Genevieve Bernatchez, Physical Science Technician
Genevieve Bernatchez in the lab. Photo courtesy of Genevieve Bernatchez.
Genevieve Bernatchez is a physical science technician for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Aquaculture Sustainability Branch. She runs chemical and biological analyses critical to shellfish aquaculture and environmental research. Her home base is at our Milford Lab in Milford, Connecticut. In her position, she works on different projects and with different teams and is in charge of analyzing most of the water chemistry samples at the lab. Currently, she is working on a project looking at the effects of ocean acidification on multigenerational bay scallops.
She completed an undergraduate at the University of Quebec a Rimouski and also holds a master’s degree in science, specializing in marine ecology, from Northeastern University.
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Ellie Hartman, Communications Intern
Ellie getting ready to climb Pichincha in Quito, Ecuador, 15,696 feet. Photo Courtesy of Ellie Hartman.
As an intern at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Ellie Hartman works with the communications team to take the diverse complexity of science communications and translate it into language that the public understands. Each day she takes the hard work of scientists at the center and shares it with stakeholders and the public. She and other members of the communications team tackle this through talking with colleagues, creating web stories, social media posts, blogs, fact sheets, story maps, website updates, and other digital communications.
Ellie attended Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida and was captain for two NCAA rowing Championship golds. There she earned an undergraduate degree in Business Management and then a Masters of Business Administration degree, with an emphasis in management and marketing. She also has a Masters of Professional Science degree in Marine Conservation from University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Sciences.
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Erica Rule, Chief of Staff for Science Planning and Operations
Erica retrieving a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle during turtle excluder device (TED) testing on the R/V Caretta out of Panama City, Florida. Credit: NOAA Fisheries (ESA Permit 20339)
As the Chief of Staff for Science Planning and Operations at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Erica Rule supports the leadership of the center by making recommendations and providing timely and informed guidance in support of the center's mission. She helps ensure success of the center’s recent realignment and leads the evolving strategic planning process, aligning the strategic objectives and initiatives with budget planning and execution. She coordinates with the Operations, Management, and Information Division to implement the annual budget planning process, Priority Based Resourcing, and ensure effective allocation of resources in alignment with annual guidance priorities.
Erica earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington) in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She also has a Master’s of Science in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School for Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.
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Changhua Weng, Social Scientist
Changhua hiking along the rocky coast near the Newton Avenue Waterfront Public Access Point in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Fan Zhang
As a social scientist for our Northeast Fisheries Social Sciences Branch, Changhua works on developing social indicators of fishing community vulnerability and resilience to changing fishery management and climate conditions like sea level rise and storm surge. Her recent work involves a national effort to update community snapshots for fishing communities across all regions within NOAA Fisheries. Her home base is at our Narragansett Lab in Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Changhua went to Fujian Normal University to study environmental science and received her bachelor’s degree, and later a master’s degree in environmental management at Xiamen University. She started her doctoral degree in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island looking at nonpoint source pollution control and policy for a watershed in southeastern China. Two years into her doctoral degree, she interned for a summer with the science center’s Social Sciences Branch working with anthropologist Dr. Lisa Colburn. Changhua studied job satisfaction and social well-being in fishing communities, which turned into a full-time job focusing on the development of community social vulnerability indicators in coastal fishing communities.
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Sarah Williamson, Fisheries Observer
Williamson served as a setline survey specialist for the International Pacific Halibut Commission in 2021. Photo courtesy of Sarah Williamson.
There are many paths that can bring a person to the deck of a fishing vessel in the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. For fisheries observer Sarah Williamson, that path included a lifelong love of the ocean and a nudge from a social media post. After earning her bachelor’s degree in marine biology, she was bouncing between veterinary nursing jobs when she decided to pursue a job as a fisheries observer. Since the summer of 2016, Williamson has spent about 150 to 220 days annually at sea. She typically works in the catcher-processor fleet, which targets species including pollock, flatfish, and rockfish. She has also worked in the At-Sea Hake Observer Program run through the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, along with taking part in halibut surveys on longline vessels.
Williamson’s scientific knowledge and horizons have also expanded through her work as an observer. She has participated in several research trips and worked on special projects, such as sorting marine debris. She was recently selected as the observer representative for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Fisheries Monitoring Advisory Committee. She looks forward to continuing to grow her skills through observing.
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