Meet Roxanne, graduate student researcher
About YOU
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California.
Where do you live now?
‘Live’ is a relative term. In the next few years, I plan to bounce around from California to Alaska to New Zealand to Antarctica, and to scientific meetings in the interim.
Where did/do you go to college?
I went to college at University of California, Santa Cruz.
What do you want to do after you finish school?
After the completion of my graduate and post-graduate research, I hope to continue conducting research in marine ecology, while simultaneously sharing my enthusiasm and knowledge with students who are beginning their careers.
About the Weddell seal project
What is your main role on this project or team?
I am the number-cruncher. I am almost permanently glued to spreadsheets, databases, primary literature and books about my favorite programming language. One major component of my thesis work is calculating the cost of changes in reproductive and molt timing, in order to look at the possibility of this cost controlling timing in Weddell seals.
What are you looking forward to most about the project?
You mean other than spending some quality time on the most isolated continent in the world? I look forward to sharing our results with scientists and non-scientists alike. From a science perspective, our work has great potential to answer important questions about the mechanisms driving the timing of major life events in seals. On the other hand, we have a unique opportunity to encourage public awareness about multiple time-critical conservation issues.
What ‘big question’ do you hope this project answers?
I hope to find out how much energy these seals have to spend on staying warm, fattening up their pup and synthesizing a new fur coat!
Please share your favorite picture of a Weddell seal and one with you and a Weddell seal.
Background Questions
What’s the coolest part of your school work?
Getting to travel to neat places, meeting tons of people and always having something more to learn!
What is the most exciting, most amazing or scariest thing that has happened to you during your school work?
I traveled with 20 of my good friends to the Mediterranean Sea for a marine ecology field quarter during college. It was two full months of waking up, doing science, going to sleep and then repeating everything the next day. Imagine rolling out of bed and eating plates and plates of bread and cheese, while you set up your scuba dive gear and go to your morning lecture about the underwater world!
What are some of the perks of your school work?
I am fortunate enough to experience various climates and cultures. I had never seen snowfall before I came to Alaska! In the next 12 months, I hope to spend time in Alaska, the lower 48, Australia, New Zealand, and, of course, Antarctica.
If asked to ‘sell’ this career to someone, what would you say to convince them to pursue it?
Have you ever wanted to uncover secrets about animals that can dive deeper than you? Fly faster? Outnumber the human population? Produce crazy smells? Live in water that is 800°F? Glow in the dark? Walk on water? Marine science covers such a broad range of topics, and you get to pick what you want to study!
What advice would you give a student interested in pursuing your career?
Take advantage of every possible learning opportunity by being pro-active, enthusiastic and engaged. Work hard. Ask us questions! We are extraordinarily passionate about what we do, and we will never pass up an opportunity to talk about our work.
Fun Questions
Who inspired you on this path?
There are SO many people who inspired me to keep pursuing my dreams, especially my teachers and professors throughout the years. They were the ones who continuously challenged me, taught me how to teach myself and always encouraged my seemingly endless string of questions.
If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?
Definitely a Weddell seal! They have the most southern distribution of any mammal (other than humans) and make the coolest sounds! Patrick made this picture for me when I got into graduate school… I could fit right in, huh? Might have to put on a few kilos first…
If you could meet any famous scientist, who would it be and why?
Definitely Charles Darwin. He completely transformed the way we think about the natural world, and he was incredibly passionate about each and every task he undertook. Plus, he had an awesome beard for a while.
What’s the number one thing on your ‘bucket list?’
Scuba diving in ANTARCTICA! Imagine 400-foot visibility, the sounds of seals calling to one another, all kinds of cool invertebrates, and looking up to see the underwater beam of light created by the hole you cut in the ice!
If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?
- Chocolate milk
- Cookie dough
- Lots and lots of Diet Coke®
- Lettuce
- Salad dressing
- Pesto
- And about six types of cheese
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