Mentors
Lisa White is Director of Education and Outreach at the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Past positions held include San Francisco State University Professor of Geology, Chair of Geosciences, and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. Lisa has extensive experience with science enrichment programs for urban youth and she is active in efforts to increase diversity in the geosciences through field learning expeditions on land and at sea. A micropaleontologist by training specializing in fossil marine diatoms, she is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the Geological Society of America. As the education director at the UC Museum of Paleontology, Lisa develops and disseminates learning materials including virtual field experiences designed to explore the fossil record, global climate change, and the nature and process of science. Lisa is one of the STEMSEAS co-PIs.
Jon Lewis is a professor of Earth Science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He does research on mountain building processes with help from his undergraduate-only environmental geoscience majors. Jon is also one of the founding PIs for the STEMSEAS project. The project was inspired when Jon and co-founding PI Sharon Cooper were in Curacao with the JOIDES/Resolution drillship for the 2012 offering of the International Ocean Discovery Program’s School of Rock. Jon and Sharon set about finding ways for undergraduates to experience the unique power of being at sea on a charismatic research vessel. The seagoing chapter in Jon’s career started in 2007 when he sailed as a structural geologist on the drillship Chikyu during IODP Expedition 315. On that expedition Jon focused on using core-scale structures to reconstruct the deformation history at the Nankai Trough, the SW Japan subduction zone capable of producing great earthquakes. Beyond research and teaching, Jon enjoys birdwatching, reading, working out, and promoting poetry aboard ships.
Emily Waggoner is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research combines microbial ecology, analytical chemistry, and molecular biology to understand how microbial communities regulate and respond to nutrient availability in aquatic systems. Her path into ocean science began as a teenager volunteering as a deckhand for a gray whale researcher before discovering marine biogeochemistry as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Southern California. In 2018, she joined the April STEMSEAS transit, where she met her future Ph.D. advisor, Solange Duhamel, and went on to train in the Duhamel Lab at both Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the University of Arizona, earning her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2025. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, Emily now investigates the environmental fate of emerging contaminants in effluent-dominated freshwater systems. Returning to STEMSEAS eight years later as a ChOP Fellow, she will lead shipboard incubations exploring how marine microbes use a range of organic phosphorus compounds. These experiments will provide preliminary data for postdoctoral fellowship proposals supporting the next stage of her career. Emily ultimately hopes to establish an interdisciplinary research lab to better understand and predict the future of aquatic ecosystems.
Blanca Alvarez – TK
Students
My name is Abby Hebeisen and I’m currently a student at Whatcom Community College. My goal is to transfer into the Geophysics major at WWU, one day I hope to study magnetic fields. I’m in love with all things rocks, I’ve recently taken an interest in dinosaurs, and I love fun animal facts (ask me about my new favorite book). I’m from Washington, I enjoy hiking and rafting in the summer, and skiing in the winter. My hobbies include art, playing guitar poorly, and poetry.
Hello! My name is Kimberlie Cross. I am originally from Joshua, Texas, a small town near Fort Worth, and now I’m an oncoming junior at UTSA studying for my bachelors in Environmental Science. Ever since I was little I was always fascinated by the ocean, specifically in conserving marine organisms. I’ve always known that I would like to pursue a career towards helping heal our environment while focusing on our oceans, but I was never able to find opportunities within my small town. Currently at UTSA, I am apart of an ocean sciences organization that led me to discovering STEMSEAS. I am beyond thankful to have been blessed with this amazing opportunity to learn more about the field and discover potential job opportunities across the ocean.
I’m Louise Mather, a student at Piedmont Virginia Community College. I’m studying geology with a focus on volcanology and igneous processes. Most of my development as a scientist has come from extensive field experiences, including to Shenandoah National Park, Costa Rica, Iceland, San Francisco, the Baja peninsula, and plenty of field areas here in Virginia. These experiences helped shape my particular interest in geoscience education, communication, outreach, documentary, and geological journalism, especially as it pertains to the interactions between humans and the geosphere. Geoscience communication is critical to improving our relationship to the dangers and privileges of living on a dynamic planet. Giving people the language and tools they need to navigate the geologic world is a practice I hope to explore throughout my career. Beyond science, I am passionate about analog photography and the outdoors. I’ve spent a great deal of time caving, climbing, hiking, backpacking, and otherwise worrying my mother.
