Mentors
Dr. Raquel Bryant is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Texas A&M University and in Fall 2022 she will begin as an Assistant Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences and a Faculty Fellow in the College of the Environment at Wesleyan University. Dr. Bryant is a paleoceanographer, micropaleontologist, and an expert on the climate of the Late Cretaceous (100-66 million years ago). Dr. Bryant uses the extreme conditions of the Late Cretaceous to understand the dynamic interplay between earth, the ocean, and life, and to contextualize observed and projected environmental impacts of a warmer world. Her research has been published in prominent paleoceanography journals and featured in Nature Earth + Environment Reviews. Dr. Bryant is also a leader in advocacy for STEM students. She was the inaugural recipient of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers Excellence in Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion award in 2021 and a co-Principal Investigator on two Geoscience Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity National Science Foundation awards.
Hello! My name is Rafael Uribe. I was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. I earned a B.Sc in Geology at the City College of New York. While earning that degree I was a STEMSEAS undergraduate participant aboard the Sikuliaq. I gained a newfound appreciation for ocean science during that experience which influenced my career path. I am currently a Senior Research Assistant at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University for the Rolling Deck to Repository Program (R2R) and the Global Multi-Resolution Topography Data Synthesis (GMRT). I manage the ingestion and public release of environmental data from the academic fleet and conduct QA/QC on multibeam data sets. I will be returning as a STEMSEAS mentor to discuss my work and career path. My hobbies include reading, woodworking, and rock climbing.
Hi, I’m Sydney Shaner! I’m a master’s student in Earth Sciences with a concentration in Geobiology at the University of Minnesota, working remotely from my home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My research focuses on geomicrobiology and microbial ecology of cold seeps. I did my undergrad in my home state at University of Florida in Geological Sciences with research in organic geochemistry and Mars astrobiology. I am beginning a PhD program in Earth and Planetary Sciences, doing research in Ediacaran geobiology and sedimentology, at the University of New Mexico here in Albuquerque next year. I absolutely love traveling, hiking, my cats, teaching, and video games! sailed on R/V Atlantis with STEMSEAS in 2019 as a student and am so excited to sail as a mentor.
Students
Hello! My name is Caleb Mantanona. I am majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and am set to graduate Fall 2022. Growing up in Hawai’i, there was a constant connection to the natural environment which made me study this in college. I love hands on experiences in education, so i am very excited to be a part of STEMSEAS. My current career goals are targeted in environmental public health and medicine, but also have interests in sustainable energy development. Some hobbies I have is surfing and writing Yelp reviews for food places.
Hi! My name is Mora Kozleski. I am studying at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Growing up I would travel with my family to the San Juans to explore the beaches and tide pools. My mom and I could sit at the tide pools for hours, if the tides allowed, just watching all the critters move around and interact with one another. Because of my love of tide pools, I decided to study marine and coastal sciences. I have enjoyed learning about and identifying the plants and animals living in the marine environment. In the future, I would like to work as a naturalist at a National Park teaching the public about the world around us. Through the STEMSEAS cruise, I will be learning more about the open ocean and different research techniques. When I am not obsessing over the ocean, I can be found flying up the wall at the rock-climbing gym or running through my neighborhood looking for cats to pet. If I am home, I would be in the kitchen baking cookies for my friends or lounging on my couch reading. I am excited to step away from all of that for a bit and experience life at sea.
Hello! My name is Cyrus Secrest. I’m in my second year at the University of Utah majoring in applied mathematics and biology with a minor in Russian literature. Raised in Pittsburgh, I hope one day to return there to complete my graduate studies at Pitt. As a kid, I was obsessed with botany and toxicology (the latter freaked my parents out), and I wanted to work at USAMRIID, dealing with those crazy microbes. More recently, I’ve been studying applications of biological models to business markets. Outside of mind numbing classes, I enjoy rollerblading, gymnastics, and playing piano. I’ve also been known to meddle at times with computers with occasionally disastrous effects.
