 Meet Grace, a passionate educator-in-the-making from Ontario, California, who’s on a mission to connect mental health with nature. Having recently been accepted into a graduate program for Environmental Studies, Grace is also pursuing teaching credentials in mental and behavioral health. Inspired by a deep love for the ocean, especially sharks, she is working to create a learning experience that helps students care for both their minds and the environment.
In her future classroom, she hopes to take students beyond textbooks, planning trips to nature preserves and starting community circles where others can explore the connection between emotional wellness and the outdoors. What do you hope to learn or achieve during your time with MISS? With MISS, I hope to explore various fields of research and get better at data analysis. So far, I have explored sensory biology, stress physiology, and parasitology. In the future, I am interested in investigating ecotoxicology and wound healing. Currently, I hope to expand the field of shark parasitology and gain experience handling larger sharks. I would like to return as a summer camp counselor to continue participating in environmental education, creating accessibility to science. What projects/responsibilities have you enjoyed working on so far? I was thrilled to do fieldwork for our red tide project and participate in shark fishing days during summer camp. Here, I gained more experience on a boat and learned new fishing methods such as longlining. As someone who is interested in blood-related research, I have been able to get more experience with collecting samples. With Dr. Andres, I enjoyed conducting research at Crystal River where there are neonate bullsharks. What is it about sharks/the ocean that motivates you to make a difference? The ocean keeps me grounded and brings me peace. Whether it be fieldwork or enjoying a beach sunset with good company, the ocean is where I am happiest. This also means that I have a responsibility to take care of it. When it comes to sharks, I am motivated to make a difference because they have always been portrayed in a negative light, simply for existing. This makes them all the more interesting to research and advocate for. Do you have any advice for somebody wanting to follow a similar path as you? The door will always remain closed if you never try to open it. Stepping into new chapters of your life can be intimidating, but if you let that hold you back from your passions, the opportunity will never arrive. And of course, what’s your favorite shark? Angular roughshark!
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 Nature is something that I am incredibly passionate about. My passion and understanding of nature continues to deepen as my education widens. Nature asks for nothing and provides us everything. In many cultures and lineages, there is a belief that nature is fully animate- that’s to say that nature is alive, breathing, thinking, and intelligent, alongside animals, humans and other beings. A central theme in my life for the past few years has been (still) learning how to commune with nature and the natural world in a way that is balanced, reciprocal, compassionate and open rather than in the extractive ways that the majority of modern day American culture tends to do. This journey for the past few years has inspired me to engage in land based work where I’d not only learn about the land but the beings of the land as well.
At the end of 2023, which was a particularly challenging year for me, I intuitively and impulsively purchased a solo one way ticket to Thailand, which would be my first time ever leaving the country. I didn’t have any plan or idea on what I’d do, I just knew that I wanted to move in a new direction. One thing I’m particularly grateful for is that at one of the saddest times in my life, I chose to allow myself to be guided to the Land of Smiles. When I got to Thailand, many of my days were spent wishing I could be active but instead laying in bed. I’ve come to learn that this slowing down was an important aspect of my trip too. Slowly, as I was engaging in this period of deep healing, I began to venture further and wider. I started my travels in crammed hostel beds in busy Bangkok and during this time I was able to get really clear on what did and didn’t feel good to me. I quickly came to the understanding that I felt best surrounded by nature. Still having no set plan, I allowed myself to keep moving. Growing up in Florida, the beach is something that always felt like a refuge and a treat, so when I was able to meet the Thai coast, it was a really special moment for me. Having never left the country prior to this trip, I quickly came face to face with some of my own ethnocentric beliefs. I don’t even think I pondered on how beautiful any other coasts could be. Soft sand, sunny skies and blue, warm water. Freshly opened coconuts flung left and right with the sight and scent of plumeria kissing every corner. I felt my body, mind and soul slowly open in ways that had been previously foreign to me. As I was beginning to open in these ways, I felt