Amanda has been a Marine Science Educator at Project Oceanology since September of 2021, and has also become our Lead Aquarist for our sea water lab. Additionally, she has taken on the roles of Red Cross Certified Lifeguard and Small Boat Captain (USCG OUPV/6-Pack). In the spring, she helps facilitate a trip to Washington, DC with youth from our community for Capitol Hill Ocean Week with other youth organizations from around the country. Amanda has always had a passion for marine science and learning and has dedicated herself to sharing those two passions with people of all ages. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Fisheries Science and a Master of Science in Marine Policy, both from the University of Maine.
Amanda grew up in East Haddam, CT where she has early memories of beach days in Rhode Island and trips to the many aquariums in and around Connecticut. She participated in Project Oceanology school-year programming with her 6th and 9th grade science classes where she got her first hands on experience with field science, memories that stuck with her all through college and would eventually lead her back to CT. During her time as an undergrad when she wasn’t rehearsing and performing as a member of the marching band, she worked as an aquaria tech for UMaine’s Aquaculture Research Center and analyzed water samples as a NOAA school-year intern. Amanda also had the opportunity to study abroad in Townsville, Australia where she spent her time studying coral reefs and SCUBA diving. She then returned to UMaine for her master’s degree where she focused on the economic impacts of federal policies on fishermen in the scallop and groundfish fisheries. During her graduate work, she had the chance to take a science education course where she learned how to design lesson plans for elementary students and found enjoyment in that process. Amanda comes from a family of educators and has always enjoyed the process of learning and hopes to instill a love of learning and marine science in the people she now teaches.
When not at work, Amanda spends her time cross stitching, playing Dungeons & Dragons, reading, playing fetch with her dog Hades, traveling to new places, and playing board games with friends and family!
What do you love most about Project Oceanology?
I love what we do here. We have the wonderful opportunity to bring students out on boats to explore Long Island Sound, many for the first time, while engaging in marine science learning. Students get the chance to hold a crab, catch a fish, dissect a squid, and so much more. I always get students who are adamant about not touching the fish, and by the end of the program are showing their friends how to hold it. It’s always so inspiring to see how excited they get when they accomplish a scientific goal in a lab or get to help acquire a mud sample out on the boat. These are memories that I have from my early experiences as a Project Oceanology kid and I know that those memories will be with our students, no matter what their future profession is!
What marine animal is your favorite?
I am obsessed with the gulper eel (pelican eel). They live in the deep, twilight zone waters of our world’s oceans where they rely on a pink bioluminescent lure on the end of their tail to lure prey to them. When they are ready to eat their prey, they blow up their mouths like a balloon to make a large net, capturing their prey. When their mouth is blown up like a balloon, they look like a cartoon character.