Current Students
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Lilian O Elekwachi- PhD student
Lilian is a Margaret McNamara Education Fellow. Her doctoral research is linked to empowering women and improving nutrition in Nigeria, by improving the fish smoking technologies and techniques currently used, as well as the sustainability of aquaculture development in Nigeria, with the help of multidisciplinary research approach. Her research to improve the fish processing technologies will help to improve the working conditions for women and improve the quality of finished product. Lilian is currently a teaching assistant at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and one of the recipients of McNamara Education Grant 2020 award. She has a catfish aquaculture farm and processes her products as well. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Aquaculture from the University of St Andrews Uk. |
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Sean McNally - PhD Candidate
Sean is currently a Knaus Fellow. His thesis work will focus on the Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative (MSI) to support the long-term goal of abundant shellfish resources for Massachusetts communities. Through the MSI Consensus building and prioritization will lead to increased state resources for water quality monitoring, increased cooperation between permitting and regulatory agencies, increased public funds to sustain shellfisheries in MA, expansion of shellfisheries in MA, and increased educational resources/opportunities about fisheries science to shellfish stakeholder groups. In developing the MSI Sean has been working collectively with the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance (CCCFA), the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association (MAA), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Sean will examine steps to integrate new technologies into current aquaculture monitoring and regulation schemes. This knowledge will extremely helpful in shaping Sean's future science goals of applying understandable science in future development of legislation within state and federal systems, and outreach to shellfish stakeholder groups. Sean received his MS in the Marine Science and Technology program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. |
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Alan Abend - PhD student
Alan is currently the Assistant Dean of the School for the Environment, UMass Boston. He obtained his BS and MS in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He also has a Culinary Arts degree from Johnson and Wales University. Alan did his initial PhD work at Texas A&M University Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science and is continuing his research in the Tlusty lab. Alan’s early research focused on diet analysis of marine fisheries, whales and seals using stable isotope and fatty acid analyses. He is currently looking how to improve the production of farmed seafood to decrease waste and utilize seafood production waste into profitable products. |
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Alex Bonnano - MS Degree - graduated spring 2020
Alex is a graduate of Roger Williams University where he worked on the captive broodstock conditioning, egg collection, and larval rearing of the Atlantic Lookdown, Selene vomer. AFter graduation, he spent time as a professional marine biology intern for The Walt Disney Company at The Seas. At Disney, where he was given the opportunity to fine-tune his knowledge of marine species by caring for over 150 species of marine organisms. At U Mass, he will work on how to detect fish that were caught using cyanide. Cyanide fishing, introduced into Southeast Asia in the 1960s, is among one of the most destructive human activities occurring in the area, and in addition to aquarium fish, is also used for the live food fish trade. Estimates have placed the amount of cyanide used in the Philippines as high as 150,000kg per year, although the exact magnitude remains unknown. Currently, there is no easily implemented test to ensure that a fish was not caught with cyanide. Stopping illegal cyanide fishing will be a significant step in helping to improve coral reef health. |
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Jack HE - MS Degree - GRADUATED SPRING 2020
Jack obtained his BS in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts-Boston back in 2017. Upon graduation, he took a year off to travel the world and work in the biotech industry. Currently, he is using Environmental DNA to determine the presence and distribution of Marbled salamanders in Holyoke, MA in association with Zoo New England’s head start program. The goal of the program is to collect and rear marbled salamanders, before reintroducing them back into Middle-sex Fells Reservation. |
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Jireh Clarington- REU Student summer 2019
Jireh Clarington was a visiting scholar in the Coastal Research in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) Research Experience for Undergraduates program in 2019. His research focused on assessing the sustainability of a Sri Lankan elasmobranch fishery and quantifying the presence of endangered species therein. Data from this study reported the presence of species new to science who’s IUCN status had never been assessed; raising new questions and challenges for Sri Lanka’s elasmobranch fisheries. Currently, he is pursuing a B. Sc. in marine fish conservation at Virginia Tech. His work there focuses on probiotics growth and feeding trials of steelhead trout and giant tiger prawns at his university’s aquaculture lab. |
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Samina Soin-Voshell - REU Student summer 2019
Samina Soin-Voshell was a member of the Coastal Research in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) REU 2019 cohort. During her summer at UMass Boston her research focused on evaluating two concrete substrates’ potential for recruiting marine settlement in the intertidal zone, which was in the context of research on promoting recovery of the biotic community when concrete sea walls are built. Her home institution is Washington College in Chestertown, MD where she is double majoring in environmental science and biology, with a minor in Chesapeake regional studies. Upon graduation in 2021 she plans to pursue coastal or estuarine ecology in her future studies and career. |
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Delia McNamara- Undergraduate Capstone - Graduated, BS Dec 2017
Delia's Capstone Independent Study research project focused on instances of epizootic shell disease in juvenile lobsters held in aquaculture. The Tlusty lab emphasizes sustainability, which is reflected in the goals of this project. Shell disease takes an economic toll globally on crustacean industries; this project will aide in understanding how climate change may intensify rates of epizootic shell disease. Delia also has aquaculture experience as a lab supervisor at the Harwich Shellfish Lab. The Harwich Shellfish Lab is a nursery which raises quahogs and oysters to an size with a higher survivability rate. The optimization of growth rates of shellfish raised in this lab is vital to the commercial and recreational viability of shellfishing in the town of Harwich on Cape Cod. Upon graduation from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, she will enroll in graduate school after a period of further experience-building in the industry. |
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