Marissa Baskett
Dr. Marissa Baskett

International Women's Day 2020

International Women's Day 2020

We would run out of space long before we could ever fully chronicle the extraordinary achievements and contributions of women in the fields of science and education, to UC Davis, and to the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute. But we're still going to try. In honor of International Women's Day, we'd like to introduce a sampling of the many amazing female faculty, students, and staff who are making a difference, each in her own unique, wonderful, and fearless way.

Marissa BaskettMarissa Baskett, Ph.D.

Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis and Associate Director of Research Initiatives at CMSI

In her research, Dr. Marissa Baskett uses mathematical models to explore the drivers of adaptation and resilience to environmental change, including human-driven change, in marine systems and how management might affect that adaptive capacity.  Example applications include marine reserve design and monitoring, approaches to reducing unintended consequences of captive breeding, and approaches to enhancing population and ecosystem persistence under climate change for systems such as coral reefs.

International Women's Day and its importance to Marissa:

"Occasions like International Women’s Day always cause me to reflect on how I have been able to have the amazing opportunities I’ve had thanks to all of the women who have broken barriers and paved the way for others to follow.  And that reflection inevitably leads to reflection on the memory of two extraordinary leaders in marine science, Drs. Ruth Gates and Susan Williams. Both of these fearless women advanced our fundamental understanding of marine systems, passionately connected their science to serving the public and informing conservation management, and dedicated themselves to mentoring and supporting the next generation of scientists.  Their enduring legacy will always serve as inspiration, and we miss them more than words can express."

Anne TodghamAnne Todgham, Ph.D.

CMSI Associate Director of Academic Programs

Dr. Anne Todgham is the Associate Director of Academic Programs and was recently named a Chancellor’s Fellow. She is one of 12 UC Davis faculty chosen this year from diverse fields of study across the university.  The Chancellor’s Fellows program identifies exceptional early career faculty members and Anne was recognized for her strong research accomplishments focusing on the physiology of marine and aquatic organisms from California to Antarctica.

Watch a recent interview clip from the BBC World News featuring Anne and her colleague Amy Moran focusing on the stress placed on sea creatures by rising water temperatures in Antarctica.

Anne Todgham

 

Carina FishCarina Fish

Geology doctoral student in the Hill Ocean Climate Lab group at UCD's Bodega Marine Laboratory

Carina studies deep-sea corals to unlock the stories they hold of modern and past oceanographic change. She seeks to understand how humans are impacting the ocean (and in particular, the waters below the surface). To do so, her dissertation work tracks human-induced changes to the deep-sea by looking at the chemical composition of coral skeletons, their food source, and the water itself. Corals record in their skeletons the environment in which they grew and the food they ate, thus they are excellent recorders of changes to the water they are bathed in and any changes to their food source that lives at the surface. Specifically, Carina seeks to quantify the perturbation of ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and changes in temperature to deep-sea communities along the Californian margin. As an NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar, her research centers on Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (due West of UCD) to help inform the management about the history of the new deep-water habitat as of the 2015 sanctuary expansion.

A champion of environmental justice, Carina is passionate about science communication and delights in its creativity. As a Ford Foundation fellow and NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar, Carina is committed to supporting underrepresented students in STEM and promoting the next generation of marine stewards. While Carina has had the privilege of participating in sea-going expeditions since 2012, she particularly enjoys her doctoral research cruises that pass underneath the Golden Gate Bridge dozens of times yearly. When not at sea or in the lab, she can be found dancing lindy hop in Golden Gate Park or hiking in North Bay with her husky.

Carina Fish
Photo by Kaitlyn Becker

 

Mandy RousseauMandy Rousseau

Staff advisor for the Marine and Coastal Science major

Mandy Rousseau loves the opportunity to support students in their growth as marine scientists. She utilizes strengths-based advising and positive psychology to help students reach their goals and develop as engaged scientists and citizens. In her spare time, she likes to travel, cook, and walk her dog. 

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