Project Manager

April Cook (M.S., 2012)
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Position: 
Project Manager for DEEPEND
Research Scientist

Education:
2012 M.S. Marine Science, College of William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
2000 B.S. Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University

Research Interests:
I am currently the Project Manager for the DEEPEND Consortium (www.deependconsortium.org), which is a five year project funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. As Project Manager, I organize field sampling activities, administrate program subawards, and organize consortium meetings and reporting activities. I also serve as a Research Scientist, assisting with deep-sea fish identification and distributional analyses. My main area of interest focuses on a group of deep-sea fishes called the swallowerfishes (Family: Chiasmodontidae). Their common name reflects their ability to swallow prey larger than themselves as shown in this image. My current work on this family focuses on the taxonomy, distribution, diet, and reproduction of the species collected from the Gulf of Mexico.

Research Assistants and Graduate Students 

Nina Pruzinsky (M.S., 2018)
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Position/Major: 
Research Assistant, Oceanic Ecology Lab, Seascape Ecology Lab, and Marine Microbiology & Genetics  Lab
Oceanic Ecology Lab Manager, DEEPEND Consortium

Education: 
2018 M.S. Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University
2015 B.S. Environmental Science with minors in Marine Science and Spanish, University of Delaware

Thesis: Identification and spatiotemporal dynamics of tuna (Family: Scombridae; Tribe: Thunnini) early life stages in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico

Research Interests:
I am interested in researching poorly-studied species/communities because my goal is to provide information to the public and conservation/management efforts to help maintain populations and overall large ecosystems. For my thesis, I examined the identification, faunal composition, and spatiotemporal distributions of larval and juvenile tunas (Family: Scombridae) in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) from 2010 to 2017. During my thesis, I developed a synthesis of the morphological characteristics used to identify the taxonomically challenging larval and juvenile tuna life stages. My thesis also increased the existing knowledge on the identification of juvenile tunas by identifying further resolution of species-specific body ratios of this life stage. Species-specific environmental preferences (e.g., salinity, chorophyll a, etc.) and seasonality were identified as the main drivers of tuna spatial distributions across the epipelagic GoM. Before starting at NSU, I interned in Dr. Mark Warner’s Algal Physiology Research Lab at the University of Delaware where I studied the growth patterns of various coral symbiodinium.

Currently, I am a Research Assistant and the Lab Manager in Dr. Sutton’s Oceanic Ecology Lab at NSU. I am continuing to work with the DEEPEND Consortium, investigating both tuna early life stages and deep-sea organisms. I helped Dr. Sutton lead DEEPEND’s DP06 research cruise in July (GoM, 2018) and a DEEP SEARCH cruise in September (Atlantic Ocean, 2018). I also manage the DEEPEND and NOAA NRDA ONSAP databases, manage sample collection/processing/storage, write and collate cruise reports, and participate in outreach/education activities. I am also mentoring the lab’s graduate students and volunteers. In Dr. Rosanna Milligan's Seascape Ecology Lab, I am continuing to conduct statistical analyses on DEEPEND data and researching life history traits used to identify solutions for creating functional groups of deep-sea fishes for ecosystem management purposes. Additionally, as a member of Dr. Joe Lopez's Marine Microbiology & Genetics Lab, I manage The Photosymbiotic Hub's database, sample collection and preservation, and shipment/tracking of our specimens for the Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Project.

Achievements/Awards:
Featured in Nova Southeastern University's newspaper, NSU leads research hub in symbiotic genome project (2020)
Biography included in the Twenty First Century Book, Into the Deep: Science, Technology, and the Quest to Protect the Ocean (2020)
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI) Scholar (2019)
Invited Speaker at the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference (2019)
DEEPEND Consortium/Rock the Ocean Travel Grant (2019)
Research Grant from the Southern Florida Chapter of the Explorers Club, Inc. (2017)
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Graduate Student Travel Grant (2017)
NSU Pan Student Government Association Professional Development Grant (2017)

Publications:

Pruzinsky, N.M., R.J. Milligan, and T.T. Sutton (2020) Pelagic habitat partitioning of late-larval and juvenile tunas in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico. Frontiers of Marine Science. 7:257. doi: 103389/fmars.202000257.

Cook, A.B., A.M. Bernard, K.M. Boswell, H. Bracken-Grissom, M. D'Elia, S. Derada, C.G. Easson, D. English, R.I. Eytan, T. Frank, C. Hu, M.W. Johnston, H. Judkins, C. Lembke, J.V. Lopez, R.J. Milligan, J.A. Moore, B. Penta, N.M. Pruzinsky, J.A. Quinlan, T. Richards, I.C. Romero, M.S. Shivji, M. Vecchione, M.D. Weber, R.J.D. Wells, and T.T. Sutton (2020) A Multidisciplinary Approach to Investigate Deep-Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico following Deepwater Horizon. Frontiers in Marine Science. 7:548880. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.548880

Berger, A.J., P. Blackwelder, T. Frank, T.T. Sutton, N.M. Pruzinsky, N. Slayden, and J.V. Lopez (2021) Microscopic and Genetic Characterization of Bacterial Bioluminescent Symbionts of the Gulf of Mexico Pyrosome, Pyrosoma atlanticum. Frontiers in Marine Science-Microbial Symbioses 8:606818. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.606818.

