.S. in Psychology. During my undergraduate studies, I explored many different career paths from fishery science to marine biology, but I was always interested in understanding people. After graduating, I interned in Florida, where I taught marine education and dove with the Reef Marine Education Foundation. There, I decided I couldn’t stop being fascinated by the ocean and wanted to combine my interests. My thesis research explores the roles of storytelling in advancing marine conservation and policy. My professional goal is to work in marine conservation while continuing to bridge the gaps between science and society.
Alexis Merker
merkera@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Jenny Engels
experiential learning • community engagement • marine and coastal stewardship
Born and raised in California, my connection to the ocean started at a young age. I kept my love for the sea while completing my undergraduate degree, spending time in Texas, Florida, and Oregon. In 2025, I received my B.S. with honors in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences from Oregon State University. Various experiences as an undergraduate, from my honors thesis to multiple internships, exposed me to the diverse connections that local communities have to marine and coastal conservation. As an MRM student, my thesis will focus on co-creating a new experiential learning course at the UNESCO Cascade Head Biosphere Region. My long-term goal is to foster opportunities for community-driven conservation practices that account for the needs of communities and the environment.
Samantha Schlegel
schlegsa@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Scott Heppell
coastal ecology • fisheries • anthropogenic change
Throughout my life, I have learned that it is important to me to apply science in a way that makes a positive difference in society. My experiences as an undergraduate at the University of Tampa, an intern at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) studying heavy metal impacts on Eastern oysters, and as a research technician in a USGS deep-sea lab have informed the kind of difference I want to make through science. My passion lies at the intersection of the coast and the people that that rely on it. My MRM research focuses on how fish communities in Yaquina Bay, Oregon have changed temporally and spatially in response to anthropogenic stressors. My long-term goal is to be a coastal marine ecologist who improves the health of both human and ecological communities through restoration, monitoring, and sustainable resource management.
J. Finn Schwartz
schwarfi@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Chris Janousek
estuaries • carbon sequestration • restoration
Despite being raised in San Diego, I didn't develop an affinity for marine ecosystems until halfway through my undergrad program at UC San Diego, when I conducted research quantifying carbon stock in a nearby salt marsh. From there, I have been perennially drawn to estuaries, including serving with the Peace Corps in the Philippines where I helped survey coastal ecosystems, develop management plans, and engage local communities in conservation. As my community work deepened, I dreamed of combining my community work with my undergrad focus on carbon, leading me to my current research interest in community-focused restoration of estuaries with an emphasis on carbon sequestration. My long-term goal is to work on coastal restoration projects throughout the west coast.
Adam Shokes
shokesa@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Sam Chan
aquaculture • urchins • red seaweed
Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, I earned a B.S. in Packaging Science at Clemson University, aiming toward the goal of helping to reduce plastic waste output. After realizing I wanted to pursue research that had more direct implications for the ocean, I came to the Marine Resource Management Program, where I’m conducting research on the implications of feeding frequency and water temperature on the growth and feeding habits of Pacific purple sea urchins. I'm excited expand my understanding of how food availability and temperatures affect urchin growth in an aquaculture setting, along with possible ecological implications, with an eye to pursuing further education and a future career in applied marine research.
Mariah Smith
smithm68@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Kelsey Emard
marine protected areas • co-management • underwater cultural heritage
My love for the ocean wasn’t born from growing up near it. I was raised in Boise, Idaho, surrounded by mountains and farmland, but I like to think my fascination with the sea is rooted in my Bahamian heritage. Sparked at age nine and deepened through travel and a degree in Spanish Language and Literature, my path eventually led me to scuba diving and work with marine conservation NGOs. Teaching and working with these organizations in remote parts of the world revealed both the beauty of restoration work and the injustices faced by local, often marginalized, communities excluded from ocean management. These experiences now inform my research on the social and cultural dimensions of decision-making in Cahuita National Park, where I examine how the integration of underwater cultural heritage into marine protected area management is shaped by the historical, political, and institutional dynamics of a historically Afro-descendant community in Costa Rica, with particular attention to decision-making, equity, and community agency.
Savana Stallsmith
stallsms@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Maria Kavanaugh
ecosystem monitoring • artificial intelligence • phytoplankton • conservation
Before diving into AI and ocean monitoring, I tested solar cell and panel performance, worked in semiconductor development, and evaluated water filtration systems. Originally from Indiana, I moved to the Pacific Northwest after high school and worked in engineering before deciding to study the ocean directly with a B.S. in Oceanography at Oregon State. My MRM research focuses on AI that classifies phytoplankton from Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) images in a NOAA MBON pipeline in the Northern California Current. Specifically, I estimate when those classifications are uncertain, so the model's least confident calls are flagged for human review before they reach the ecosystem indicators used in fisheries and conservation management. I'm interested in creating transparent ocean monitoring systems that share the good, the bad, and the uncertain with equal clarity.
Taylor Wood
woodtay@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Maria Kavanaugh
conservation • harmful algal blooms • cooperative fisheries
I’m originally from Chicago but moved to the Oregon coast after graduating from Oklahoma State University with a B.S. in Zoology. I’ve worked throughout Oregon studying marine ecology and specializing in environmental education and science communication. My work with the central coast conservation community led me to the MRM program, where I am studying the presence of harmful algal blooms off the Oregon coast through collaboration with a cooperative fisheries research network. My goal is to work at the intersection of ecological research and marine conservation, while focusing on integrating local communities into the adaptive management process. I also explore my love of the marine environment through surfing and creating ocean-inspired art.
Samuel Yevak
yevaks@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Jessica Miller
salmon • otolith microchemistry • fisheries
My background in aquatic ecology began in Colorado, where I earned a B.S. at the University of Colorado Boulder and worked as an alpine limnologist with the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research network. Now pursuing my MRM at Oregon State University, I study Oregon Coast coho salmon and how freshwater habitat use influences salmon survival. My thesis uses otolith microchemistry to reconstruct early-life habitat histories in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Life Cycle Monitoring program, with the goal of improving understanding of survival estimates used in fisheries management. Beyond my research, I co-coordinate Salmon Bowl, a high school ocean science competition, and enjoy recreational fishing and whitewater rafting. Long term, I hope to conduct applied fisheries research that bridges ecological science and resource management to support fisheries conservation at state and federal levels.
Wyn Zenni
zenniw@oregonstate.edu
Advisor: Kirsten Grorud-Colvert
conservation • climate change • coastal communities
Originally from East Tennessee, I got my B.A. in Environmental Studies with concentrations in biology and geography from Vassar College. It wasn't until I studied abroad in Tanzania and explored the socio-ecological impacts of a local marine reserve that I realized my passion for marine conservation. After graduating, I worked at the U.S. EPA on participatory science, environmental justice, and toxic chemical regulations. Although my work there was meaningful, my interest in protecting marine species and expanding community-led initiatives only grew. Now that I'm at OSU, I'm excited to explore how countries and communities can work together to protect marine species in international waters, especially in the face of climate change. My long-term goal is to combine marine science, policy, and storytelling to effect lasting change on our ocean ecosystems and increase community involvement at every level of decision-making.
Go to the Marine Resource Management Program page.