Research
I conduct and support research in the ocean sciences and product design. This allows a wider audience to understand the insights of the research which can lead to change through policy, design, and development. I also collect data, both in the biological and social sciences. Sometimes this means developing new equipment and adapting new methods to collect survey data, as I led and conducted underwater surveys for STINAPA and Reefcheck. I also do statistical analysis of data collected, both in the traditional sciences and as a part of product design. Publication of research is an important contribution to the wider body of knowledge and it’s a way I help further our scientific understanding of the world we live in. The rigor necessary in formal research helps me draw meaningful and logical conclusions from the informal user studies I regularly conduct as part of my product design work.
University of Queensland
Communication of results often takes the form of visualizing data through graphing and illustration as I show in these examples from collaborations with the University of Queensland. This work centers on fisheries efficiency and reducing bycatch. These graphs were made in R Studio and then imported into a vector editing program (Illustrator and Affinity) for the final layout.
Human Health
In collaboration with Shark Stewards I authored a paper on the presence of methyl mercury in food, investigating a discrepancy in blood mercury levels between asian decedents in San Francisco and Hong Kong. My work begin with an analysis of a data set on methyl mercury in dried fish from markets in San Francisco and Hong Kong. This required a literature review of the existing of mercury in human health studies (which are extensive), a statistical analysis on the data set collected for this study, and a discussion on the significance of our findings.
Photogrammetry
A camera based survey method I’ve employed for studies on the coast of California and in the Caribbean. Study design is an interesting extension of my product design work, requiring the development of new materials and methods for the collection of Data. For my research with STINAPA in Bonaire, I designed and built a camera rig, survey markers, and a swim method to geo-reference the scans. I designed and led the collection of the largest photogrammetry dataset in the Caribbean. Just managing this much data is enough work, but processing and distributing this much data, and doing so in a remote location for an organization with limited resources was an unexpectedly difficult and rewarding journey.
Illustration
Often my skillset is useful for communication to a wider audience. Here illustrations can help to tell a story about a complex plan or across multiple studies. I work with the stakeholders of the project or research to craft the story they wish to supplement with illustrations taking in mind the audience they wish to communicate to. This can be other researchers, funders, or the general public. The goal is typically to simplify a story so that the main idea can be communicated quickly which is important in a competitive landscape.
