Colleen Lawlor

Hi! I'm Colleen, and I'm a second-year graduate student at Hawaiʻi Pacific University (HPU). I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, where my annual summer vacations to the Jersey shore cultivated the beginnings of my passion for marine biology. I received my undergraduate degree in Biology from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, where I continued my love of the water as a collegiate swimmer and my interest in aquatic science with an independent research project on the spatial distribution of zooplankton in alpine lakes in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Throughout the past two years, I have built upon my foundation in aquatic ecology and continued to develop my marine science research skills in my graduate coursework at HPU. My advisor, Dr. Matthew Iacchei, has provided me with the tools and connections necessary to create this project in collaboration with researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology. I am excited to complete and share the results of this research with the scientific community and anyone interested in coral reef ecology. After I finish my master's degree, I hope to pursue a career in coral reef research, restoration, and/or education, where I can continue to develop my skills as a scientist, educator, team member, and leader. I also hope to utilize my newly obtained Scientific Diver certification, granted by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), to merge my love of the water with my enthusiasm for marine research. My long-term goals are to contribute to ongoing research in marine science, communicate important scientific discoveries to the communities they impact, and foster passion and care for the marine environment through new and exciting forms of education.

May 2022