By: Becky Scott, PhD student
Many moons ago, marine scientists from the USF College of Marine Science and the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWRI) met for breakfast at Panera Bread in St. Petersburg. Their conversation focused on the value of a joint education and research program between the marine science graduate students at the College and the professional science agencies located within a stone’s throw from campus, such as FWRI. One result of this – and several other early morning meetings – was the Marine Resource Assessment (MRA) concentration, which celebrates its 13th birthday this year.
The MRA Program: Inception and Evolution
Around the same time as Panera was enjoying repeat visits by the marine science cohort, staff at NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the agency that manages federal fisheries in the United States, observed a trend that didn’t sit well with them: The number of scientists retiring from the likes of NOAA far exceeded the number of newbies entering the field, particularly those with quantitative skills related to NOAA’s missions. In an effort to cultivate the next generation of quantitatively trained fisheries scientists, NMFS submitted a report to Congress outlining the need for a collaboration between academia and government agencies that would train and produce the next generation of fisheries scientists.
Following this report Congress granted NOAA NMFS funding to establish what would become the QUEST, or Quantitative Ecology and Socioeconomics Training, program. As stated on its website the QUEST program “supports educating and training the next generation of stock assessment scientists, ecosystem scientists, and economists.” These three career fields are considered “mission critical for NOAA Fisheries and effective living marine resource management.”
After a successful proposal submission, the College of Marine Science was selected as one of a handful of QUEST schools nationwide. The College used the funding to develop the MRA program, supporting faculty and graduate students studying living marine resource management and the creation of coursework in quantitative marine ecology.
In order to train students to be the next generation of marine scientists who were ready to join the ranks of agencies such as NOAA NMFS or FWRI following graduation, USF faculty designed core courses for the MRA program that enhance the quantitative skills relevant to the QUEST program. These core courses distinguish the MRA concentration from another related but different USF degree concentration, Biological Oceanography. MRA students take courses in Fish Biology, Fish Population Dynamics, Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems, and Applied Multivariate Statistics. There are also additional MRA-focused elective courses, such as Marine Ecosystem Modeling and workshops for coding in relevant computer languages. Some MRA courses have been developed and instructed in conjunction with NOAA experts, and strive to prepare course graduates to effectively address issues concerning the sustainability of living marine resources.
In addition to the required coursework, MRA students formulate thesis or dissertation research topics that consider interactions between humans and living marine resources (e.g. fish, habitats), and how these interactions may influence species or ecosystems. Because findings from this type of research generally have important implications for how living marine resources are managed, the program often allows for MRA students to interact and collaborate with professional scientists at one or more state and federal agencies. These connections made during their graduate program have been instrumental in landing MRA students jobs with these agencies or in other areas of their desired field following graduation.
The MRA Dossier
The MRA program, which is about to enter its 13th year, has graduated 43 students to date. Two-thirds of MRA students earn a master’s degree and the remainder earn a doctoral degree. Of these graduates, 45% have moved on to work for government agencies, 30% continued in academia (as continuing students or as faculty), and 25% work in private-sector environmental jobs. As was the original goal of the MRA program, many alums have landed full-time jobs at NOAA offices all over the country and are using their quantitative skills to manage a variety of federal fisheries. MRA students have generally represented about 30% of the student body within the College of Marine Science, and at any given time there are around four graduate students fully supported on the fellowships provided by QUEST funds. Students have tackled topics such as oil toxicology, ecosystem modeling, larval fish dispersal, habitat associations, fish stock assessment, and movement ecology. MRA students have also been highly successful in attaining other scholarship support, presenting at international conferences, and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. (See the Q&As with MRA alums below!)
MRA students conducting a Red Snapper fecundity analysis as part of their research in the lab managed by Chris Stallings, PhD. From left to right: Marcia Campbell, Julie Vecchio, Garrett Miller, Michael Schram
“The success of graduates from the MRA program is not only because of the highly specialized training they receive, but also because of the broad foundational knowledge instilled in all College of Marine Science graduate students,” said Ernst Peebles, PhD, director of the MRA program and one of the USF masterminds who was there for those early year breakfast meetings. While MRA may be their concentration, students earn their degree in marine science by tackling a curriculum that requires completion of the four cores: physical, chemical, geological, and biological oceanography. Because of this oceanography-focused degree, MRA graduates have a broad perspective of ocean sciences and are oceanographers in addition to experts in living resource management, setting them apart from graduates of many other quantitative fisheries programs nationwide, Peebles said.
Anchors Aweigh!
“The MRA program has a lot of momentum behind it now,” said Peebles. USF continues to receive funding from the NOAA QUEST program, and more and more prospective students are applying every year. So many students, in fact, that there are more students interested in the MRA program than can be supported by the funding and marine science faculty.