My name is Ignacio C Rueda, and I am a first-generation college student who considers himself an adventurer. I am a senior and an undergraduate researcher in the BAHR Marine Ecology Lab at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, pursuing a Marine biology degree. My main interest and current field of study are coral reefs. I plan to continue my education and go for my Masters in Marine Science. There is nothing more that I want to do with my life than to give all that I can to help this world and to add just a little bit to the body of knowledge concerning coral restoration and adaptation. I am so proud to participate in the STEMSEAS program and hope to learn as much as possible to expand my academic tool kit. My passions include bouldering, scuba diving, hiking, and poor renditions of popular songs during karaoke. I love to travel this world and plan to continue to explore in the years to come.
Howdy! My name is Norely Alejandra Faz, and I am a rising senior at Texas A&M University. Currently, I am pursuing a B.S. in oceanography, following a Marine Ecosystem Processes track, with a biology minor. At the moment, I am undertaking research in geomicrobiology pertaining to manganese oxidation in the Gulf of Mexico under hypoxic conditions. Within my final collegiate year, I hope to expand my skillset by conducting research that forays further into the biological, chemical, and physical sides of oceanography. After graduating next May, I hope to initialize my career in a federal agency working in conservation. During this time, I will be connecting with potential mentors for graduate school where I will be focusing on the anthropological effects sound pollution has on marine mammals. I believe that my experience with STEMSEAS will encourage my professional growth as well as introduce me to future leaders in my field as both peers and friends.
Hello, my name is Sasha Koulakova, and I’m a freshman undergraduate at Stony Brook University. I’m pursuing marine sciences as a major, with a focus on marine biology. The day I applied to my school, I posted a drawing on Instagram of myself standing on a boat captioned, “I WANT TO SAIL ON THE OPEN SEAS AND STUDY FIIISHHH SHOULD I TAG MY SCHOOL?” and tagged the marine science department. Shortly after, I received my acceptance letter, and I’m sure those two events were related. I’m happy my dream came true so soon, especially because I have always been passionate about studying the natural world and contributing to efforts to save it. Thank you so much for this opportunity to learn more about my future career.
Hi! My name is Dejah Hopkins, I’m 20 years old & I am a third year undergraduate student at Savannah State University getting a degree in Marine Science. Despite growing up in the landlocked state of Colorado, I had always been drawn to marine animals, & the science of the ocean. I have a lot of career goals in this field from marine rehabilitation to plant science & aquaponics to even teaching! The possibilities are endless! Outside of that, I love the show South Park, playing Sims & Online shopping in my free time 🙂
Gloria Renaudin is a sophomore at University of California – San Diego majoring in Marine Biology. She is French yet grew up in Davis, California and chose to move to San Diego for her undergraduate degree. As a 19 year old, Gloria has been taking upper division classes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and enjoys volunteering at the Birch Aquarium in her free time. She is also a certified scuba diver and loves to dive in groups. She enjoys the ocean and beach where she explores the tidepools and ocean wrack. Gloria also enjoys the mountains where she skis and snowshoes with her family and boyfriend. There are so many things she would like to explore! She also has a passion for preserving the environment and hopes to make an impact on making society’s lifestyle more sustainable in the near future. Gloria is very excited to embark on this STEMSEAS journey aboard the RV Langseth and hopes it will help her narrow down her career choices and open up future research opportunities.
Hello! My name is Savannah Evans, and I’m working on a B.S. in Environmental Geosciences with a minor in Geoinformatics at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Most of my research so far has been about the geomorphology of the seafloor, but, given that I’ve only just finished my first year, I’m sure I’ll find many more areas of interest within the department! Being a part of my school’s BEAMS (BEnthic Acoustic Mapping and Survey Program) has encouraged me to look for at-sea experience on a research vessel, especially since opportunities at my school have been severely limited by COVID-19. I’m excited and grateful to be a part of the STEMSEAS program!
Hello Everyone, My name is Angellica Diaz. I am a first generation college student from Los Angeles California. I moved to Boston when I was 17 to pursue an undergraduate degree in business administration at Babson College. After graduating, I took a few courses at Northeastern University where I discovered my love for GIS and remote sensing. I am continuing to take GIS courses with the intention of pursuing a masters degree in hydrography. In my free time I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, and boxing.
