CURRENT INTERNS
MADI GORDANIER
Madi Gordanier graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with a BSc in Marine Science in December of 2020. While at UH Hilo, she had incredible experiences working as a student assist for both the Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program (MTBAP) and the UH Hilo Marine Mammal Lab. After graduation, she moved to Oʻahu and began interning with MMRP in April of 2021, working with Liah McPherson on her spinner dolphin abundance and demographics project. With MMRP, she has learned new research techniques both in the field and in the lab, such as photo-ID, data management, and basic seamanship. She is confident these skills will be beneficial for exploring careers in marine mammal science.
KYLEIGH FERTITTA
Kyleigh is a recent graduate from California State University, Chico, with a BSc in Biology and minor in Sustainability. She spent her senior year on Oʻahu at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa during a National Student Exchange program, began interning with MMRP in April of 2021, and has been assisting Liah McPherson with spinner dolphin population research off West Oʻahu. She has also contributed to spinner dolphin research efforts lead by Claire Lacey and Fabien Vivier. Over time, she has developed skills in photo-ID data collection and processing, basic seamanship and data management. Kyleigh is interested in sea turtles, sharks, and corals, in addition to marine mammals, and hopes to apply the skills she’s learned with MMRP to future endeavors in marine biology.
LEWIS EVANS
Lewis is a graduate of Marine Biology from Bangor University, Wales. He has been working with Martin van Aswegen on his research quantifying humpback whale bioenergetics between Hawaii and Alaska. He will also be assisting Claire Lacey assessing abundance of spinner dolphins across the Hawaiian Islands. Through this opportunity, Lewis has developed a strong sense for data collection, management and handling, whilst developing other skills including equipment maintenance, boating and photo-ID. His experience at MMRP has encouraged him to pursue a career in marine mammal biology and allowed him to gain an understanding of what is required of a marine mammal biologist.
KELSIE GRANT
Kelsie is an undergraduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she studies Communications Multimedia and Anthropology. At MMRP, Kelsie is helping run the social media platforms. She enjoys both going out into the field to document the researchers and marine mammals, and sharing the insights of what is going on in the lab. Kelsie is an avid sailor and is on the UH sailing team.
CAMERON NEMETH
Cameron graduated from the University of North Texas in December of 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences. He started his second Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the spring of 2022, and began an internship with MMRP where he assists Liah McPherson with spinner dolphin abundance and demographics off the west coast of O'ahu. He is developing skills in photo-ID, data processing, and basic seamanship. Cameron has always had a deep curiosity and passion for marine mammals, and will take the skills and experiences learned with MMRP to pursue higher education in marine sciences, and one day make a career rooted in conserving and regenerating our oceans.
SOPHIE TEASELL
Sophie was a student at the University of Oregon until 2021 then transferred to the University of Hawai’i at Manoa where she currently studies Communications and Media. At MMRP, Sophie assists Kirby Parnell in her Hawaiian monk seal underwater acoustic behavior project. Sophie recently began running MMRP's social media platforms and joins the researchers to document them out in the field. She is very passionate about the ocean and marine life, so she loves helping out in any way possible.
ADRIANA DIAZ
Adriana is a recent graduate from the University of Oregon with a BSc in Marine Biology. She moved to Oahu looking for opportunities in the field of marine mammalogy and is now interning with MMRP working with Kirby Parnell on her Hawaiian monk seal acoustic project. Although she only recently started interning, it has been a wonderful opportunity for her to gain new skills in acoustics and data analysis as well as making connections with other professionals in the field. She can’t wait to keep learning new skills and developing new curiosities to later study when pursuing graduate school and eventually a career in Marine Biology.
PEARL THOMPSON
Pearl is an undergraduate studying marine biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa in the university’s honors program. She began her internship with MMRP in the spring of 2022 and she works assisting Kirby Parnell with her research on Hawaiian monk seal acoustics. Pearl analyzes passive acoustic data to categorize Hawaiian monk seal calls and is learning to work with new software like MATLAB and Triton. She also has a passion for scuba diving and works in the dive safety program at UH as a scientific diver to assist with the training process of new scientific divers. Pearl is a recipient of the Entering and Creative Research Work through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at UH Manoa.
DARIAN COFFIN
Darian is an undergraduate student at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, where she is pursuing an Animal Science degree and a Marine Option Program certificate. In April 2022, she began an internship with MMRP where she assists Fabien Vivier with the research on the health status of the delphinid population off the coast of Kona. Through MMRP, she has developed skills both in the field and in the lab, such as data processing, photo-ID, and basic seamanship. Darian plans on using the skills and experiences she has learned from MMRP to pursue careers in marine mammal science.
LILY MAGEE
Lily Magee is a sophomore at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa working towards a degree in Marine Ecology and Conservation. She is from North Carolina and spent time as a child growing up in Sydney, Australia, where she found her love for the ocean! Since being at UH, she has developed a passion for sustainability, surfing, and marine mammals! She started interning with the MMRP in fall of 2021 where she assisted Dr. Claire Lacey with spinner dolphin research. Lily is currently assisting PhD candidate Kirby Parnell with her research looking at the effects of anthropogenic noise on the Hawaiian monk seal. Through these opportunities, she has gained a variety of skills such as photo-ID data collection and processing, basic seamanship, and acoustics data analysis through software such as MATLAB and Triton. Lily is also a recipient of the Entering Research and Creative Work through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at UH Manoa. Lily is interested in marine mammals, sharks, ocean conservation and climate change, and knows this experience will help her to have a career surrounding that!
ELIZABETH FRY
Elizabeth Fry is a recent graduate from Florida State University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Biology. She began interning with MMRP in January 2023 and is assisting Dr. Claire Lacey with her project looking at the abundance and distribution of spinner dolphins around the main Hawaiian Islands. While at MMRP she has gained more experience in photo identification techniques and analysis and is developing skills in data management, GIS and R. Elizabeth hopes to use these skills while pursuing higher education and a career in Marine Science.
ANNA SCHMALZ
Anna graduated from Hawaii Pacific University May 2021 with a BSc in Marine Science where she spent her senior year studying humpback acoustics and behavior. In November of 2021 she began interning at MMRP, working with Claire Lacey on her research of spinner dolphin abundance and distribution. Additionally, Anna helps to create fun and educational posts for the lab’s social media platforms. Her experience at MMRP has taught her skills in photo ID and grading, boat-based field work, and more. She is excited to continue learning and growing her skills to pursue a career in marine mammal research.