Hello! My name is Nadjila Sediki and I am an undergraduate student studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. Growing up by the coast, the ocean and the research conducted on it always intrigued me, but I never imagined I would have the opportunity to partake in a voyage like this. As I furthered my engineering education, I became vastly interested in bio-inspired robotics. This led me to join the Bio-Inspired Robotics and Design Lab at UCSD, where I now conduct research about robotic fish propulsion, which I think is really cool! Besides school, I love to read, binge interesting adventure or mystery shows, and travel. I am incredibly excited for this STEMSEAS opportunity and can’t wait to learn so much about life at sea!
Hi! My name is Nico Brooks, and I’m an undergraduate student at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, where I’m studying biological sciences before transferring to the University of Georgia to pursue a B.S. in Ecology. At UGA, I plan to pair my ecology major with studies in environmental geology, entomology, and studio art. I’m deeply passionate about urban ecology, environmental justice, and the ways art can help make science feel more accessible, beautiful, and inspiring. Through STEMSEAS, I’m excited to gain hands-on field experience, learn from other students and scientists, and be part of the adventure of life and research at sea.
Hello everyone! My name is Nikodemos Scott, but you all can call me Nik. I am a student at Piedmont Virginia Community College, pursuing both my General Studies and an Associate of Science degrees. After I graduate next spring, I will transfer to a 4-year university to major in both geology and communications. This summer I am working on a research project with the Kansas Geological Survey and the EarthScope Consortium on burial practices during the westward expansion in Kansas that will involve geophysics and archaeology. Outside of Geology, I have lots of different hobbies, including but not limited to traveling, ceramics, ballet, musical theater, yoga, and concert-going! I have loved Earth Sciences since I could walk, but rocks and crystals have always held a special place in my heart. I discovered Geology at PVCC on a field course and dove in headfirst! Science communication is a crucial field for reaching communities and people who have historically been excluded from STEM, so I am looking forward to incorporating my love of people with science into my career. I am currently the president of the PVCC Geology Club, and I cannot wait to bring our STEMSEAS experience back to my Geology Clubbers!
My name is Olena Aguilar, I am an undergraduate student at Oregon State University studying Environmental Science! I have interests in restoration ecology, the mind-blowing evolution of life on Earth, and intersections between the arts and sciences. I recently had an awesome time as a camp counselor teaching kids about the outdoors in Virginia, shout out Arlington Outdoor Lab! I enjoy having my coffee and breakfast in the morning, spending time with my family, driving around in my car, music and movies, and pondering the wonderful and disturbing mysteries of the universe. I’m always looking towards the horizon at my next adventure, so R/V Marcus Langseth, here I come!!
Hello, my name is Robert Toffry, Jr. I am a nontraditional student graduating from Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland, with a Geospatial Applications degree and going to Towson University in the Fall to study for my Geography and Environmental Planning degree. I have been excited about learning new things. This expedition to Panama City is going to check a big bucket list of mine and that is going through the canal. Some of the things that I enjoy is learning how different things work and how we can map different places with different tools. I enjoy traveling with my wife. We love going on long drives to see places that we have not been to before. One of our trips in the future will be to Nova Scotia, Canada hopefully within the next few months.
Erick Cano-Salas – TK
Hi everyone! My name is Evotia Maino, Tia for short, and I am a third year undergraduate student majoring in Marine Biology with a minor in Statistics. I recently earned my Associate of Arts degree from Leeward Community College and will be transferring to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa this fall to continue my studies. My goal is to one day earn my PhD in Fisheries Science and build a career focused on marine research and conservation. I have always had a passion for the ocean ever since I was a little girl. Growing up in the Pacific meant I was always surrounded by the ocean, and it quickly became a place that inspired my curiosity and love for marine life. As I got older, that passion only continued to grow and eventually led me to pursue Marine Biology. I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to be part of STEMSEAS. I look forward to gaining more hands on research experience, learning new skills, and working alongside such talented scientists and fellow students. I hope to learn as much as I can from everyone around me, make meaningful connections, and continue growing as both a student and future scientist. I cannot wait to see where this experience takes me and all that it has to offer.
