About Me
Welcome! I am originally from South Korea, but I spent the majority of my youth in Oregon, and I consider the Pacific Northwest to be my home. I have B.A. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Sciences from U.C. Berkeley and Oregon State University respectively and a Master of Marine Affairs degree from University of Washington.
I have been fascinated with coastal habitats as long as I could remember. Since 2009 I have actively participated in ecological research across various ecosystems, including surveying Pacific cod population in the Sea of Japan and characterizing benthic macroinvertebrates in the continental shelf habitats of Oregon & Washington. My most recently completed research assessed how macroinvertebrate communities respond to the removal of shoreline armoring in the Puget Sound's coastlines. I am currently a first-year Ph.D. student in Biology at East Carolina University advised by Dr. April Blakeslee. Broadly, I am interested in the host-parasite interactions and prevalence of invasive species that are shaping coastal macroinvertebrate and fish communities at local and regional scales. In my spare time, I enjoy playing my violin (which I have been playing for 20 years now - I was also a member of university symphony for four years at U.C. Berkeley), long-distance running whether it is recreational or training for my next half-marathon, hiking/backpacking to explore familiar and new landscapes and seeking good food and beer at every opportunity with my family and friends. |