grateful to be met with this softer surrounding. Though, when met with softness, especially after a volatile period, it’s easy to see how hard your own edges have become. Still mostly bed ridden by own self prescription, these coastal meetings quickly became the highlight of my days. Flash forward to the end of my 1 year spent in different parts of Asia, where I had progressed to working, learning about and serving on the land in different communities, (with rural Chiang Mai being a huge highlight), my intuition still serving as my primary and faithful guide. A regret I have looking back is that I didn’t spend more time in the ocean due to a misguided fear, particularly of sharks. Like many people today, widely due to media portrayal of sharks, I was of the belief that if I were to come face to face with any shark in the ocean, that shark would want to harm me. In the crowd of a concert in Indonesia, someone I met there randomly said to me, “Did you know that sharks are like puppies of the sea?” I absolutely didn’t believe this at first, but I’m a very open and curious person, so I responded with a shocked but engaged “No way?” This began my own independent studies, with the intention being to challenge my own perception and limited view on sharks through education. As a fully remote college student, when I became aware of the opportunity to engage in an environmental internship, though with some initial fears and hesitations, I was delighted at the possibility of being able to participate. Reading through each of the 20 something environmental organizations, Minorities in Shark Sciences immediately stood out to me since I had been so curiously engaged with sharks prior to seeing this. It felt kismet. My internship with Minorities in Shark Sciences so far has been inspiring, educational, engaging, thought provoking and very full. A huge highlight of this experience for me is not only widening my own perception and understanding of sharks which naturally subdues the fearful narrative I’d allowed myself to believe, but also being able to participate in the outreach events where we can inform children on sharks so that they are not misguided and unnecessarily afraid of the ocean in the ways that I was. Since children are undoubtedly the future, I feel grateful to know that I can have a hand in creating and strengthening the vision of a world where people aren’t afraid of sharks and meet the deepness and complexity of the ocean with curiosity, excitement and reverence - not fear. By: Christina Andrea Alvear As a child, I always had a fascination with animals. My favorite pastime was watching Shark Week on Discovery during the summer. At one point in my adult life, I even went to the beach early in the morning with my husband in hopes of finding a shark tooth along the waterline (unfortunately, I had no luck.) I never had the courage to see a shark up close, but I found these animals intriguing, nonetheless. Sharks are remarkable and so are the people who study them! Like any field, becoming a scientist requires hard work and dedication. To better understand the mystery of becoming a shark scientist, I asked Carlee M. Jackson-Bohannon, the Director of Communications and co-founder of MISS for insights. Thinking about sharks begs the question: How does one become a shark scientist? Read the interview below to find out!  Meet Carlee Carlee is a shark and sea turtle scientist with an M.S. in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University. She has worked with the NSU shark tagging program and studied the impact of tourism on nurse sharks in Belize. Her research focuses on how human activities affect sharks and their habitats. Carlee received the 2022 Justice in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion award from the Florida Marine Science Educators Association. She has also worked as a Research Associate at New College of Florida, a Marine Turtle Specialist at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and an environmental educator in South Florida. At MISS, she is a co-founder and leads social media content and management, while advancing her conservation efforts. CA: Given that you are both a shark and turtle scientist….let’s start with some warm up questions. Warm Up Questions CA: What's your favorite shark? What's your favorite turtle? CJ: My favorite shark is the nurse shark, my favorite turtle is the loggerhead sea turtle.  