Madison Heard (alumna 2014-2015)
I am currently an undergraduate at California State University, Monterey Bay, and am interested in marine ecology. Specifically, I am interested in the role that echinoderms play in the structure of marine communities. On the Geomorphology Project, offered through the Marine Landscape Ecology Lab, I research Echinodermata and Mollusca as to develop a sandy substrate species catalog designed to facilitate highly-resolved taxonomical data extraction from ROV video surveys.
Madison is preparing a light trap at Moss Landing. The light trap is used as part of a large spatial and temporal scale study on megalops (crab larvae) conducted through a partnership with the Garza Marine Landscape Ecology Lab, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.