Maya Wolf

I received a B.S. in marine biology from the College of Charleston, SC. Under the tutilage of Dr. Charles Biernbaum, I examined the spatial distribution of epibionts on two hydroid species native to the South Carolina coast. My thesis research examines the impact of mating behavior and parasitic infection on the reproductive success of a NE Pacific nudibranch. This project has allowed me to utilize and integrate my favorite fields of biology and technology such as parasitology, intertidal ecology, invertebrate zoology, embryology, larval ecology, and microscopy. As a graduate student in the Young Lab, I have been fortunate enough to participate in deep sea research cruises targeting deep water coral, chemosynthetic, and soft bottom communities in the Gulf of Mexico and Bahamas. As a result of these cruises and the subsequent research projects I worked on as a research assistant, I have developed a fascination with deep sea communities and the reproductive possibilities for creatures of the deep.

Paul Dunn

I came to Craig Young's lab at OIMB in the fall of 2006 after earning a BS degree in Integrative Biology from Brigham Young University. The small-campus feel, interesting research being done at the lab, and easy access to the beautiful Oregon coast were just a few of the factors that drew me here. I'm studying tiny nemertean (ribbon) worms living on Dungeness crabs. These worms are known to feed on the crab's eggs. I am interested in the reproductive and larval biology of these worms, particularly the chemical cues they use during their lives to find their hosts. I am also exploring the distribution of theses worms on the crabs within the Coos Bay estuary.

Heather Austin

I originally fell in love with marine biology near my home on the east coast after many trips to Acadia National Park, the Outer Banks, and the Chesapeake Bay. To further my passion in marine biology, I attended St. Olaf College where I received a B.A. in biology and enrolled in an Island Biology course which allowed me to do undergraduate research at Berkeley's Gump Biological Research Station on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia. There I became exposed to tropical marine flora and fauna through many SCUBA diving and snorekeling trips. I am currently a M.S. student in Craig Young's lab where I am studying the effect of hypo-osmotic stress on mortality and regulation of volume, osmolality, and magnesium ion concentrations in the sea anemone Metridium senile within the South Slough estuary in Coos Bay, OR . I am also interested in determining  how hypo-osmotic stress contributes to the survival and distribution of  M. senile  within the South Slough Estuary, where it has been found naturally occurring at marine and mesohaline-dominated sites.

Myndee McNeill

I graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. in Biology. After teaching high school for several years, I decided to try my hand at research. I developed a love of marine life during my family’s yearly visits to Charleston, so OIMB seemed like the perfect place to study marine biology, and develop that interest in “all things ocean”. It has been most interesting to see how much marine ecology, especially deep-sea marine ecology, differs from forest ecology. I am currently studying the distribution and dispersal of a very small local snail, Lirularia succincta. I am also studying the larval development and ecology of two deep-sea snails that we collected from the Gulf of Mexico.

Kristina Sawyer

I hail from Batavia, Illinois a suburb of Chicago.  I graduated in 2007 from Illinois Wesleyan University with a double degree in Biology and Spanish.  Although I lived in the Midwest, surrounded by an ocean of corn, I have always been interested in Marine Biology. My senior year of High School I participated in a High School Marine Biology program through the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago ending with a week long research cruise in the Bahamas that really got me hooked on the field.  I have been pursuing Marine Biology ever since and I have participated in numerous programs and research projects including an REU program diving in Juneau, AK where I investigated the ecology of large subtidal snails; a marine tech position diving in Hood Canal, WA conducting geoduck population surveys; and some classes and diving up at Friday Harbor Labs on the San Juan Islands.  I also love to travel and have been backpacking through Europe as well as snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador.  I am currently pursuing a Master's degree and I am interested in the intertidal ecology of echinoderms and mollusks.