Past Thesis & Research Students

Thesis: How does the physiology of adult stone crabs change when exposed to both elevated temperature and hypoxic stressors?

Where are they now? Jonathan graduated in Dec. 2026 and is currently pursuing graduate school opportunities.

Where are they now?  Rebecca started her career as part of the First Year Research Program and then completed a summer internship in the lab conducting larval swimming behavior research. After working in the Ecophysiology lab, Rebeca completed an internship with the FWC Marine Pathobiology Lab. She then decided to pursue a career path in Veterinary Medicine and completed an internship at a local veterinary clinic. She is now applying for Veterinary school. Rebecca continues to volunteer with the Ecophysiology lab when she has the time. 

Where are they now?  After working in the Ecophysiology lab, Cydney was awarded a Jack Bevan Memorial Scholarship which is awarded annually to an outstanding junior with an excellent academic record and a record of campus service as a leader, a catalyst for positive change, and a source of support to other students. Cydney completed an internship during the 2025 summer with the Student Conservation Association as a Water Economy Workforce Fellow working at the Great Lakes Science Center where she collaborated with the NOAA Climate Ready Workforce to develop educational displays and programming for the Lake Erie Watershed to present to the Greater Cleveland community.  

Email: elizapatty4@gmail.com

Thesis: The Effects of Climate Stressors on Stone Crab Hatching and Larval Vertical Behavior"

Where are they now?  Eliza completed 2 summers (2024 & 2025) of research in the Ecophysiology Lab while she pursued her undergraduate thesis. Her thesis was titled, " The Effects of Climate Stressors on Stone Crab Hatching and Larval Vertical Swimming Behavior". She then completed an internship with the Clearwater Aquarium in the Education Department. She is currently employed by the Eckerd College Marine Science Department  as their Paraprofessional. 

Where are they now?  Ben worked in the Ecophysiology lab for one summer assisting with our larval research. He then was awarded an internship working with Gopher Tortoises in AL. He now accepted a position as a Protected Species Observer with Coastwise Consulting, Inc. and will be working on construction vessels throughout the Gulf where he will mitigate incidents with protected marine species like sea turtles and sturgeon. 

Email: tmcnelly@mote.org

Where are they now? Taran completed 2 summers (2024 & 2025) as a research assistant in the Ecophysiology Lab. Taran also completed an independent study during his senior year which determined the osmoregulation abilities of female stone crabs. The paper is now in review. He was recently hired as the Ocean Acidification technician for Mote Marine Laboratory in Summerland Key, FL. 

Thesis: Characterizing Florida Stone Crab Metapopulation Structures During Exposure to Climate Stressors: a Stochastic Model

Where are they now? Zachariah completed 2 summers of research in the Eckerd Ecophysiology Lab working on the effects of temperature and pH stressors on larval physiology. After graduation he accepted a Masters position at USF College of Marine Science where he is modeling nutrient dynamics in the Gulf. 

Where are they now?  Emma worked for as a lab volunteer for 1 year and was invited as a research intern over the summer to help with our larval work. She also worked as a Shark Smart intern with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy where she led public outreach and ocean safety education on Cape Cod beaches to help communicate about white shark behavior. 

Where are they now?  Thomas White volunteered and conducted research in my lab for 1 summer (2023). He secured an internship at the Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory conducting clam aquaculture. He also secured an internship conducting queen conch research at the Curacao Sea Aquarium until January 2025. He is currently employed at Scallop Bay Shellfish Co. working as a hatchery technician. Alongside the day to day tasks of raising shellfish larvae for commercial sale.