November 26, 2024
My name is Madison (Maddie) Gard and I feel eager to serve as Washington Sea Grant’s science communications fellow this fall and winter. I originally grew up in the Sonoran Desert of Tucson, Arizona, with much of my childhood spent hiking and playing outdoors. My fascination with marine life was fostered by frequent family visits to Cholla Bay, Mexico, where I explored intertidal ecosystems with my younger brother and cousins. Growing up interested in science and nature documentaries, over time I observed the impacts of anthropogenic pollution and overfishing on sensitive marine species first-hand. The Cholla Bay I visit today is not as vibrant or diverse as the beaches I played on twenty years ago.
This motivated me to study environmental science with a marine emphasis and Spanish at Western Washington University in Bellingham. During my time as an undergraduate, I researched the foraging behavior of harbor seals, the diets of Steller sea lions, and their ecological relationships as predators to migrating salmon in the Salish Sea. I also earned an Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship and completed my internship in NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program office. There, I developed public-outreach communications products to showcase the mutually beneficial relationships between fishery-managed species and coral reefs.
Currently, I am beginning my program as a Master of Marine Affairs candidate in the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. Learning how to merge my love for ecological research and interdisciplinary strategies to make an impact is what brought me to this program. As a research assistant for Washington Ocean Acidification Center and the eDNA Collaborative, I’ll be studying Puget Sound harmful algal blooms, and more specifically the toxic dinoflagellate species, Alexandrium catenella, that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. I hope to learn about the algae’s relationships with environmental conditions such as ocean acidification and sea surface temperature. As the Washington Sea Grant Science Communications Fellow, I look forward to connecting with Washington communities by sharing exciting and hopeful research!
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Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, helps people and marine life thrive through research, technical expertise and education supporting the responsible use and conservation of coastal ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer.
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NOV
2024