”Continuing to support and evolve the MRA program is crucial as it produces research and scientists that help to manage marine resources responsibly,” Peebles said, especially as the world faces so many grand challenges such as a global protein shortage. Moving forward the MRA program team at USF plans to expand its scope to include research on non-living marine resources, such as offshore oil and gas exploration and deep sea mineral extraction so that USF can be on the forefront of managing these resources responsibly as well.
Enjoy these Q&As with MRA alums:
Claire Crowley (MS, 2012, first MRA graduate!)
Q. Why did you choose the MRA program at USF?
The MRA program was in its infancy when I was first considering graduate school. At the time I was working at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and was hoping to attend school while continuing to work. I have always appreciated the interdisciplinary format that the College of Marine Science provides. The MRA program provided the perfect opportunity to continue my education in fisheries research and work directly with many talented scientists at both USF and FWRI.
Q. How influential was the MRA training in your success finding a job?
MRA training for both my masters and doctoral degrees has been paramount to my continued success at FWRI. It provided a comprehensive understanding of why and how we manage marine fisheries. I have been able to directly apply many of those lessons to my research and effectively communicate the science to our managers.
Q. What is your job now, and what do you like about it?
I am currently/still working at FWRI (almost 12 years now). I have held several positions at the institute, and I am currently an Associate Research Scientist. I have been fortunate to have worked on many research projects in the crustacean fisheries program, and now oversee all our blue crab and horseshoe crab research. I also work actively in stone crab fisheries research, as a continuation of my dissertation work. I love the diversity of my job: it ranges from writing, data analyses, project oversight, field work, and working directly with managers of FL and interstate fisheries.
Q. What advice would you give prospective students considering the MRA program, and those in the MRA program now?
My advice to prospective and current MRA students is to get as much exposure as possible to the agencies or programs you hope to be part of after graduation. Nothing can replace hands-on, real world experience, in conjunction with your academic career. I did not have a traditional graduate school experience, as I was not working directly in a faculty member’s lab. However, I think there is a lot of non- academic experiences you can and should take advantage of while you are in school. Get involved in student committees, outreach, teaching opportunities, lectures, and social engagements! It is a great way to network and build a community around you that you can lean on. Don’t forget to take care of yourself mentally and physically. Graduate school is tough!
Q. List of hobbies/interests
I love nature, whether it is backpacking or gardening. Any time that I am outside is time well spent! I love to backpack with my fiancé (especially out west), traveling, cooking, baking, cycling, spending time with friends and family, being on the water, and being with my animals – well any animals really, I also volunteer at Friends of Strays.
Q. Anything else?
Fun fact- if I am remembering correctly, I was the first MRA degree at USF.
Brock Houston (MS, 2015)
Q. Why did you choose the MRA program at USF?
As an undergrad, I had taken an internship in Dr. Mark Peterson’s Fisheries Ecology lab at the Gulf Coast Research Lab assisting in a study of the effects of urbanization on salt marsh ecosystems in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. This was in 2010, which of course was the same year of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. I already wanted to continue into grad school studying anthropogenic impacts on coastal ecosystems and fisheries, and I heard on the news that the College of Marine Science was receiving funding from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. Dr. Peterson referred me to Dr. Ernst Peebles to approach him about becoming a part of his lab. Ernst offered me a position studying otolith microchemistry of inshore species potentially affected by the oil spill, and I jumped at the chance.
Q. How influential was the MRA training in your success finding a job?
The MRA program was critical to my success finding a job. I currently work in the water technology industry. My current position isn’t directly related to fisheries research, but I constantly use the knowledge and training I received from the classes I took at USF, such as physical and chemical oceanography. But beyond classroom knowledge, I got a lot of practical knowledge – how academia works and how it receives funding, how to grow and maintain a network of colleagues, how to think about data, analyze it, and understand its uses and real-world limitations.
Aside from just knowledge, the relationships I built while in the MRA program were invaluable. Ernst is a great mentor and a wealth of knowledge. He was a huge influence on my career and personal growth while at USF. And I also have to give a shout out to Mark Luther for helping me get the job at Xylem-YSI as well!
Q. What is your job now, and what do you like about it?
I am currently a Sales Engineer at Xylem-YSI. Essentially I travel around the East Coast helping researchers and environmental managers with the technical aspects of their water monitoring projects. It usually involves setting up stations or buoys to collect data on water quality, currents, waves, tidal fluctuations, etc. I work with a wide variety of scientists and environmental managers in academia, government agencies, and private industry. I really enjoy it! I am not directly involved in research anymore, but I can speak the language and understand people’s needs and limitations when it comes to planning their research project. I’ve learned a lot about the technology used in data collection and continue to learn and grow in my position.
