Experiences

Living Blue Michelle Carpenter

Marine Biology Video Content Intern

May 2024 – March 2025

I accepted an offer for a remote internship position from Dr. Michelle Carpenter, a marine biologist, Honorary Research Affiliate at the University of Cape Town, and a Principal Collaborator with The Manta Trust. Using the scientific footage collected by Dr. Carpenter, I independently produced educational videos about marine biology and conservation, and shared them through online platforms. Primarily, the videos were posted on her YouTube channel, “Living Blue Michelle Carpenter”, and then promoted on social media to reach a broader audience. The majority of the videos created used GoPro footage captured within the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, during Dr. Carpenter’s PhD research on manta and devil rays. However, my final video concluding my internship presents Dr. Carpenter’s journey as an oceanography professor sailing on a 112-ft schooner through Seamester, where she and her shipmates sailed from the British Virgin Islands across the Atlantic Ocean to the Azores. Check out the video below!

The final video I edited showcasing Michelle Carpenter sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the British Virgin Islands to the Azores.

Tropical Marine Ecology – Winter in Jamaica Program

Student/Researcher

January 2nd – 17th, 2026

I was fortunate enough to be a participant in the Winter in Jamaica Program in Stony Brook University. During this time, my colleagues and I extensively studied Jamaica’s tropical marine ecosystems at the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory (DBML). The DBML is a research facility of the University of the West Indies, located directly next to a fringing reef, sea grass meadows, and mangrove forests. Along with several lectures and demonstrations, I was constantly immersed in the coastal waters while snorkeling, which was important for collecting and analyzing data on different species of fish, invertebrates, and algae. Later, after mastering my species identifications and course materials, I used this knowledge to conduct and present research projects, requiring field observations and data collection and analysis. Our research set out to update our database about the distribution and abundance of the inhabiting species within the different underwater terrains, involving several line transect surveys.

My two colleagues and I (left) after completing a snorkeling trip for data collection.

Atlantic Marine Conservation Society

Environmental Education Intern

January 2026 – May 2026

I served the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS) as an environmental education intern. AMSEAS is a non-profit organization situated in Westhampton Beach, NY, and is dedicated to promote conservation through action, specifically regarding marine mammals and sea turtles. AMSEAS does so in several ways and I played a crucial role in each action needed by the facility. First and foremost, in order for marine animals to be conserved, the public needs to understand the threats which they face, why conservation is important, and how we can have positive interactions with them. During my internship, making connections with individuals during public events was my primary responsibility, which helped with spreading awareness about our coastal ecosystems and with ensuring a reason to care more. Next, AMSEAS is often most known for their role in marine mammal and sea turtle stranding responses, for which I was also involved in. When there is a report of a deceased marine mammal or sea turtle, the stranding response team is sent out to assess the reasoning for the stranding via necropsy, which is important data to have for determining what mitigation measures are needed for proper conservation. Research and health assessments of seals are prominent, where members like myself were involved by recording data on seals at their known haul-out sites. These assessments were also great for hosting public beach cleanup events which was a valuable means for teaching them about what we were doing and the importance of conservation. As an environmental education intern, I was in charge of leading the last seal walk event of the season, and assisted with the tours of our facility after the event, which helped further the publics interest. Last but not least, I was heavily involved with providing husbandry services for 25 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles within our facility, the most critically endangered sea turtle species in the world. I am grateful for my time there and to have been present for the turtle release operation in April 2026, which I assisted in the preparation and transportation of the turtles from the facility to the plane, where they were then flown to Georgia to be released in warmer waters.