April Cook (M.S., 2012) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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.

Publications:

Cook, A.B., Bernhard, A.M., Boswell, K.M., Bracken-Grissom, H., D'Elia, M., deRada, S. et al. (2020). A multidisciplinary approach to investigate deep-pelagic ecosystem dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico following Deepwater Horizon. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:548880. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.548880

Frank, T.M., Fine, C.D., Burdett, E.A., Cook, A.B., & Sutton, T.T. (2020). The vertical and horizontal distribution of deep-sea crustaceans in the Order Euphausiacea in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:99. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00099

Moore, J.A., Fenolio, D.B., Cook, A.B., & Sutton, T.T. (2020). Hiding in plain sight: Elopomorph larvae are important contributors to fish biodiversity in a low-latitude oceanic ecosystem. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:169. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00169

Richards, T.M., Gipson, E.E., Cook, A., Sutton, T.T., & Wells, R.J.D. (2018). Trophic ecology of meso- and bathypelagic predatory fishes in the Gulf of Mexico. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 76(3):662-672. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy074

Burdett, E.A., Fine, C.D., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., & Frank, T.M. (2017). Geographic and depth distributions, ontogeny, and reproductive seasonality of decapod shrimps (Caridea: Oplophoridae) from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Bull. Mar. Sci. 93(3):743–767. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2016.1083

Judkins, H., Vecchione, M., Cook, A., & Sutton, T. (2017). Diversity of midwater cephalopods in the northern Gulf of Mexico: comparison of two collecting methods. Mar. Biodiv. 47(3):647-657. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-016-0597-8

Mohan, J.A., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., Boswell, K.M., & David Wells, R.J. (2017). Influence of oceanographic conditions on abundance and distribution of post-larval and juvenile carangid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fish. Oceanogr. 26(5):526-541. https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12214

D'Elia, M., Warren, J.D., Rodriguez-Pinto, I., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., & Boswell, K.M. (2016). Diel variation in the vertical distribution of deep-water scattering layers in the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Res. PT I. 115, 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.05.014

Judkins, H., Cook, A.B., Sutton, T.T., & Vecchione, M. (2016). Diversity of midwater cephalopods in the northern Gulf of Mexico: comparison of two collecting methods. Mar. Biodiv. https://doi.org/10-1007/s12526-016-0597-8

Vecchione, M., Falkenhaug, T., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., Gislason, A., Hansen, H.Ø. et al. (2015). The effect of the North Atlantic Subpolar Front as a boundary in pelagic biogeography decreases with increasing depth and organism size. Prog. Oceanogr. 138(A):105-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2015.08.006

Cook, A.B., Sutton, T.T., Galbraith, J.K., & Vecchione, M. (2013). Deep-pelagic (0–3000 m) fish assemblage structure over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the area of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II 98:279–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2012.09.003

Emma Schindler Major:  M.S Marine Science Education:  2022 B.A. in Art History, minor in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida Research Interests:  I am interested in biological oceanography at large, including topics like nutrient cycling and food chain dynamics. Currently, I am studying the trophic ecology and functional morphology of Nemichthyidae (snipe eels). My goal is that no matter what I work on, it is always promoting the appreciation and conservation of the ocean.

Bianca Ruiz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Position:  Lab Manager/Graduate Assistant II Major:  M.S Marine Science Education:  2024 B.S. in Animal Sciences, specialization in Behavior and Welfare, University of Florida Research Interests:  I am interested in assessing the human dimensions of coastal and marine environments to understand the impacts of human activity on ecosystem health and species populations. This research aims to inform the development of effective natural resource management plans for protected areas.