Q. What advice would you give prospective students considering the MRA program, and those in the MRA program now?
- Early on, Dr. Mya Breitbart gave us some of the best advice I received during my three years there – “Drink beers with your peers”. Not as an advertisement for alcohol, but more as advice that it’s important to lean on your fellow students who are going through the same struggles as you. Grad school is hard! Sometimes you have to just vent to each other over a beer (or coffee, or tea, whatever your preference) and remember that you aren’t experiencing the mental and emotional stress in a vacuum.
- Toward the end of my time at USF, I focused my career search on jobs that were directly related to fisheries research in places I was familiar with – NOAA, FWC, and other universities. It wasn’t until I was told by Mark there was an opening at YSI that I even considered going into the private sector. I think a lot of grad students at CMS focus on doing the things they need to do to get to the next level of academia – getting a PhD, a post-doctoral position, a professorship. If that is what you ultimately want to do, that’s great! But for others like me for whom academia isn’t necessarily the optimal path, I would just suggest looking around more for career opportunities of which you might not be aware.
Q. List of hobbies/interests
Well most people who love fisheries research love fishing itself, and I’m no different. My boat takes up a lot of my time (and money) these days!
Michelle Masi (PhD, 2016)
Past and current members of the lab managed by Cameron Ainsworth, PhD, one of the faculty who manage the Marine Resources Assessment (MRA) program. Michelle Masi is on the far right.
Q. Why did you choose the MRA program at USF?
As a St. Pete native, a major reason I chose the MRA program was actually because I hate the commute to Tampa and it was the only doctoral program available in St. Pete. As a mother of small children, not having to waste 2 hours in a car, commuting every day to Tampa was a major driving factor - seriously! Another reason was that I am not your typical scientist-type. I hate sitting in labs, hate sample collection, hate microscopes, etc. I am a natural, problem solver and I LOVE math and critical thinking! So, in addition to the dream commute, the quantitative MRA program seemed like the perfect fit for my skillset and personality.
Q. How influential was the MRA training in your success finding a job?
Honing my quantitative skillset, and focusing my research on addressing relevant fisheries management issues, really helped me establish skills that made me a competitive candidate in the job arena, post-graduation. Another major benefit of the College of Marine Science is the proximity to research affiliates, such as NOAA, FWRI, USF St. Pete, USGS and the US Coast Guard. Having research partners as neighbors provides two great benefits to CMS students: (1) it provides collaborative research opportunities, that allow you to develop your graduate research projects into practical masterpieces that are applicable even outside of academia (e.g. to NOAA), and (2) it provides an excellent opportunity to intern and gain hands-on job experience. Both are crucial for landing a job outside of academia, post-graduation.
Q. What is your job now, and what do you like about it?
I work as a fisheries research biologist at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Galveston, Texas. My primary task is working as the lead stock assessment analyst for Pink, White, and Brown Shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico. I truly enjoy the challenges of stock assessment modeling, though I admit that it had to grow on me. I hated it with a passion at first! Stock assessments can often become very tedious work, and sometimes we (stock assessment analysts) can get so consumed by the details that we lose sight of the end-goal. Also, using mathematical models to understand complex processes can lead to very heated debates. However, the parts I love most are of course the problem-solving aspect, but also working with stakeholders and the Gulf Council to progress our understanding of the population dynamics of Gulf shrimp.
Q. What advice would you give prospective students considering the MRA program, and those in the MRA program now?
Absolutely, you should strongly consider the College of Marine Science! Of course everyone's story and experiences are different. For me though, the time I spent there encompasses some of my fondest memories. Being a smaller campus, I loved the community feel. I loved that everyone knows everyone, and the teachers and staff really made an effort to make you feel welcome and connected. I loved that I could teach, intern and collaborate with NOAA/FWRI staff easily and effectively. Most of all I loved my advisor - Cameron Ainsworth, he is the absolute best!! In the end, I learned so much, progressed so much, and gained the confidence I needed to become a successful USF College of Marine Science graduate.
Q. List of hobbies/interests
Children - 4 of them. Is that a hobby? It seems that it should be, since I have so many!
Q. Anything else you’d like to add about your time in the MRA program?
My time at CMS was littered with challenges, but it was also fun and mostly enjoyable. I vividly remember failing a test and turning 30 all in the same week, and how I cried hysterically because of both. But it is the memories like that one that I can look back on now and laugh at. During the challenging times it was the mentors/professors and my peers who encouraged me to carry on, to build off each lesson learned, and grow into the professional I am today. For that I am eternally grateful to each and every one of them!