Vanda Carmo (M.S.)

Position/Major:
Ph.D. candidate at the University of the Azores
Marine Biology

Publications:
Carmo, V., T.T. Sutton, G.M. Menezes, T. Falkenhaug, and O.A. Bergstad (2015) Feeding ecology of the Stomiiformes (Pisces) of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. 1. The Sternoptychidae and Phosichthyidae. Progress in Oceanography 130: 172-187.

Estella Malca (M.S., 2014)
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Position/Major: 
Ph.D. candidate at Nova Southeastern University
Senior Research Associate at the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami

Education:
2014 M.S. Marine Science, University of Miami, RSMAS
2004 B.S. Biology, University of Miami, CAS

Research Interests:
My recent research encompasses the dynamics of the distribution, abundance, and larval growth of pelagic species, such as tunas and billfishes, in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent ecosystems within the Atlantic Ocean.

Recent Publications:
Suca, J.J., L.K. Rasmuson, E. Malca, T. Gerard, and J.T. Lamkin (2018) Characterizing larval swordfish habitat in the western tropical Atlantic. Fisheries Oceanography, 1-13.

Malca, E., B.A. Muhling, J. Franks, A. García, J. Tilley, T. Gerard, W. Ingram Jr, and J.T. Lamkin (2017) The first larval age and growth curve for bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) from the Gulf of Mexico: comparisons to the Straits of Florida, and the Balearic Sea (Mediterranean). Fisheries Research 190: 24-33.

Carrillo, L., J.T. Lamkin, E.M. Johns, L. Vásquez-Yeomans, F. Sosa-Cordero, E. Malca, R.H. Smith, and T. Gerald (2017) Linking oceanographic processes and marine resources in the western Caribbean Sea large marine ecosystem subarea. Environmental Development 22: 84-96.

Malca, E., L. Vásquez-Yeomans, C. Gonzalez, V. Gudiel-Corona, F.E. Sosa-Cordero, L. Carrillo, and M.J. González (2015) Capacity building in Marine Protected Areas and Connectivity in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System: larval fish recruitment. Proc. 67 Annual GCFI, 277-283.

Natalie Slayden
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Position/Major: 
Research Assistant, DEEPEND Consortium  
M.S. Marine Biology

Education:
2016 B.S. Biology: concentration in Marine Biology, Old Dominion University

Research Interests: 
I am interested in understanding the life history of deep-pelagic fishes. My thesis focuses on the age and growth of deep-pelagic fishes, with case studies of meso- and bathypelagic species from the Gulf of Mexico. Before starting at NSU, I received my B.S. in Marine Biology from Old Dominion University and worked in Dr. Mark Butler’s Marine Ecology Lab studying the effects of climate change on the PaV1 disease in juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobsters.  

Achievements/Awards:
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI) Scholar (2020)
NSU Pan Student Government Association Professional Development Grant (2019)
DEEPEND Consortium/Rock the Ocean Travel Grant (2019)

Publications:

Berger, A.J., P. Blackwelder, T. Frank, T.T. Sutton, N.M. Pruzinsky, N. Slayden, and J.V. Lopez (2021) Microscopic and Genetic Characterization of Bacterial Bioluminescent Symbionts of the Gulf of Mexico Pyrosome, Pyrosoma atlanticum. Frontiers in Marine Science-Microbial Symbioses 8:606818. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.606818.

Drew Mertzlufft
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Major: 
M.S. Marine Biology

Education:
2015 B.S. Marine Science, Biology Minor, Florida Gulf Coast University

Research Interests: 
I am interested in the taxonomy and classifications of fishes. Taxonomy is an ever-changing field, yet it serves as the groundwork for building various types of models used to monitor ecosystems. Classification methods/dichotomous keys are available for easily accessible species unlike deep-sea fishes and more specifically, juveniles. For this reason, I will be examining juvenile scorpaenids in order to create a dichotomous key for these undescribed life stages and will further investigate their spatial distributions for my thesis. Before studying at NSU, I interned at the FWRI satellite location in Port Charlotte, FL. I examined the diet composition of the common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) from two different populations in Charlotte Harbor. 

