2003 Global Fellows

Cristina Beans Picon (Spain) cristinabeans@yahoo.com

Cristina is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Liege Oceanography Laboratory, where she studies fish ecology and diversity in the Antarctic.  She plans to collect ichthyoplankton data on several Antarctic cruises to evaluate relationships with oceanographic variables and hopefully upper trophic levels.  She holds a M.Sc. degree in Oceanography, where her research focused on trace metal contamination of cetaceans in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean.  Christina was recently elected student representative to the Board of the European Cetacean Society.

Nelly de Paz Campos (Peru) acorema@terra.com.pe

Nelly is pursuing a M.Sc. in Aquatic Ecology at San Marcos University in Lima, and holds a B.Sc. degree in Biology.  She is currently collecting data on sea turtle natural history, fisheries mortality, and management strategies; her contributions assist the National Plan for Sea Turtle Recovery in Peru.  Nelly has previously worked with a photo-id and behavioral study of bottlenose dolphins in southern Peru, and developed a small urban agricultural project in Lima. She received additional sea turtle training as a researcher at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands.

Egle Flores Gonzales (Mexico) eglemode@yahoo.com

Egle is pursuing a B.Sc. in Biology at Universidad de las Americas Puebla in Cholula, Mexico, and has received several academic honors there.  She speaks and writes English, French, and Spanish.  She has attended several scientific conventions and additional courses, including a Wild Flora and Fauna Observation Methods Theory & Practice course.  Egle was selected to attend DUML Summer Session II as the sole Mex-American Cultural Foundation awardee.

Luis Huckstadt Figueroa (Chile) lhuckst@hotmail.com

Luis is a graduate in Marine Biology from the University of Concepcion, and expects to complete a M.Sc. in Oceanography there in May 2003.  His undergraduate thesis focused on the interaction of southern sea lions with Chilean jack mackerel fisheries, and his current research focused on the impact of those fisheries on southern sea lion feeding behavior. His work integrates the effects of oceanographic events and fisheries harvest pressure on the prey supply of marine mammals in Central Chile; Luis has presented and published his research in many venues.

Michelle Kalamandeen (Guyana) untamedsoul@hotmail.com

Michelle is the Technical Officer and Environmental Educator at the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society, where she collects data at Shell Beach and educates the public about herpetology and conservation.  She completed a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Guyana, and plans to purse a Master’s degree in Wildlife Biology, specifically Herpetology.  Michelle founded the Rights of Children organization in Guyana, and has participated in numerous field biology research projects, including mist netting of birds and bats; identification of butterflies, mammals, and herpetofauna; and assessment of trees and epiphytes.

Antonios Mazaris (Greece) amazar@aegean.gr

Antonios is a Ph.D. candidate at University of the Aegean in the Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation, where his research involves ecological modeling of marine turtles.  He earned his M.Sc. in Geography from the University of London, studying environmental change and management.  Antonios uses PVA models to evaluate the role of different environmental factors (e.g., habitat, fisheries pressure) to investigate population dynamics of loggerhead turtles, with hopes to formulate better management plans for this endangered population.

I. Sware Semesi (Tanzania) swares@yahoo.com

Sware is a Research Officer with TRAFFIC, a joint program of the WWF and IUCN to monitor trade of wild plants and animals.  She holds a B.Sc. in Marine Biology (University of Dar es Salaam) and earned a M.Sc. in Management of Natural Resources and Sustainable Agriculture from the Agricultural University of Norway.  Her thesis focused on the effects of seaweed farming on natural flora and fauna within and around seaweed farms.  She continues research along the Tanzanian coast on the local uses of seaweeds, particularly as fish bait. 

Angeline Valentine (Belize)  dozill@hotmail.com

Angeline currently works as a Researcher on manatees for the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, where she is responsible for conducting aerial surveys, collecting stranding data, and post-release monitoring of captive-reared manatees.  She is also the coordinator of the Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and works on a national Sea Turtle Monitoring Programme.  Angeline was granted a Pew fellowship to complete the Wildlife Trust’s Technical Training for International Researchers in Conservation program.  She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University College of Belize, and plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology.