September 2022
Dani Escontrela
PhD Candidate
Marine Biology Graduate Program
This month we get to introduce our fearless leader, Dani Escontrela! Dani is a Marine Biology Graduate Program 4th year PhD candidate, her advisor is Mark Hixon. Her research focuses on coral predation. "I am specifically looking at the distribution and feeding preferences of the cushion star (Culcita novaeguineae), which is a coral eating sea star. I am also working on a project with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) to determine whether we can extract coral predation estimates from 3D models of coral reefs."

"In the last couple of years I have conducted over 100 feeding trials, which are surprisingly a lot more work than I thought! I have also conducted over 60 surveys at 8 sites around Oʻahu which have included roving surveys for cushion stars, coral predation surveys, and collecting images for 3D coral reef models".

Her fun marine fact: "In order to eat coral, cushion stars will literally expel their stomach from their body  and will secrete digestive enzymes to “liquify” the coral polyps, which they will then absorb through their stomach".

​Her personal fun facts: "I am from Venezuela, I have over 1000 hours of dive time under my belt (equivalent to 41 days), and I have 2 cute doggies"

Follow Dani on insta @daniescontrela. She posts amazing pictures of her work, they have even been featured on UH News!

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August 2022
Maya Matheis 
Post Doctoral Researcher
UH Manoa Center on Disability Studies​
This month's member spotlight is Maya Matheis! She studied clinical psychology and early career research at the UH Manoa Center on Disability Studies. Maya recently completed a postdoc position at the UC Davis MIND Institute focused on implementation science and autism intervention. 

Her research focus is on autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and the implementation of evidence-based interventions for autism in community settings. She is "currently working with UNICEF/WHO to develop a parent-coaching intervention for young children at-risk for autism for global dissemination and implementation". 

Maya is done with her degree and training (finally) and just started a private practice to continue clinical work. YAYYYY!!!!! WAY TO GO.

One of the photos is showing her at one of CDS's recent efforts to increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations for people with disabilities. "I ran sensory-friendly stations at vaccination clinics in rural areas of the island to provide clinical support. Unfortunately, we cannot provide photos of the people we helped!"

We thank you for your work and look forward to watching your progress.
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May 2022
Megan McElligott
PhD Candidate
Marine Biology Graduate Program
Megan McElligott is a a 4th-year PhD candidate in the Marine Biology Graduate Program under the advisement of Drs. Marc Lammers and Adam Pack.

Her research is focused on determining which coastal areas are important for spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) daytime resting behavior using passive acoustic monitoring. By analyzing underwater sound recordings for spinner dolphin signals—such as echolocation clicks and whistles—she can estimate when dolphins enter a bay, how long they stay in the bay, and how consistently they use a bay to rest from day to day.

Spinner dolphins feed in offshore waters at night, and come into protected, nearshore areas during the day to rest. Disruptions of this rest, primarily by human interactions, can negatively impact the dolphins’ foraging success and overall health. Spinner dolphin rest doesn’t look like our sleep, so many swimmers don’t realize they may be disrupting the pod’s rest. Rather, dolphins will swim synchronously in tightly spaced groups moving back and forth in shallow, sandy areas. Megan’s research can help identify which areas are of particular importance for dolphins to obtain adequate rest and inform wildlife managers of how best to protect spinner dolphins from human disturbance.

Megan has collected nearly two years of recordings in seven locations. She is currently wrapping up her data collection in Maui and scanning those recordings for dolphins sounds (while listening to many, many podcasts).  

Fun fact: We aren’t entirely certain why spinner dolphins spin, but the main hypotheses include: removing remoras, signaling an individual’s location to the rest of the pod, and engaging in play!

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April 2022
Lexi Meltel
Masters Student
Marine Biology Graduate Program
Lexi is a 2nd Year Master's student but is currently trying to transfer into the PhD track (we are rooting for you) in the Marine Biology Graduate Program. Her advisor is Dr. Robert Richmond at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory.