Brandon Brule
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Major: 
M.S. Marine Biology

Education: 
2017 B.S. Marine Biology, Marine Ecology Minor, Nova Southeastern University

Research Interests: 
I am interested in the ecology and conservation of fish in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones. My focus is studying the possible reasons for asynchronous diel vertical migration in mesopelagic fishes and how those reasons may interact with one another.

Rachel Eckley
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Major: 
M.S. Marine Biology

Education: 
2016 B.S. Marine Science and B.A. Spanish, Coastal Carolina University

Research Interests: 
I am interested in researching the ecology and structure of deep ecosystems. My thesis project involves the faunal composition, vertical distribution, and diet of whalefishes (suborder Stephanoberycoidei) in the bathypelagic Gulf of Mexico. The male, juvenile, and larval life forms of many whalefish species have yet to be described or properly classified. In my project I will be developing an identification guide that includes all whalefish life-history stages in order to aid in future identification purposes. Whalefishes have long been considered bathypelagic, however typical sampling methods of open net trawling make it impossible to determine capture depth. The specimens in this collection were captured in known discrete depths so I will be able to determine the vertical range of each species and life-history stage. Much of the necessary dietary information on whalefishes is unknown. By performing a gut content analysis, I will be able to determine the most recent prey items for each whalefish species and life-history stage. Before beginning my graduate studies at NSU, I studied Marine Science, the Spanish language, and Hispanic cultures at Coastal Carolina University.

Ryan McGonagle 
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Major: 
M.S Marine Science: concentration in Marine Biology 

Education: 
2017 B.S. Double major: Marine Science and Biology with a concentration in Integrated Organismal Biology, East Stroudsburg University

Research Interests: 
I have several interests in the field of ichthyology which include but are not limited to morphology, ecology, and taxonomy of fishes. For my thesis, I plan to study the trophic ecology and functional morphology of  Scaleless Black Dragonfishes. I will be examining feeding morphology and relating this to prey composition and predator preference. Before beginning my M.S. at NSU, I conducted undergraduate shark research in Assateague, VA surveying seasonal abundance of shark populations with Dr. Dominique Didier of Millersville University.

Jacob Norry
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Major: 
M.S Marine Biology 

Education: 
2018 B.S. Double major: Marine Science and Biology, Geology Minor, University of Miami

Research Interests: 
I am interested in the morphology, taxonomy, and ecology of deep-sea fishes to further our fundamental understanding of our planet’s last frontier, as well as show the stretch of anthropogenic effects on the ocean. Recent findings suggest a majority of global fish biomass exists in the deep sea, but the food web of this environment remains unresolved. I am studying the distribution and diet of the family of deep-sea bigscales, Melamphaidae,  found in the Gulf of Mexico. Bigscales are an abundant and frequently caught group, but the lack of empirical study results in a regularly disputed classification based entirely on morphology. Additionally, there is evidence that Melamphaidae may consume gelatinous organisms currently seen as a ‘trophic dead end.’ By using gut content analysis, describing and analyzing diet components, and describing melamphaid fishes’ digestive morphology, I aim to resolve melamphaid niches and compare the expression of ecological character traits to the current melamphaid taxonomy. Before starting at NSU, I received my B.S. in Marine and Atmospheric Science from the University of Miami and was a TA for Minerology, and Scanning Electron Microscopy courses. During the last two summers of my undergraduate career, I researched patterns of tooth replacement in fishes at Cornell University under Dr. William Bemis and worked at the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates.

Madeline Eaton
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Major: 
M.S Marine Biology 

Education: 
2017 B.S. Major: Biology, Environmental Studies Minor, Manchester University

Research Interests: 
I am interested in the ecology of deep-sea fishes and their habitat as well as potential conservation efforts. I am studying the spatial distribution of the genus Cyclothone, which are small, bristlemouth fishes, in the Gulf of Mexico. Although these fishes are known for their high abundance in trawls from waters across the globe, their distribution in the Gulf of Mexico is poorly described. Upon analysis of their morphological features and spatial distribution in the water, I aim to provide baseline information in order to observe changes in their distribution and abundance over time. Before attending NSU, I studied at Manchester University where I received my bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies. 

Kimberly Schmutz
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Major: 
M.S Marine Biology 

Education: 
2018 B.S. Major: Marine Biology and Environmental Studies/Sustainability, College of Charleston

Research Interests: 
I am interested in understanding the trophic dynamics and ecology of deep-sea ecosystems. My thesis focuses on the diet of several anglerfish species by conducting gut content analysis as well as investigating the role lures play in attracting different prey types. In my project I will also be investigating feeding patterns between male and females due to the lack of data while addressing whether males feed at any stage of their life. Before beginning my graduate studies at NSU, I studied at the College of Charleston investigating life history dynamics of coastal estuarine fish under the guidance of Dr. Gorka Sancho and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.