Carlee’s favorite animals. Images from left to right: Nurse shark by juliem_wildphoto via iNaturalist and Loggerhead Sea Turtle by Roberto Pillon via iNaturalist CA: There are countless fields to explore in science, and becoming a shark scientist is a dream for many. However, this career comes with its challenges, such as securing funding, competing for research positions, and the physically demanding fieldwork in the open ocean. With all these factors in mind. CA:What makes a shark scientist choose their field over other fields? CJ: After trying different types of sciences, a shark scientist may choose their field because it was the one that interested and excited them the most. CA: What are some of the tracks that a shark scientist can do? CJ: Basic biology classes, marine science courses, field courses, data science courses. CA: What are some myths associated with being a shark/sea turtle scientist? CJ: I think that some people think we are out in the field all the time and underestimate the amount of research and paperwork goes on! Depending on the type of work, being out in the field is about 30% of the work and the rest is writing, research and other computer things. CA: Generally speaking, from what you have described and what I understand, to become a shark scientist, you have to gain experience through internships, field work, and develop skills in scientific research, writing, and data analysis. You also have to complete an advanced degree in marine biology or a related field. As straightforward as that sounds. Program related questions  CA:How competitive is the field? CJ: The field can be competitive because sharks are big, somewhat charismatic animals that people want to work with. Labs can fill up with people who want to work with sharks. CA:Is there an hour requirement for internships and getting into a masters or P.h.D program? CJ: It depends on the program but usually there are core course requirements that are needed to enter a masters program. Some PhD programs require a masters first, but most allow you to go straight into the program after undergrad. CA: What should someone look for when determining whether a program is a "right fit" for them? CJ: Make sure the physical location has everything you’d need/want in your quality of life. If possible get a feel of the program/lab participants to see if you would integrate well. Most importantly, make sure your advisor/PI is someone who will be able to help you with your needs. Determine what kind of mentor you need and make sure your advisor/PI fits that. CA: How is the study of shark/sea turtles alike? Different? CJ: Both animals are a bit cryptic and far moving, and overall generally under-studied. They both are also incredibly important to ocean cycles and the food chain, so we ask similar questions as to how populations are interacting with their environments. Sharks are fish, while sea turtles are air-breathing reptiles, so research methods are pretty different between the two. Sea turtles are able to be rehabilitated and released back into the wild, while that is not able to happen with sharks. There are also only 7 species of sea turtle, while there's over 500 species of sharks! CA: How has the field of elasmobranch research evolved in the last 10 years? CJ: I would say that there has been an uptick in the use of technology in shark science such as being able to obtain more data from animals using certain tags. The field has also had an increase in women, in my opinion, and an increase in visibility of some scientists as well. I think more and more research questions are coming up in the field that need to be answered, and we are also starting to see results from conservation methods put into place 10+ years ago. CA: Given your experience, I'd like to ask you about some wisdom you have gained along the way. Pearls of Wisdom CA:What do you wish you knew starting in the field? CJ: I wish I knew what types of full-time jobs outside of research and academia were available in my field. CA:What is the best advice that you have gotten on your journey to becoming a shark scientist? CJ:The best advice I've received was from a mentor when I was doubting myself and letting imposter syndrome take over: Continuously remind yourself of all of the things you've accomplished along your journey, big and small. CA:What advice do you have for aspiring shark scientists? CJ: Don't be afraid to try many new and different things and build transferable skills, because you never know what discipline of shark science might be your niche! For example, if you know that you enjoy lab work then you definitely can do lab work with shark projects. Closing Thoughts MISS encourages you to chase your dreams, no matter where you are on your journey. MISS is here to offer support, community, and funding opportunities for gender minorities of color. Sincerest thanks to Carlee and all of the people at MISS who create opportunities for people who have been historically excluded from the field of marine and shark sciences. Ready to become a shark scientist? Check MISS out for workshops, internships, and fellowships! Want to make a difference? Want to learn more about being a shark scientist? Check this links out!  Christina Andrea Alvear is a coordinator for a nonprofit organization in San Antonio, Texas. She is a regular writer for Envirobites. Her goal is to make primary research fun and accessible to everyone while connecting with other science enthusiasts. She earned a MS in Biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has explored a wide range of careers, including research, education, nonprofit mental health, substance abuse, and healthcare programs.. During her time off, she likes to lounge around at a coffee shop on a weekend or enjoy a board game with friends. Feel free to connect via LinkedIn.
