On R/V Hugh Sharp
Mentors
Dr. Nicole Millette is currently an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine who studies plankton ecology. She currently has four active projects funded by NSF and NOAA, which keeps her laboratory very busy. To date, she has participated in over 15 research cruises, including in the North Atlantic, Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and the western Antarctic Peninsula. When she is not working, she enjoys playing soccer, participating in community theater, or just being at home with her corgis.
Dr. Cristina Cardona is an Associate Professor at the Community College of Baltimore County, Essex. She teaches Environmental Science, Oceanography, and other Physical Science courses. She earned a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Science from Dickinson College and American University. Her Ed.D. dissertation focused on non-science majors in community college online physical science courses. She has sailed on the 2YC STEMSEAS cruise from Seattle to Honolulu.
Samantha (Sam) Bombard is a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences. She is a micropaleontologist and paleoceanographer who studies foraminifera (single celled protists) from the Ross Sea, Antarctica to reconstruct past ocean conditions. Sam is passionate about science education and outreach, hoping to become a professor after completing her PhD. Outside of research you can find Sam reading, hanging out with her dog, or riding roller coasters.
Zabdiel is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Virginia, studying how temperature affects mixotrophy in plankton. Having been born and raised in Puerto Rico, Zabdiel was interested in pursuing a career in marine biology from a young age. For his undergraduate studies, he studied at the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus where he obtained his bachelors in Coastal Marine Biology. Then he moved to the “Big Apple” to complete a master’s degree at Queens College and the Advance Science Research Center in New York where he studied the temporal and spatial patterns of the phytoplankton community composition in Long Island Sound. In his free time Zabdiel enjoys playing video games, hiking and kayaking.
Students
Hi everybody! My name is Amaar Khan, I’m a community college student at Bellevue College in Washington State. Currently, I’m working towards transferring to a 4 year college to pursue a degree in Microbiology. I’m super excited to be sailing on the Hugh Sharp with everyone!
Khirah George is a May 2025 graduate of Temple University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology. While at temple, Khirah participated in the College of Science and Technology Research Scholars Program and The Lois Stoke Alliance for Minority Participation program at Temple University. As part of her undergraduate work, she helped develop artificial coral substrates made from concrete and aragonite, which was then attached to live coral fragments. The aim was to restore deep-sea corals that had sustained damage from the 2012 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Khirah has a strong passion for marine science, ecology, and marine conservation, which she has brought into her research in coral biology. Khirah is eager to expand her field research experience in Marine and coastal ecosystems and hopes to pursue a career in marine biology that allows her to deepen her experience and knowledge in conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of ocean habits.
Hi, I’m Hayden Vega! I recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Marine Science, and I’m passionate about blending art, ecology, and environmental science to help conserve marine systems. As an early-career scientist, I’m still discovering what it means to be a scientist—and I’m ecstatic to continue learning as part of STEMSEAS.
Hi! My name is Khristian Neal and I am currently a senior at the University of Texas at San Antonio majoring in Computer Science with a concentration in Cybersecurity, and a minor in Digital Forensics. I am interested in digital forensics, incident response, and cyber law, with the goal of pursuing a career that combines technical expertise with community impact. I am currently gaining experience through research and competitions such as CCDC. Outside of academics, I enjoy playing my instruments, fencing, exploring the world around me, and animals. I am super excited to participate in STEMSEAS to expand my scientific perspective, develop new skills in data collection and analysis, and connect with other students who are passionate about using STEM to solve real-world problems.
Hi everyone! My name is Olivia Stortz and I am a recent graduate from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Florida, but I am from Upstate New York. I got my Bachelor of Science in Marine Science with a concentration in biology and minors in environmental studies and anthropology. I also was a part of my school’s Gulf Explorer Program! On campus I was involved in research on created mangrove forests of Tampa Bay, alongside working as a tutor both in marine science and ArcGIS. The past two summers I have interned at the Darrin Freshwater Institute in Bolton Landing, New York, which is affiliated with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There I focused on invasive species in the lake and chemistry of the tributaries that lead into the lake. Outside of academics, a fun fact about me is that I have a horse named Ghost, and I love scuba diving and hiking. I am working towards visiting every US state and national park as well! This will be my first expedition with STEMSEAS, and I’m really excited to experience at-sea research, gain new skills, and learn from everyone on board!
Grace Nice was raised in Puyallup, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington, Seattle. With a BS in Earth and Space Sciences, she joined a University of Southern California research cruise through the Gulf of Alaska. She assisted PhD students with oceanic sediment coring for the analysis of microbe enzyme stability. Since her stint aboard the R/V Sikuliaq, Grace has accepted a position on a Washington Conservation Corps crew – she assists a lead biologist with sample collection and analysis through the WDFW. She plans to pursue fieldwork in the ocean once again, aiming to conduct research on the cryosphere later on. She is looking forward to the STEMSEAS expedition and believes it will be enlightening to contribute to varied scientific procedures. She looks forward to gaining more experience aboard a vessel, alongside like-minded, motivated individuals.
Hi everyone! I am Lily Yang, a recent graduate from UC Berkeley majoring in Marine Science. I am from Stockton, CA and a fun fact about me is that I like to play badminton and have played competitively before! I am looking forward to experiencing my first time on a boat and learning about the different opportunities that comes with STEMSEAS!
My name is Reina Rickard and I am in my senior year of studying environmental science, with an aquatic science emphasis, at The University Of Texas At San Antonio. I have worked in the animal care field as a husbandry assistant and aquarist at two aquariums. My goal is to get into the marine restoration and conservation field after graduation. I hope to gain more oceanography/ geoscience knowledge and experience from the stemseas cruise. I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity!
Addison Ryne is in her last semester at California State University, Monterey Bay pursuing a B.S. in Marine Science. Originally from Kansas, she is highly motivated by her curiosity about the ocean to pursue a professional research career. As an undergraduate, she has done both field work and lab-based research on both coasts through classwork, independent research, and internships. She is currently working on two projects, researching black abalone habitat selection and determining an empirical relationship between phytoplankton colony size and cell count. She is eager to round out her undergraduate experience by participating in vessel-based research, which she hopes will inform her decisions about a post-graduate career in coastal ecology. In her free time, Addison can be found reading, tidepooling, hiking, and trying to beat her own record for solving the NYT crossword.
Iakwe (Hello), everyone! My name is Maliana McCollum, and I am from the Marshall Islands. I am currently a Junior at the University of South Florida in Tampa, majoring in Marine Biology with concentrations in Environmental Policy and Marine Conservation. Having grown up in the middle of the Pacific, a majority of our time was spent on and in the water. From Scuba diving to sailing and everything in between. I am an avid scuba diver and love spending time on or near the water. I have worked in coral restoration for many years now and even helped lead the process of establishing and growing the first coral nurseries in the Marshall Islands. This will be my first trip with STEMSEAS, and I am extremely excited to be out on the water and learn from everything this trip has to offer. My hopes for the future are to live and work abroad, working with coral restoration and marine conservation.
