People Group Archives: Alumni

Aspen is a junior at UCF, currently pursuing a degree in Biology, on the marine science track, and minoring in environmental studies. Aspen aspires to get his masters degree after graduation and in the future, become a conservationist in order to defend threatened and endangered marine organisms. In the Gaither Lab, Aspen assists in DNA […]

Sheena transferred from Southern University of Illinois at Edwardsville in 2015. During her eight years in the U.S. Air Force as military police, she served four tours overseas including Afghanistan and Iraq. She’s currently pursuing her degree in Biology with the focus in Pre-Health. After graduation, she plans to continue her education to become an […]

I am currently a Senior in UCF pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences with a Pre-Health Track. After graduation I wish to go to Medical School with aspirations of becoming a surgeon. Currently, I work as Vice-President of the student organization Medlife UCF to provide volunteering services abroad and in Orlando. Additionally, I just started […]

Gillian transferred from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in 2018 after Hurricane María. She is currently pursuing her degree in Biology with a focus in Environmental Sciences. After graduation, she hopes to seek a doctorate in Conservation Biology and Environmental Science to research climate change.

Jennifer is a Senior at UCF currently pursuing her degree in Biology with a focus in Pre-Health. She is assisting in developing the framework of a COI database for all Florida fish by compiling the mtDNA sequences from BOLD and filling in the gaps using extractions and PCR of individual specimens for use in the identification of eDNA fragments in future […]

Jeff Junior Nerestant graduated from the University of Central Florida in May 2019 with his bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Psychology.  He is a certified peer educator, former Florida State University STEM tutor/mentor of Jones High School students, former Valencia Wellness Ambassador/Student Leader. As a student and a leader, he always strives […]

I am a Master’s student from the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo in Mexico.  At the moment I am conducting a scientific stay in the Molecular Ecology and Evolution LAB (Gaither Lab) at UCF. My research focuses on the phylogeography of the coral hawkfish across its distribution. My principal interest is to understand […]

Monica is a transfer student from Cuba, pursuing her undergraduate degree in Marine Biology. She is currently a volunteer in our lab. She has a great passion for conservation and has worked in several projects aimed to protect endangered ecosystems and species, which led to the publication of her first article in collaboration with other […]

Katherine Viehl is a first-generation UCF Senior working on her bachelor’s in biology with a minor in environmental sciences. She aspires to work for the research and conservation of marine systems in areas of particularly high biodiversity. Currently in the lab, she is developing species-specific primers for use in eDNA surveys for tracking the spread […]

Tara is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Biology with a pre-veterinary track. Tara is currently designing a species-specific prime for eDNA surveys for detecting the Dwarf Seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae), a possible candidate for the endangered species list. Additionally, working with other interns to help build the framework of a COI database for all Florida […]