2005 Global Fellows

Richard Adjei (Ghana) radjei71@yahoo.com

Richard works as a Conservation Biologist at the Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS), Efua Sutherland Children’s Park, coordinating all research activities of the Wetlands Unit of GWS.  While working fro GWS from 1998 to 2001, he was responsible for the sea turtle conservation and research program and led a 20-member team in these efforts. Between his current position with GWS and his turtle work there, Richard has also worked for BirdLife International West-African Sub-regional office and the Center for African Wetlands. Richard earned his M.S. in Aquatic Tropical Ecology from the University of Bremen (Germany) in 2003 and his B.S. in Zoology from the University of Ghana in 1998.

Ana Paula Cazerta Farro (Brazil) anafarro@ibb.unesp.br

Ana Paula is currently enrolled in the PhD program in Genetics at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil, where she is examining the genetic variability of spinner dolphins through the use of microsatellite markers. Her M.S. thesis was on the development of Eucalyptus grandis microsatellite mapping which she defended in 2001. Ana Paula’s doctorate work has direct implications for cetacean conservation in South America, and she is hoping that her attendance in the Duke summer courses will give her new perspective and tools to incorporate into her program in Brazil.

Carla Christie (Chile) carlachristie@yahoo.com

Carla is finishing her undergraduate studies at the Universidad Austral de Chile. Her honors thesis is on the “Social organization of Chilean and Peale’s dolphins, in the Chiloe archipelago, Chile.” During Carla’s studies she has participated in the first dedicated study on the ecology and habitat utilization of these dolphins in areas subject to intense aquaculture activities in Southern Chile.  She has learned photo-ID techniques and other research techniques used to address habitat use and habitat conservation issues for coastal cetaceans in Chile and Spain.

Yomary Daniels Howard (Nicaragua) ydanely@yahoo.com

Yomary is currently working on her B.S. in Marine Biology at Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University. She volunteers with Wildlife Conservation Society in their sea turtle conservation program in the Pearl Keys (Atlantic coast of Nicaragua) where she is carrying out her own investigation on the nesting habitat of Hawksbill turtles.

Renison Enriquez (Belize) renisone@yahoo.com

Renison is currently working in Belize as a high school science teacher. He has worked as a data collection officer for the Belize Fisheries Department for several years and has volunteered in manatee search and rescue missions, manatee rehabilitation and relocation projects, and fish spawning monitoring projects. Renison received his B.S. in Biology in 2004. During his studies he conducted population dynamic studies on mutton snapper, shrimp and conch along the Belize coast. He also performed shark and mangrove surveys with the support of the Wildlife Conservation Society and NOAA to assess population density, distribution and travel patterns of sharks.

Mohamed Fairoz (Sri Lanka) fairoz@fish.ruh.ac.lk

Mohamed is currently a Research assistant to the Sida/SAREC Marine Science Program funded by Sweden under the capacity building project of the Department of Fisheries Biology. He received his  B.S. in 1998 from the University of Ruhana and his Masters of Philosophy in 2005 from University of Ruhuna (Sri Lanka) studying the impacts of natural and anthropogenic activities on coral reef ecology. Mohamed is a reef check and marine aquarium trade monitoring protocol trainer. He also volunteers his time in the Southern Sri Lankan community to conserve coral reefs and marine resources by forming numerous marine conservation groups. 

Andrea Montero (Costa Rica) andreamontero@costrarricense.cr

Andrea received her B.S. in 2002 from the University of Costa Rica and is currently enrolled in a M.Sc. program of Marine Biology there. She is in her second year of the program and expects to finish in the fall of 2006. Andrea has worked as a research assistant on several interesting marine mammal projects. She has worked on the acoustics of spotted dolphins in the Marine Sciences and Limnology Research Center of the University of Costa Rica and also with the photo-ID process of humpbacked whales in Washington. Andrea is a co-founder of a new and rising NGO, Fundacion Keto, which aims to strengthen environmental education by focusing on the importance of marine mammal and turtle management and conservation.

Emile Pemberton (Nevis) mugbe@hotmail.com

Emile currently works in the Fisheries Department in Nevis as a Fisheries Officer. He was a secondary school teacher for over 20 years before working at the Fisheries Department and had also been employed as a fisherman (he still engages in this vocation part-time). Emile received his B.A. in Geography in 1993 from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica. He earned his M.S., from UWI, Barbados in 2002 in Natural Resource Management. Emile has various experience, having done research on water resources of Nevis, impacts of sand mining and the social impacts of tourism in Nevis. He is currently looking at the harvest of conchs on Nevis and has initiated a turtle tagging and nesting beach program on the island, which is a first of its kind on this island.

Luis Santillan-Corrales (Peru) lsantillancorrales@yahoo.com

In 2003 Luis received his M.S. in Applied Ecology from the Agrarian La Molina University in Lima, Peru.  He earned his B.S. in Biology from Ricardo Palma University. Luis has studied numerous marine mammals and has worked on several interesting projects throughout Peru. He currently works with the Peruvian Center for Cetacean Research as a research assistant at the Dolphin Museum and is performing ongoing research for Pro-Delphinus Association (NGO) and Peruvian Marine Research Institute (IMARPE). He is studying the feeding ecology and behavior of the sea otter, Lontra feline, in southern Peru. He has participated on cetacean observation cruises for many years for IMARPE, and also worked on studies of sea lions, fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, sperm and southern right whales, east pacific green turtle, scallops, Humboldt penguins and sea birds.

Alexandra Sapoznikow (Argentina) alexa@cenpat.edu.ar

Alexa is currently working on her PhD at the National Patagonia Center through the University of Buenos Aires. Her work on foraging behavior of rock shags and the conservation implications for a species threatened by economic development is funded by the Argentinean National Research Council. Alexa’s study sites take her to the Nuevo Gulf, Puerto Madryn, and northern Patagonia. Previous to her graduate studies, Alexa was a researcher for the Fundacion Vida Silvestre Argentina, a WWF partner and the main NGO of Argentina. She worked on the conservation of migratory birds and the endangered Pampa’s Deer. She has worked with many species, including the little penguin in Australia, common terns, and shorebirds of Argentina and Australia.

Ertan Taskavak (Turkey)  ertantaskavak@yahoo.com

Ertan has been a professor for 10 years at Ege University in Izmir, Turkey, in the Department of Hydrobiology. He earned his PhD from the Department of Zoology in 1992, his M.S. from the Department of Zoology in 1985, and his B.S. from the Department of Biology in 1983, all from Ege University.  Ertan’s recent research focuses on the ecology and biology of the Euphrates soft-shelled turtle. He has examined captive breeding alternatives and the effectiveness of TEDS (turtle excluder devices) among other conservation measures to protect this species in the Euphrates River in Anatolia.