Mentors
Judah Epstein is Adjunct Geology Faculty at Brookhaven College. His goal in teaching geology is to share interest in earth sciences and scientific field expeditions; inspiring students towards pursuit of STEM endeavors and knowledge of their outdoor world in which they live. Judah is also a Civil Engineer / Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer in the US Air Force Reserve. Previously he worked as General Field Engineer at Schlumberger and International Field Engineer with Welltec. He specialized in wireline robotic tractor for geological well logging, borehole seismic, and perforating jobs throughout the USA, Canada, Europe, offshore Equatorial Guinea, and northern Siberia.
Judah earned B.S. Electrical Engineering from SMU, M.S. Management from UTD, and M.S. Geosciences from UTD with thesis on “Sedimentary Water Filtration in a Planetary Environment”; research conducted on scientific expedition at the Mars Desert Research Station. Judah has participated in numerous expeditions worldwide such as STEMSEAS R/V Endeavor, groundwater research in Nepal, military (US Air Force engineer and Texas State Guard EMT medic), teaching in Uganda, guide in Israel, Brazilian Amazon Jungle Marathon and medic, IODP ocean drilling workshop in New Zealand, Gray Hawk tree climbing, and rainforest and wildlife conservation in Panama, Peru, and Borneo. He was recently published in Primate Conservation for authoring “Tree Climbing Methodology for Orangutan Conservation”.
Lisa White is the Director of Education and Outreach at the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) and Adjunct Professor of Geology at San Francisco State University. Past positions held at San Francisco State include Professor of Geology (instructing undergraduates in historical geology, paleontology, history of life, and oceanography), Chair of Geosciences, and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. Lisa has extensive experience directing science outreach programs for urban youth and she is active in efforts to increase diversity in the geosciences. A micropaleontologist by training specializing in fossil diatoms and the stratigraphy of the Monterey Formation and related siliceous units around the Pacific Rim, she is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the Geological Society of America and a veteran of two IODP cruises and three IODP School of Rock expeditions. Lisa was the inaugural recipient of the GSA Bromery Award for Minorities, an honor bestowed upon a geoscientist who has been instrumental in opening the geoscience field to other minorities. As the PI on the A-STEP program (Ambassadors for STEM Training to Enhance Participation), Lisa leads diverse groups of students in sea-going experiences as a means of developing their science communication skills. As the education director at the UCMP, Lisa develops and disseminates learning materials on evolution and the fossil record, global climate change, and the nature and process of science. Lisa earned degrees from San Francisco State University (B.A. in Geology) and the University of California at Santa Cruz (Ph.D. in Earth Sciences).
Nicole Murray is a graduate student at the University of Illinois. Her research focuses on stable isotope geochemistry and how we can use natural isotope reservoirs to reconstruct past environments and climate. Currently, she is working on project tracking the ecological response to guano deposition in the mid-Holocene. Joining on a STEMSEAS cruise is particularly exciting for Nicole, as students have been collecting water samples for her Ph.D. work since 2018. The samples collected by STEMSEAS students contribute to a project which seeks to elucidate the isotopic signature of hydrologic cycle processes. This will information will be critical for improving isotope-enabled climate models and our understanding of paleoclimate data.
Students
My name is Claudia Banks and I am a fourth year Geology student at the University of Florida. My undergraduate research at UF is concentrated in geochronology and geochemistry of Hadean zircons and I hope to end my senior year with a completed senior thesis based on my research. When I graduate, I plan to continue my studies in geology at graduate school. Recently, I went to my university’s field camp required for geology majors. The techniques I learned in the field were incredibly useful; however, as of now, I have no field experience in the ocean. I am incredibly excited to learn a tremendous amount from STEMSEAS. My hobbies include camping, hiking, and socializing.
Hello, my name is Gary Zaborowski and I’m 31 years old. I’m a recent graduate from the Community College of Beaver County and I will be transferring to Edinboro University this fall as a junior with a major in wildlife biology. Before college, I spent a few years in the Army with the 82nd Airborne Division. I miss the military life every day, but I’m incredibly thankful for the lessons the experience taught me. After the military I spent a lot of time hiking in an attempt to create my own photography business. My grandpa was the person who initially showed me how great the outdoors can be, but during my travels I met a wildlife biologist who inspired me to go to school and become a wildlife biologist myself. When I’m not in school, I’m practicing my photography skills, training for an endurance event, or just playing video games. I share a home with my incredibly supportive wife, our 3 dogs, and usually 3-5 other small animals or insects that biology has inspired us to learn more about.
