I have always been in the pursuit of knowledge and research even when I didn’t understand what that meant. As a child, I would spend my summer afternoons in the front yard catching bees and counting how many could be found on a given day. I like to joke that this was my first foray into scientific research. Interestingly, I didn’t decide to study science in college until the very end of my high school years when application season began. Up until that point I had set my sights on a creative career as an artist. Lucky for me, becoming a scientific researcher has nurtured my creative side much more than I anticipated. Getting to be a Georgia Sea Grant research trainee has continued to nurture my love of scientific research, and the skills that go along with it.
I attended California State University Long Beach where I obtained my Bachelor of Science in marine biology. During this time, I threw myself into a variety of pursuits ranging from entering shark tracking data for a graduate student, volunteering in animal care at the local aquarium, and tackling two undergraduate research projects. It was during these research projects that I truly fell in love with the scientific process; how I got to blend a fantastic variety of creativity, curiosity, math, and truth to understand the world better. In fact, I recall crying happy tears when I reached the data analysis stage of one of my projects, overwhelmed by the fact that I could take a simple observation and question and gain new knowledge from it.
Craig tests her samples in a lab.
This love of research is what led me to pursue a master’s degree in biology. My research interests are rooted in understanding the stress responses of elasmobranch (sharks and rays) as well as how they cope with abiotic changes in the environment around them. My master’s thesis focuses on the physiological response of sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) to longline capture, what factors (biological and environmental) can affect this response, and validating small handheld point of care meters to test for stress biomarkers in their blood as an alternative to more complex, time consuming, and expensive laboratory methods. This work aims to deepen our understanding of the physiology of these sharks as well as validate accessible methods of testing shark blood for these stress parameters.
I have been so grateful to be a Georgia Sea Grant research trainee as it has provided me the time and resources to dedicate myself to research, public outreach and preparation for conferences. I have been lucky to have the time to travel and join sampling trips with Field School, a scientific organization based in Florida. During each trip, I spent two days in the field gathering samples from various shark species, and, most notably, got to draw blood from a 7-foot female tiger shark. I have also worked with Georgia Southern University i2STEMed to craft outreach programming to educate the public about shark biology and the ways in which scientists study sharks. I did this educational outreach at both the Glynn County STEAM Day and Georgia DNR’s CoastFest. For these events, I was able to bring some of my blood testing meters with me to show how we test blood in the field. Some of the blood meters are similar to ones that diabetics use to test their blood sugar, which is helpful in drawing connections between humans and sharks and communicating my research to the public.
Craig presents her research poster at the Association of Southeastern Biologists Conference.
In addition to having time for additional field work and outreach, being a Georgia Sea Grant research trainee has helped me present my research at conferences. I recently attended the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) meeting to present a poster on the results of my point of care meter validation work. The ASB meeting drew a wide variety of biologists from many disciplines, and I was able to share my work with individuals I would not have normally been able to reach. All these experiences highlight what I love about being a scientist: collaboration, creativity, and curiosity.
This experience has given hope for my future career in science. My next goal is to pursue my Ph.D., and work as a research scientist or university professor. I hope to be in a career where I can continue to ask and answer questions about our oceans and marine life. I have gained invaluable experiences and developed my scientific confidence throughout this traineeship, and I know it will serve me well in the future.