Alumni Updates
Jay Brandes, 1988
Submitted: July 12, 2022 Jay Brandes recently gave a talk titled “Microplastics: A Local Problem with a Local Solution” at the 2022 TEDx Savannah Event. He is presently a Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia Athens, working out of UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah Georgia. His work encompasses a variety of areas including nutrient and carbon cycling, biogeochemistry, and marine pollution. This fall (2022) he will begin teaching an Oceanographic Cruise course for Marine Science majors, and hopes to impart the knowledge he gained having experienced a similar transformational course in his education at HSU.
Carrie Leonard, 1992
Submitted: February 6, 2021
After 20 plus years of research and managing research operations, Leonard has moved to implementing policy to address Climate Change and Racial Justice at the Oregon State Legislature. She's excited to move to implementing ideas instead of answering questions.
Gary Coyne, 1973
Submitted: December 11, 2020
Gary Coyne worked for 40 years as a scientific glassblower, with over 30 years at Cal State University, Los Angeles. While working at CSULA He wrote the book "The Laboratory Companion" and had a wonderful career helping to make both glass apparatus used in general labs and many one-of-a-kind apparatus used by chemists, geologist, biologist, and physicist. He retired in 2015 and since then has gone deeper in his hobby of woodworking and has spent more time on his bike. He also helps Adobe in their forums answering questions on things like Lightroom, Photoshop, Acrobat and other related programs. In addition he still provides support to the national organization ASGS (American Scientific Glassblowers Society).
Robert Miller, 1984
Submitted: December 11, 2020
Robert Miller is the Co-owner and CFO of Sea Dwelling Creatures, Inc. (www.seadwelling.com) and founder of The Coral Ark (www.thecoralark.org).
Ed Gullekson, 1973
Submitted: May 13, 2020
After graduation Ed Gullekson, Oceanography, 1973, joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a commissioned officer where over six years he served on three different ships and at a NOAA fisheries lab at Tiburon, California. He then earned a master's degree in management science. From there he spent the next 30 years as a management consultant and executive coach. During that time he continued to scuba dive, enjoying the underwater world as a hobby. On retiring in 2014 he started volunteer scientific diving in Puget Sound for the University of Washington, helping on a variety of projects. One in particular, Sea Star Wasting Disease, he has contributed many hours of underwater observation. You can see his observations on his youtube channel.
Paul Valentich-Scott, 1970
Submitted: May 11, 2020
Paul Valentich-Scott, Oceanography, 1970, began working at the School of Oceanography at Oregon State University designing and participating in benthic surveys in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In 1982, Valentich-Scott changed career paths and became a curator at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History where he retired at the end of 2019. While at the museum Paul published dozens of papers on marine bivalves, including three books on the bivalves of the eastern Pacific. Valentich-Scott and his wife Lynne fund an annual HSU Oceanography scholarship.
Julianne Fernandez, 2014
Submitted: January 28, 2020
After earning her degree, Julianne Fernandez, Oceanography, 2014, interned with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District in Illinois. As a Physical Science Technician in Water Quality she assisted in monitoring the upper Mississippi River. Fernandez worked on her M.S. in Geology at the University of Cincinnati, where her research focused on methane emissions from Lake Erie. Fernandez completed her M.S in 2017 and soon decided to pursue a PhD. She’s currently a Marie Slodowska-Curie Postgraduate Research Assistant in the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway University of London, UK. She studies urban methane emissions from London and other European metropolitan areas.
Michael William Ra, 1996
Submitted: October 10, 2018
Michael William Raftery, Oceanography, 1996, worked for Lockheed Martin Technical Operations as a Satellite Engineer (1996-2000), Loral Skynet as a Spacecraft Orbit Analyst (2000-2004), Stevens Institute of Technology as a Research Engineer (2004-2012), received a Masters Degree in Ocean Engineering (Stevens 2009), and is the sole inventor on US Patent 8093736B2 (Wave Energy Harnessing Device) own by Stevens Board of Trustees. He's currently working for Martin & Ottaway in Tinton Falls, New Jersey working to commercialize the SurfWEHD based on US patent 8093736B2.
James A. Seward, 2016
Submitted: January 26, 2018
James A Seward, Oceanography, 2016, was an environmental services intern for California Coastal Conservancy from July 2017 to January 2018. He is currently a technician with the Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS).
Clark Alexander, 1983
Submitted: August 2, 2017
Clark Alexander, 1983 Oceanography, was recently appointed Director of the University of Georgia (UGA) Skidaway Institute of Oceanography located in Savannah, GA. He also holds the rank of full professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at UGA.
Jessica Taatjes, 2014
Submitted: April 6, 2015
Jessica Taatjes, 2014 Oceanography, joined AmeriCorps VISTA with the California State University after graduation. Taatjes currently works with COAST (Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology) conducting student engagement across the CSU.
Carrie Leonard, 1992
Submitted: March 29, 2012
Carrie has recently been name the Director of Advanced Concepts for BAE Systems in Honolulu. In this role she meets with the user community to develop technical solutions to their pressing needs. She has also been named the Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers Hawaiian Island Chapter. On a personal note, she's a soccer coach (U8 AYSO), baseball and water polo mom, and active triathlete.
