NOAA-EPP LMRCSC Master’s Fellow
M.S., Biology – Environmental Track
Hampton University
Ian Santos aspires to earn a doctorate in marine biology, specializing in the conservation of marine wildlife. He hopes to work collaboratively with the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, in La Jolla, CA. He plans to analyze tissue samples of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) to obtain genetic data that would help place this population in a broader context relative to other breeding colonies around the continent. At the limit of their distribution, Weddell seals in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula can provide unique insights into environmental change, as it is one of the areas of the globe with the most dramatic warming.
Research Theme: Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies
NOAA LMRCSC Fellows attain the NOAA Core Competencies detailed in this rubric.
NERTO Project Title: Investigating Pinniped Ecology in the North Antarctic Peninsula
NOAA Mentor: Drs. Douglas Krause and Jaelyn Leslie, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program
Academic Advisor: Dr. Carolina Lewallen
NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center
University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Lead Institution)
(410) 651-7870
Award numbers: FY 2021 Award #NA21SEC4810005
Funding Agency: NOAA Educational Partnership Program with Minority-Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI)