Her research focuses on populations of "Porites lobata (lobe coral) from different sites in my home island of Palau . I'm interested in this species because it's been seen a lot in a particular bay that has higher sea surface temperatures and reduced pH conditions, so I'd like to look into what makes it so resilient. 
I'm specifically interested in looking at the protein expressions, population genetics, and reproductive ability of this species from multiple sites in the bay compared to a reference site outside of it.
I think that knowing these things about the corals in the bay will give insight into what makes them so resilient and help managers and policy makers make better and more informed decisions regarding their conservation" .
In her two years in the program, "I've gained a lot of experience collecting and caring for corals and running sedimentation experiments on them. I've also learned a lot of lab techniques for looking at protein expression and lipid content in corals and what that information can tell us about their stress levels, which will be very helpful when I get to collect my own data later on. I've also gotten experience in presenting findings from my experiments to local managers. I also re-learned what it was like to be in school again and specifically learned a lot more coding and statistics"  
Some fun facts about Lexi are, she is from the Republic of Palau in Micronesia. Loves corgis and sea urchins, and also recently realized that she is obsessed with collecting earrings , especially from local businesses! 
Follow Lexi at @abunaidesu or @xiandthesea to see more of her personal journey and research

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March 2022
Marisa McDonald
PhD Candidate
Marine Biology Graduate Program
Marisa is in the Marine Biology Graduate Program, 6th year (started 2016), under Megan Porter. Her research "focuses on the visual system of larval stomatopod crustaceans, commonly known as mantis shrimp . Adult mantis shrimp have the most complex eyes known in the animal kingdom, but the larval eye is completely distinct as it is replaced upon metamorphosis. The larval eye is also quite understudied, so I am working on characterizing the larval visual system, with a focus on ultraviolet vision"  

Marisa is in her final semester of graduate school and is currently working on "finishing everything up with plans to defend this spring. I will be starting a postdoc this summer studying insect vision for the Air Force Natural System Sensing Lab in Florida."
A fun fact is she was the Vice President for GWISH for two years, and loves this organization! "In my free time, I am also a scuba diver, rock climber, and hiker."
 Thank you for sharing and your continued support for GWISH. Good luck with your defense, we got your back. You got this! 

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February 2022
Sefa Muñoz
PhD Student
GWISH Research and Travel Grant Recipient
Marine Biology Graduate Program
Sefa is a third-year PhD Student in the Marine Biology Graduate Program under Dr. Brian Bowen. Her research focuses on "conducting near-saturation tagging and biological sampling of endangered nesting green sea turtles  in Guam (where I’m originally from) for genetic studies. I also aim to study their habitat use during their nesting season and resolving their post-nesting migration routes and feeding areas using satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis (SIA).
 "In 2021, my field mentor and I set the record for the most nesting females encountered, biologically sampled, and tagged during a nesting season in the history of turtle work on Guam, which is beneficial not just for my research but also the progression of sea turtle studies in Guam. In addition to having preliminary SIA and tracking results, I’ve also had the chance to conduct sea turtle outreach to fellow Pacific Islander students in Guam, Hawai‘i, and American Sāmoa that will hopefully empower them and cultivate their interest in STEM."

Some fun information from Sefa is "nest temperature will determine if a sea turtle becomes male or female! We have a saying in the turtle world, “Hot chicks  and cool dudes”. This means that warmer nests will produce females and cooler nests will produce males. Because of this, we’re racing to understand how climate change may affect this temperature-dependent species."

She will use the Research and Travel Grant to help fund "boat charters to get to my research site on a small, uninhabited island off the coast of southern Guam. It will also be used to purchase wire fencing, which is needed to protect sea turtle nests from predation by monitoring lizards.”

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January 2022
Katherine Grellman
Master's Student
Marine Biology Graduate Program
Welcome our first GWISH member of 2022. We are recognizing Katherine Grellman, a first-year marine biology Master's student working in Dr. Cindy Hunter's coral ecology lab, the Hunter Lab. Her research "focuses on the impacts of sedimentation in coral reefs with a focus on fish foraging behavior. Increased storm activity🌩 , coastal development, and sea level rise all contribute to more sediment in our oceans, which smothers corals and impairs fish behavior. By studying the consequences of enhanced sedimentation, I hope to influence land management practices moving forward"

"A highlight of my first semester has been assisting the Johansen Fish Resilience Lab at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology with fish surveys. During these surveys, I count the bite rates and food source of certain herbivorous fish species. Over the course of the next semester I will continue helping with lab and fieldwork as I develop my own research question".

A fun fact from Katherine is "over 25% of marine life found in the Hawaiian Archipelago is endemic! This is an extraordinary amount and one of the countless reasons why this place is so magical". 

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