Meet our 2018 Entering Class

Seven students entered the JPBO in Fall 2018. As the Spring semester gets underway, most of them are commuting between Woods Hole and MIT a couple of times per week. In addition to being talented scientist, they are an interesting and diverse group!

Cynthia Becker graduated from Ithaca College in upstate NY, where she received a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Music. While there, she worked in a genetics lab studying the nematode, C. elegans. During senior year, she studied at WHOI as a participant in the undergraduate Semester at WHOI program where she got her first taste of the exciting world of microbiology. Cynthia now works in the Apprill Lab studying the dynamics of coral reef seawater microbiomes. In her spare time, she loves playing bassoon in the community orchestra, running outside, and visiting National Parks with her twin sister.	Cory Berger received his B.A. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked on silk gene expression in spiders. He is now a member of the Tarrant lab, where he studies genomics and molecular physiology of marine invertebrates. Outside of science, Cory loves playing and listening to music, playing chess, and staying active with skiing and hiking.
Bethany Fowler is advised by Mike Neubert and Heidi Sosik.	Ruijiao Sun is advised by Stephanie Jenouvier.
Jordan Pitt graduated from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry and a minor in Environmental Biology. Her undergraduate work focused on the toxicity of nanoplastics to fish. She is now a member of the Aluru and Hahn lab where she studies the mechanisms by which pollutants affect vertebrates. When not in the lab, she likes to participate in dances such as swing and salsa.	Kayla Gardner graduated from the University of South Carolina, Columbia with a B.S. in Marine Science and minors in Biology and Math. She now works in Simon Thorrold’s Fish Ecology Lab at WHOI studying the ecosystem interactions between pelagic apex predators and the twilight zone using stable isotope analysis. Outside the lab, Kayla enjoys engaging in scientific education and outreach, paddle boarding, scuba diving, and playing with her pup-Remora.
Zac Tobias completed his B.A. in Biology at Lewis & Clark College in 2012 and his M.Sc. in Zoology at the University of Otago, New Zealand in 2016. He his interested in the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of invasive species, especially within a host-parasite context. He joined the Tepolt Lab in the summer of 2018 and is developing a project to study the evolutionary consequences of population admixture in invasive tunicates. When he’s not studying or doing research, Zac enjoys surfing, fishing, hiking, and playing with his dog, Jinx.