Group Members
Jamie Gibbon
Jamie received a B.S. in biology from Wake Forest University in 2005. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio he was always interested in the ocean, but didn't have a lot of opportunities to study it. After graduating, he split his time between Boston and Hawaii studying humpback whale behavior and population structure as part of a small research team. While he thoroughly enjoyed his time working on the water, Jamie decided to enroll in the Bren School to continue his study of marine issues from a new perspective, and hopes to help influence policy and practices that lead to the conservation of the world's ocean resources.
jgibbon@bren.ucsb.edu
Connor Hastings
Connor grew up in San Luis Obispo, CA and attended UCLA, where he earned a B.S. in Geography/Environmental Studies. Desiring to further his background in environmental issues and enhance his employment potential in the field, Connor immediately enrolled in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB in the fall of 2008 after graduating from UCLA earlier in the year, and has decided to specialize in Coastal Marine Resource Management. Due to a background deeply rooted in volleyball, Connor usually finds himself playing in beach tournaments during the summer, and is also an assistant coach for the UCSB Women?s Volleyball team. His travels along the California shoreline have instilled an inherent interest in coastal land use issues, and his ideal environmental career would involve serving on the board of the California Coastal Commission. Whatever career path he eventually takes, Connor plans on devising a way to help the environment and society through a medium of his choosing, conventional or otherwise.
chastings@bren.ucsb.edu
Tucker Hirsch
Although Tucker is originally a Jersey Girl, she feels at home in California, and has since moving here. After graduating with a B.S. in Marine Biology from Rutgers University in 2006, Tucker moved to Monterey for her first job in environmental science education. For the next two years, Tucker moved between seasonal positions in outdoor education, taking her to Hawaii, San Francisco, and Monterey again. While still passionate about environmental education and marine biology, Tucker enrolled in the Bren school hoping to hone her environmental management and business skills to influence environmental education policy in the US. Tucker hopes that success in Seafood's Group Project will someday allow her to enjoy eating seafood again and stray from her vegan ways.
ehirsch@bren.ucsb.edu
Kristen Hislop
Kristen received her B.A. from the geography department at UCSB in 2005. After pursuing her original goal of working in the health field, she realized that her interests and skills were more aligned with environmental management. At Bren, Kristen is in the coastal marine resources specialization and is interested in marine management techniques that will create more sustainable fisheries and healthy aquatic ecosystems. A California native, Kristen has always been passionate about environmental issues and is interested in involving the public in campaigns that focus on proactive efforts to reduce negative effects of pollution on the environment.
khislop@bren.ucsb.edu
Eric Stevens
Eric graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a degree in Business Economics. After college, he traveled extensively, moving to Leon, Nicaragua and working as a tutor and mentor in an after school center for homeless children, then spending 2 years in Costa Rica, volunteering as a teacher with the Peace Corps. As a volunteer he began a sustainable computer learning school and also received a grant to construct a safe, drug free park in the local community. He taught business planning and entrepreneurship to a high school graduating class, creating a scuba diving and tour business plan, which promotes tourism as an alternative to over-fishing. Upon finishing the Peace Corps he spent some time as an outreach specialist with a non-profit organization in San Diego, working with fire prevention, research, and support. Eric is currently getting a masters degree at the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science Management, focusing on Coastal Marine Resource planning. In the future he hopes to continue living on the California coast and to find solutions that bridge the increasing pressure of population growth and the preservation of California coastlines.
estevens@bren.ucsb.edu
Advisors
Hunter Lenihan
Hunter’s primary research interests lie in the fields of applied population and community ecology, especially in connection with fisheries management and restoration. He has collaborated with California fishing communities to design research projects intended to advance habitat-based fisheries management. He is also exploring ecological and oceanographic processes that regulate coral populations, particularly at a long-term project on the island of Moorea, in French Polynesia, with the goal of developing new techniques for coral reef restoration. In addition, Professor Lenihan is working with disease physiologists to isolate and cultivate disease-resistant abalone to be used as part of population enhancement efforts. He has also done extensive research within estuaries, at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and in polar environments. His overall objective is to generate new ideas and methods for marine resource management and train young scientists interested in community-based research and management.
lenihan@bren.ucsb.edu