  By: Christina Andrea Alvear
Meet the Walking Shark! If Nancy Sinatra could sing to this winning shark, she’d sing: These fins were made for walkin’ And that’s just what they’ll do One of these days, these fins are gonna walk all over you! Can a shark walk in shallow reef flats? The Epaulette shark can! When this shark experiences temperature fluctuations and low oxygen levels, it just uses its paddlel-ike pectoral fins to crawl to the next area. This walking pattern has been described as a salamander-like walking gait. The shark has a slender eel body type that allows it to hide in nooks and crannies of coral beds. This shark has a creamy brown color speckled with spots and a characteristic pair of black false eyespots ringed in white above its pectoral fins. Contrary to other deep sea shark predators, this shark’s rounded snout, nasal barbells, and bulging cat-like eyes make it look like a grumpy cat you’d want to cuddle! They frequently come in contact with humans and can be kept in a large aquarium, but are best appreciated at a distance in their natural habitat. These sharks usually do not exceed 3 ft and live for 20-25 years. The Story Behind the Name Epaulette An epaulette is an ornamental shoulder piece used in the military to show a soldier’s rank. Image source: Epaulette by Pearson Scott Foresman, public domain via Wikimedia commons The epaulette shark was named after its false eye spots that rest off the edge of the pectoral fins. These spots are black with a white border and are thought to resemble epaulettes on a military shoulder. Besides its main name, the epaulette shark has other aliases: blind shark, carpet shark, cat shark, and walking shark. Shark Diet These sharks are bottom feeders with different food preferences during various times of their development. As juveniles, epaulette sharks prefer polychaete worms and as adults they prefer crabs. Overall when they are not eating their food of choice, they eat small bony fish and shrimp. They are nocturnal hunters, but have also been seen hunting at dusk and dawn. Habitat You can find these walking sharks off the coasts of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Epaulette sharks prefer to spend their time in the warm shallow water of coral reefs and tidal pools. During the breeding season, August to December, females will lay 2 eggs in a sac every two weeks. These eggs are laid near coral rocks where they can become entangled and locked into place. Predators The shark’s natural predators are larger sharks and fish such as groupers. Threats According to the IUCN, these sharks are not facing a significant threat of extinction, however they are still being monitored because of their potential decline due to climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, and the aquarium trade. Support Our Cause With your help and support, you can help MISS support researchers of color interested in pursuing research to better understand and conserve these sharks. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates on MISS! Interested in Learning More? Feel free to explore the MISS website and these links below.
By: Christina Andrea Alvear  Image Source: Spongebob and Gary (both images) SpongeBob SquarePants character montage by Nickelodeon (NickRewind) CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia commons Hellooo everybody! Do you know what I love more than jelly fishin’? Savin the Sea! Baaahahahahahaha! I’ve partnered with MISS to talk about conservation. Savin the Sea is super important because lately I see a whole lotta trash in Bikini Bottom. The Problem Last week, I saw Mrs. Puff stuck in a plastic six pack ring. I found a plastic straw stuck in Gary’s shell and Squidward had to clean small bits of plastic from his clarinet. The problem isn’t just in Bikini Bottom, it's everywhere! Plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution. By 2050, plastic will likely outweigh all fish in the sea. What you can do There’s a whole lot to do when savin the sea! How do we remember all of this? Use the 4 R’s: Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle. If you have time to do more, join a beach clean up! Refuse Say “nooo thanks!” to disposable items. For example, when I order a krabby patty at Krusty Krabs for takeout and they ask if I want disposable utensils, I wave my hand and shake my head really hard and say “Thanks, but nooo way!” “I got knives and forks at home. That way, there is less I have to throw away and I can still share my patty with Gary. Right, Gary? “Meow” Reuse What do you use most? Skip disposables and get reusables. Avoid single use plastic bottles and use reusable bottles! Fun fact! Some parks are installing water bottle filling stations to do their part! It's not just about water bottles, you can get creative and repurpose all sorts of things. Reduce If you have to use disposable items, try to reduce how much stuff you use.Online shopping? Combine packages! For example, when getting groceries, bring your own handy dandy reusable bag. Sometimes, when I can’t find my bag, (in a low whisper) “I use Gary’s shell” Just don’t tell