Hi! My name is Emily and I am a rising sophomore at the University of Florida majoring in Marine Science. I plan on minoring in Geology and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and I am interested in a wide variety of fields within earth science. I have participated in research studying Wisconsin crayfish disease and invasions, effects of sand dredging on benthic organisms off of Florida, and post-glacial sediment weathering in Greenland. I love to travel, hike, and dive in my free time. I also coach a high school oceanography trivia team, which is actually how I became interested in marine science in high school. I am super excited to sail on the R/V Atlantis and learn what it’s like to live on a research ship!
Jamie Oman will be an undergraduate this fall, attending the University of Washington. She plans on attaining a chemistry degree, with a minor in marine biology. Jamie was inspired by her time spent with scientists conducting field-work research at the Seattle, Western Regional offices of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), last summer. In her free time, she dedicates herself to the community’s performing arts; dancing for the Northwest Ballet Theater and playing both the flute and piccolo in the student concert, pep and marching bands. By attending STEMSEAS, she hopes to gain valuable oceanographic research experience and learn more about the cutting-edge technologies being utilized for ocean exploration and international data collection. Jamie looks forward to meeting great, like-minded people who are also excited about protecting and advancing knowledge of our earth’s ocean environments.
Hola! My name is Manuel J. Benitez. I am a rising junior at the University of Southern California transferring from Miami Dade College. I am majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on building science. I plan to complete a second degree in Architecture, and I hope to work on environmental design. I was born and raised in Cuba, where I spent a considerable amount of time in the forests and lakes nearby. As I have become an enthusiast of life underwater, STEMSEAS is the first opportunity I have to put my hands to work on the study of the ocean. I am looking forward to boarding the R/V Atlantis and meet the crew.
Hi, my name is Nuria and I just graduated with my Chemical Engineering degree from the University of New Mexico. I am very interested in the environment and want to learn as much about it as I can. I like getting involved in interesting, life-changing projects such as the one we are about to embark on. I like to run long distances while listening to good, loud music. I enjoy learning about people from different walks of life and talking about everything under the sun. I think sunsets in New Mexico are some of the most beautiful in the world, however I’m looking forward to seeing a new type of sunset at sea. I’m very excited to learn on board! See you all soon!
Hi, I’m Sydney Shaner, a rising senior at the University of Florida. I was born and raised in Orlando around all of the theme parks, but found my passion on Florida’s coast: oceanography. Studying geology in college has led me to pursue a career path in marine geobiology, as I’m very interested to see how biota and abiotic factors interact in the least expected places, such as hydrothermal vents on oceanic ridges, and applying that to how life might exist or arise elsewhere in the universe. I also have a passion for travel, music, teaching/outreach, and all things nerdy. As a first generation college student, I feel very fortunate to be given this opportunity and hope to be involved in education throughout my career to encourage and impassion young scientists to pursue higher education. I am eager to start exploring my love for the marine realm after nearly finishing my geology bachelor degree and field work on land, and am excited to meet more peer scientists!
Hi! My name is Taylor. I am a Junior at the University Nebraska at Omaha. I am working towards a degree in Geology with hopes of getting a Master’s after I graduate. I stay very active with school, I am the current President of the Women in STEM club, the Vice President of the Geology Society, and active with the LGBTQ+ club(s). Outside of school I intern with the USDA, and stay active with my 4 year old daughter. I am excited for the STEMSEAS trip to see another side of Geology, not a lot of marine options in land locked Nebraska.
Hello there! My name is Tiffany, and I am a student at San Diego Mesa College. I’m currently hoping to dual major in Material Science and Engineering and Ecology upon transfer to CU Boulder, with a long-term goal of achieving a PhD in Science Communication. Lifelong passions of education and nature moved me cross-country from North Carolina to Colorado to California, where my appreciation for natural world morphed into curiosity about conservation and advocacy for creatures without traditional voices. Finding ways to improve sustainability of human influence and preserve the immense treasures our planet has to offer occupies my educational and career ambitions as well as my free time, leading me to surfing, hiking, and freediving as hobbies. I am thrilled to potentially add another (research voyages!) with the incredible opportunity on board the R/V Atlantis with STEMSEAS. I’m looking forward to learning about marine life and the tasks of a researcher during our transit, as well as everything my cohort and instructors have to offer!
Madison Milla
