Allie is in the second year of her doctoral degree here at Harbor Branch where her dissertation research will investigate the sources and extent of climate tolerance in corals and if transplantation of resilient corals to nearby climate refugia is a viable conservation strategy. Allie’s dissertation research is part of a collaboration with the ToBo Lab and Coral Resilience Lab from the University of Hawaii’s Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) where the group aims to identify thermally resilient coral candidates best suited for large scale outplanting.
Earlier in 2023, Allie was also awarded second place for the American Academy of Underwater Sciences(AAUS) doctoral level scholarship and the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame Technical Dive Training Grant. Allie plans to use these scholarships to help fund her research as well as her advancement as a scientific diver. A portion of the funds has been allocated to the RNA extraction and sequencing for downstream gene expression analysis of thermally resilient corals. The remaining funds will go toward advanced technical dive training, as Allie becomes a key member of our Lab’s mesophotic dive team and help support Allie as she travels to academic conferences where she will share her dissertation work and the importance of dive related research.