Recipients are researching strategies for improving sustainable management of large marine fish and sharks
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at conserving the marine environment, has awarded the Guy Harvey Scholarship Award to six graduate students from Florida universities.
The 2017 recipients are Nicholas Ducharme-Barth from University of Florida, Meaghan Faletti and Elizabeth Herdter from University of South Florida and Bryan Keller, Brian Moe and Cheston Peterson from Florida State University. Each student receives a $5,000 scholarship to support their individual academic programs as well as a certificate designed and signed by world-renowned marine wildlife artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey.
âThrough their research, these students will have a lasting and significant impact on our ocean ecosystem,â said Dr. Harvey. âWe congratulate them for what theyâve already accomplished and look forward to the work they will do in the future.â
The Guy Harvey Scholarship Award was established in 2010 through a partnership between Florida Sea Grant and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation to recognize graduate students at Florida universities whose research focuses on the biology, ecology, habitat or management of fish in Floridaâs marine environment. Since its inception, 41 students have received $194,000 in scholarships.
Synopsis of Scholarship Recipients
University of Florida
Nicholas Ducharme-Barth from Fredericksburg, Va. is a doctoral student in the fisheries and aquatic sciences program within the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at UF. His research focuses on using spatial information associated with the Vessel Monitoring System data to gain a better understanding of the commercial reef fish fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.
University of South Florida
Meaghan Faletti from Ocoee, Fla. is a graduate student at USF studying marine science with research focused on investigating the movement of hogfish in the Gulf of Mexico as they age from juveniles to adults. Elizabeth Herdter from New Milford, Conn. is a doctoral student in the marine resource assessment program at USFâs College of Marine Science. Her research is focused on evaluating age structure, growth patterns and abundance of juvenile spotted seatrout less than one year old.
Florida State University
Bryan Keller from Tucson, Ariz. is a doctoral student at FSU studying biological oceanography, with research focused on the seasonal migrations of coastal sharks. Brian Moe from Bloomington, Minn., also a doctoral student at FSU, studies biological science and his dissertation is focused on filling information gaps regarding the life history and population dynamics of deep-water shark species. Cheston Peterson from Knoxville, Tenn., also a doctoral student at FSU, studies biological science and his research is focused on the study of how medium-sized predators make decisions about how to move and where to go based on the locations of their prey and predators.
About the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation
The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at conserving the marine environment. The GHOF also funds affiliated researchers working to better understand our ocean ecosystem and educators helping to foster the next era of marine conservationists. The GHOF will help ensure that future generations can enjoy and benefit from a properly balanced ocean ecosystem. For more information, visit www.guyharvey.com/ocean-foundation
About Guy Harvey
Guy Harvey is a unique blend of artist, scientist, diver, angler, conservationist and explorer, fiercely devoted to his family and his love of the sea. His childhood passion for the ocean and its living creatures not only inspired him to draw, but fueled a burning interest that prompted a formal education in marine science. Having graduated with honors in Marine Biology from Aberdeen University in Scotland in 1977, Guy returned home to Jamaica to resume his education, earning his Ph.D. from the University of the West Indies in 1984. Though he gave up a budding career as a marine biologist for that of a highly acclaimed artist, Guy has continued his relentless pursuit to unravel the mysteries of the sea, traveling the world to better understand the habits and habitats of the marine wildlife he paints. For more information, please visit www.guyharvey.com. Follow Guy on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DrGuyHarvey, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DrGuyHarvey, connect on Instagram at www.instagram.com/drguyharvey, and tune in to see Guyâs latest expeditions on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/DrGuyHarvey.