Hello my name is Lelehua Fujimoto Vertido and I’m an intern at ACRC through Sealaska Heritage Institute. I'm Alaska Native, grew up in Juneau, and I’m going into my second year at UAS as an Environmental Science major. Through this internship I gained valuable experiences and insight that I will carry with me wherever I go.
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Hi! I’m Jake Watkins and I'm a soon to be senior at UAS studying fisheries and ocean science. This summer at ACRC, I’ve been working alongside Blake Toney as a research technician looking at juvenile salmonid responses to extreme flow events. I’ve known about ACRC and some of the rad fisheries ecology work that they’ve been doing since I started studying at UAS. I was definitely most intrigued by all the extensive hands-on work they were doing. When I heard about a potential position being available I knew it would be a great opportunity to learn some invaluable field and lab skills. Additionally, thoughts surrounding graduate school have also been lingering in my head and I thought this position would help me better understand the grad school process.
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My name is Finn Finnegan, and I am going into my fourth year at UAS pursuing a BA in environmental studies. Working with ACRC over the summer has been a great opportunity to expand my experience in environmental research and gain a deeper understanding of our local environment here in Juneau.
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Hello, my name is Corban. I am entering my second year at UAS. When I started this internship, I was pursuing a major in environmental science; however, after my time with ACRC, I am switching my focus to Biology. I first learned about this internship from a professor of mine. It seemed like a very good opportunity to me, and I was tired of working in retail, so it felt like a necessary change. I was originally interested due to the more humane ways Lindsey captured and handled the fish. Additionally, being outside and hiking most days was very appealing to me.
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My name is Mia Bramante, and I am an intern at ACRC through Sealaska Heritage Institute. Over the course of my internship, I have gained a variety of skills and experiences in fieldwork, lab processing, and data entry. These experiences will benefit me in my future as I begin Marine Biology and Environmental Science courses at UCLA. The skills I have learned will be applicable in many of my classes and will allow me to enter with a solid background knowledge.
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I joined ACRC researcher John Harley at Auke Rec to prepare for an upcoming shellfish biomass survey along with ACRC intern Mia, ACRC volunteer Andrea, and John’s dog, Buck. The main objective of the day was to determine the upper clam boundary of the intertidal zone - in other words, the highest tide level where we could find clams. This boundary is used to inform the bi-annual biomass surveys for one of John’s research projects on paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).
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Join us in welcoming Marie Gutgesell! Marie joins the ACRC network as a postdoctoral fellow at the Juneau Forestry Sciences Laboratory. Learn more about her work and background in this short Q&A.
My name is Olivia Mills, and I am a Thunder Mountain High School senior interested in pursuing a career in biological sciences. I got the opportunity to work at the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center through a STEAM internship program geared towards Alaska native youth by the Sealaska Heritage Institute. The main idea or theme of the internship program was to show the students and help them better understand how Alaska native culture is woven into STEAM fields.
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My name is Elizabeth Bruch and I am going into my third year at UAS. I am pursuing a double major B.S. in Environmental Science and Mathematics. I got involved with ACRC through a classmate and my academic advisor, who both helped me to get this internship. I was first interested in working for ACRC because of their biogeochemistry-focused work. I took biogeochemistry last semester and I really enjoyed learning about how most of the processes on Earth work together and how everything cycles.
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Research Assistant Professor John Harley and undergraduate intern Kellie Blair traveled to Glacier Bay National Park to gain some insight into harmful algal blooms in the region. The pair collected butter clams to test for paralytic shellfish toxins that accumulate in shellfish during algal bloom events. These clams are an important diet item for humans and sea otters, and there is relatively little known about the presence of these toxins in the Bay. Harley is working on setting up a long-term monitoring program with the park to see when and where the blooms are occurring and if the bloom dynamics are shifting with the changing glacial landscape.
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