Gary! Baahahahahaha! Recycle If you have to throw away something, learn about where you can recycle different items. You might have different trash bins to throw away different items such as plastic, paper, food waste, and yard trimmings. It’s not just about disposing things properly, you can also get creative with, “Imagination” (*creates a rainbow out of thin air). My Ol’ Reliable, jelly fish net, is made of carbon fiber frame, titanium alloy net, and ergonomic silicone handle. Other jellyfish nets can be made of bamboo, metal, and other recycled materials! Even my house is recycled! It’s made of pineapple, straw, and wood. Remember, everyone has to do their part! You can practice the 4 R’s and volunteer to help reduce waste. I’m ready! I’m ready! Are you? Resources
Want to learn more and have fun activities to do with the family? Check out these links below! Things to do at home, at the store, on the water on the shore.: Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/how-help/home Plastic pollution key facts https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/plastic-pollution-ocean/ By: Christina Andrea Alvear Image Source: (left to right) Head of a pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) by PiRO/NOAA Observer program, public domain via Wikimedia commons. Thresher Shark by Thomas Alexander CC by SA 4.0 via Wikimedia commons Can a shark be simultaneously goofy and elegant at the same time? Sure it can! We are proud to announce 2024’s March Madness winner: the Pelagic Thrasher (Alopias pelagicus). This shark reaches an average size of 10 ft and is blue gray with a white underbelly. It has puppy dog eyes, an elongated submarine body, long pectoral fins, and a remarkably long dagger-like tail. Their unique hunting strategy is to swim up to a school of fish at 45 mph and then make a hard stop so that all that energy can extend to their whip-like tail forward to stun their prey. This primary move is known as the overhead tail-slap. When the shark’s prey movements become erratic and difficult to take down, the sharks also employ the sideways tail-slap.  Diagram showing the motion of a Thresher shark’s tail slap generated from Oliver and colleagues’ research study. Image source: Oliver, S. P., Turner, J. R., Gann, K., Silvosa, M., & D'Urban Jackson, T. (2013). Image Source: Thresher sharks use tail-slaps as a hunting strategy. PloS one, 8(7), e67380. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067380 Shark Diet
Pelagic thresher sharks whip out their tails to eat herrings, flying fishes, mackerels, and squid. Depending on literature searches, their diet also includes the occasional crustacean and seagull. These threshers can fully breach the waters like dolphins and whales so, perhaps they grab a bird as a quick snack! (According to researchers, it is likely that they leap in the air instead, as a way of getting rid of parasites.) Luckily, humans are off the menu. They generally are shy and tend to stay away from divers. Habitat You can find these sharks in action in the open ocean of the Pacific, Indian, and Mediterranean sea. They can also be found off the northeast coast of Taiwan, and North American waters by California, and Mexico. For divers, the best location for divers to get a glimpse of these gray blue sharks are off the shores of Malapascua, an island in the Philippines. It is difficult to understand their migratory patterns since there are few tagging studies of these creatures and it is difficult to study them in the open ocean. The breeding season of pelagic threshers is unknown. What we do know is that female sharks have 1-2 pups over the course of 9 months. These pups are cannibalistic in their mother’s womb and feed on unfertilized eggs during development. When they are born, they can reach sizes of 4 ft., almost half the size of their mothers. This may be an evolutionary strategy to avoid being easy prey. Predators The shark’s natural predators are larger sharks, toothed whales, and humans who capture them for commercial and recreational fishing. They are prized for their fins, hide for leather products, and organs for medicinal and cosmetic products. These wondrous tail whipping sharks are on the endangered list. Support Our Cause With your help and support, you can help MISS support researchers of color interested in pursuing research to better understand and conserve these sharks. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates on our shark contenders for March Madness 2025! Interested in Learning More? Feel free to explore the MISS website and these links below.
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About missMISS provides a community and funded opportunities for gender minorities of color who wish to enter the field of shark sciences. We aim to show that there are many gender minorities of color succeeding in and interested in this field.
We fundraise and apply for grants to create paid opportunities to attempt to knock down the financial barrier into shark sciences. We encourage other organizations in our field to do the same. |
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