JISAO is excited to announce the start of our 2020 undergraduate internship program. Our ten students “arrived” on Monday, June 22, and are now working on remote research projects with scientists at the University of Washington and NOAA. Following the nine-week program each student will make a virtual presentation on Thursday, August 20, 2020.

2020 JISAO Research Interns

Katline Barrows – University of Puget Sound

Katline is a junior majoring in Biology and Environmental Policy. This summer she’ll be working on Cook Inlet beluga hexacopter photogrammetry with JISAO’s Christy Sims at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

• Katline comes from a military family (US Coast Guard). She’s lived in seven places, spanning both coasts of US and in Europe.
• The DC area is the most inland she’s ever lived.
• “At the start of my previous internship I was intimidated to even look at a power tool. Now I’m extremely comfortable handling power tools and only need a little help starting up a chainsaw!” (Ask to see photos of Katline wielding a huge chainsaw.)

Cassondra DeFoor – University of Nevada, Reno

Cassondra is a senior majoring in Chemistry with and environmental emphasis. This summer she will be working on phytoplankton dynamics in the Arctic with Dr. Lisa Eisner and Dr. Jens Nielsen at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

• Cassondra has travelled to eight different countries.
• She’s a double major in chemistry and Spanish.
• “I love to cook and bake!”

Jesus Espinoza – University of California, Merced

Jesus is a junior majoring in Biology. This summer he is working on the efficiency of carbon respiration and the recycling of trace metals by heterotrophic bacteria with Dr. Randie Bundy in the UW School of Oceanography.

• Jesus has a hobby in photography focusing on cityscapes and portraits.
• He’s a huge Pokemon fan.
• He loves playing video games to pass time.

Bria Goldade – North Dakota State University

Bria is a junior majoring in Geology. This summer she’ll be working on rainfall data from satellites over the Caribbean/Central American/East Pacific region with JISAO’s Dr. Yolande Serra.

• All of Bria’s hobbies revolve around getting into the mountains. She loves climbing, hiking, backpacking, trail running, and just hanging out in a hammock to take in the view.
• While backpacking in Alaska with her brothers they lost the trail and arrived home a day late. They received rescue tracking devices for Christmas the next year. “My navigation skills have improved since then!”
• She can fall asleep anywhere. Thankfully she has not fallen asleep during any of her courses.

Haley Staudmyer – University of Washington

Haley is a junior majoring in atmospheric sciences. She’ll be working with UW’s Dr. Tom Ackerman researching tropical cirrus clouds.

• Haley collects coffee mugs. It’s been a long time since she’s done an accurate count, but she has somewhere around 180 mugs.
• She’s an officer of a casual gaming club on UW campus because she loves modern board games. “There’s a huge world beyond Monopoly – I even own one board game where players take the role of energy companies trying to keep CO2 levels under a certain amount.”
• She’s a huge dog person, and in a few weeks her family is bringing home a puppy!

Zoë Stroobosscher – Calvin University

Zoë is a junior majoring in Biochemistry. She’ll be working with Dr. Kyla Drushka with the UW Applied Physics Laboratory to observe changes in Pacific Ocean oxygen with Argo floats.

• Zoë has dual citizenship.
• She’s learning to speak German and Arabic.
• She brews her own beer and kombucha.

Yoana Torres – Heritage University

Yoana is a junior majoring in Biomedical Science. This summer Yoana will be working on fisheries monitoring and analysis with Dr. Brian Mason and Jennifer Cahalan from the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

• Yoana graduated high school with her AA degree.
• She is a first generation college student.
• She loves drawing in her free time.

Victoria Trejo – California State University, Chico

Victoria is a senior majoring in Biology. She’ll be working with Dr. Peter Gaube at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory focusing on the diversity of mesopelagic fish in the North Atlantic.

• Victoria grew up in Venezuela and moved to California (Bay Area) when she was 10 years old.
• For three summers she traveled across the U.S. with her Drum Corp (marching band) team performing in different stadiums.
• “If I could own any type of water vessel, it would definitely be a yellow submarine or a sailboat.”

Mark Yamane – Eckerd College

Mark is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and Marine Science. This summer he will be working with JISAO’s Dr. Mariona Claret on wave-chimneys facilitated by ocean eddies.

• One of Mark’s hobbies is “making”, so last year he designed and built a small ROV by himself.
• Mark was a high school volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium for three years.
• A lot of his family lives in Hawaii (his grandparents came to Washington from Maui).
• Stitch is his favorite Disney character.

Dina Zawadzki – Monterey Peninsula College

Dina is a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry. She’ll be working with Dr. Julie Keister from the UW School of Oceanography this summer. Their project will focus on changes in swimming behavior and distribution of copepods under different ocean chemical conditions.

• Dina just learned how to Paddleboard and even saw some ctenaphores on one excursion.
• “I shaved my head during quarantine and I actually love it!”
• She has learned to grill and is regularly doing it at home.