Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Awards Eight Marine Science Scholarships

The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation has announced the eight recipients of the Guy Harvey Scholarship Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in marine science research at the collegiate level. Each winner, chosen from five Florida universities, receives $5,000 to support their individual academic programs.

The 2016 winners include doctorate, master’s and undergraduate students: Chelsey Crandall, Holden Harris and Krystan Wilkinson from University of Florida; Sarah Hoffmann from Florida Atlantic University; James Kilfoil from Florida International University; Julie Vecchio from University of South Florida and Louis Penrod and Jane Rennert from Florida Institute of Technology. In addition to the $5,000 grant, scholarship recipients also receive a certificate designed and signed by world-renowned marine wildlife artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey.

Established in 2010 through a partnership between Florida Sea Grant and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, the scholarships recognize students at Florida universities whose research focuses on the biology, ecology, habitat or management of fish in Florida’s marine environment. Since 2010, 42 students have received these scholarships.

“We are very pleased to continue supporting the innovative research led by these brilliant students,” said Harvey. “Their passion, enthusiasm and love of research and ocean conservation is incredibly contagious. Together we will make a difference in keeping our oceans healthy for many years to come.”

Synopsis of Scholarship Recipients

University of Florida

Chelsey Crandall, from Tampa, is a doctoral student at UF studying interdisciplinary ecology. Her research focused on better ways to include fisheries stakeholders in the fisheries management process, focusing on nearshore (state) waters. Holden Harris, from Atlantic Beach, also a doctoral student at UF, studied biology as an undergrad. His research focused on using commercial harvest as a biological control agent for invasive lionfish. Krystan Wilkinson, from Middleton, Wis., also is a doctoral student at UF studying fisheries and aquatic sciences with research focusing on defining large bull shark movement patterns and habitat use in Sarasota Bay.

Florida Atlantic University

Sarah Hoffmann from Boise, Idaho, is a doctoral student at FAU studying integrative biology with research in comparative morphology and kinematics of hammerhead sharks.

Florida International University

James Kilfoil from Columbia, Miss., is a doctoral student at FIU studying biology. His research focuses on how novel video tools could improve the way data is collected for resource monitoring programs, with particular importance on monitoring elasmobranch species such as sharks and stingrays.

University of South Florida

Julie Vecchio from Livonia, Mich. is a doctoral student at USF studying marine science with research focused on movements and survivorship of the red grouper Epinephelus morio on the West Florida shelf.

Florida Institute of Technology

Louis Penrod from Chesapeake, Va. is an undergraduate student at FIT studying marine biology and aquaculture. His research focuses on addressing how habitat complexity mitigates the direct effects of temperature on the feeding performance of invasive lionfish. Jane Rennert of Melbourne is a master’s student at FIT studying marine biology with research focused on age and growth of bonefish Albula vulpes in northern and southern Cuba.