UCSB Ph.D. student Lindsay Marks was one of three grad students nationwide to win NOAA's Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship.
Whether collecting bowls of hail with her brother in New Zealand or samples of seaweed with other researchers in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Lindsay Marks has had a curiosity about science throughout her life.
That curiosity was fostered by her parents, college professors Rick and Joyce Marks, who made it their mission to expose Lindsay and younger brother Rob to the world through annual vacations to new places and even by living abroad, where they visited 33 countries in 13 months.
Lindsay, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Department, recently learned from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries that she was among three graduate students nationwide to be awarded a Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship.
Lindsay Marks has done extensive dive surveys at the Channel Islands for her dissertation research.The scholarship recipients are graduate-level scholars studying marine biology, coastal resource management, and maritime archaeology. They will receive an annual stipend of $30,000; an annual education allowance of up to $12,000; and are eligible for up to $10,000 to support a four- to six-week research collaboration at a NOAA facility. Doctoral students are eligible to continue the scholarship program for four years and master’s students for two years.
The program, in its 13th year, is highly competitive. Lindsay was among about 250 applicants for the three awards. A panel of NOAA scientists reviewed and scored the applications based on such factors as academic excellence, recommendations, research, career goals, and financial need.
The scholarship program “is an exceptional opportunity to develop the next generation of NOAA scientists at the start of their careers,” Daniel J. Basta, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, said in a NOAA news release. “I am confident that these scholars and their research will provide new knowledge to enhance the work and mission of the National Marine Sanctuary System.”
Lindsay’s dissertation research focuses on the impact a recently introduced invasive seaweed is having on local kelp forest ecosystems.
Although this scientist spends a lot of time underwater for her research, she makes the time on dry land to cultivate relationships with other students. Because of their shared experiences, these friends are a great support network and a source of inspiration for Lindsay.
In our Spotlight interview, Lindsay tells the GradPost which small accomplishments keep her motivated in her graduate studies; why this marine scientist is no longer a “water rat” in her free time; what natural substance from the sea she uses to create artwork; and more. Read on. …
What is your year in grad school, discipline, expected graduation date, and previous degree earned?
I have completed my second year as a Ph.D. student in the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Department. My emphasis is in marine ecology. I work in Dr. Dan Reed’s lab with the Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research (SBC-LTER) program, a branch of the NSF-funded national network of sites studying large-scale spatial and temporal ecological processes. I expect to graduate in June 2017. I have a B.S. in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz.
Lindsay Marks had an early interest in nature and science. Here 11-year-old Lindsay and her brother, Rob, collected hail after a storm while living in New Zealand.
Where did you grow up? Tell us about your family, childhood, and upbringing.
I grew up in a small rural town in Northern California near Petaluma, Penngrove. I had a very fortunate childhood and was close to my family. We ate dinner together every night, and afterwards my folks (Rick and Joyce Marks, who were both professors) would help my younger brother and me with our homework. They made it a priority to show us the world, too, and we went on a trip just about every year to someplace new. We also spent two long periods abroad: once for seven months in New Zealand when I was 11 years old, and once for a year in Europe when I was 16. My parents fostered a sense of curiosity about the world in me, and I think that’s the reason I was drawn to science.
The circumstances which brought us to New Zealand were that my dad, who was a mathematics and education professor at Sonoma State University, swapped positions for a semester with a professor from the University of Otago in Dunedin. We stayed in her home, drove her car, etc., while she and her family did the same in our home in Penngrove. My brother and I attended a public elementary school in Dunedin during that time. For that semester, my mother took a sabbatical. She was an English professor at the College of Marin. Both of my parents are now retired and my brother is attending Cabrillo College, near Santa Cruz, Calif.
The year we went to Europe, 2001-02, both of my parents took sabbaticals and home-schooled Rob and me. They shipped a car over to France where we picked it up eight weeks later, so we were pretty mobile the whole time. We traveled to 33 countries in 13 months! We settled down twice for a couple of months (once in France and once in Italy) to focus on our schoolwork, but mostly we traveled the whole time. We were mainly in Western Europe, but we also saw a bit of Central Europe and Northern Africa.
Other trips I took with my family when I was a kid include road trips to the Midwest, the East Coast, Vancouver in Canada, and Baja California in Mexico. We also did a lot of camping in California.
Tell us about the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship. How was it that you applied and what process did you go through to win it?
UCSB Ph.D. student Lindsay MarksThe Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship is administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). Dr. Nancy Foster was a pioneer in marine ecosystem-based management, and this scholarship was authorized by Congress soon after her death in 2000 as a means of honoring her life's work and contribution to the nation. The program recognizes outstanding scholarship and encourages independent graduate-level research – particularly by female and minority students – in oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archaeology. I learned about the scholarship through my lab mates, and I was one of three students nationally who received it out of approximately 250 applicants. The application process was similar to other graduate fellowships, except the research I proposed was aligned with the research priorities of our local sanctuary: the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
What does winning this scholarship mean to you?
Winning this award was the best thing that could have happened to me at this stage in my degree. The scholarship will cover my education costs and provide a living stipend for the next four years, so I will be able to fully commit my time to my dissertation research. In addition, the networking opportunities and professional development provided by ONMS, and the two collaboration opportunities I will have to work directly with NOAA offices, will be invaluable experiences in the development of my career as a scientist.
Please tell us about the retreat you attended that was related to this award.
The retreat is an annual event hosted by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff for all current Nancy Foster scholars. Each year the retreat is held near one of the National Sanctuary sites, and this year the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was showcased. The retreat included some informational sessions about the national sanctuary system and local West Coast sanctuary sites, some team-building activities to help get the scholars to know one another better, some professional development workshops, and an orientation explaining the logistics of managing the award. This retreat made me feel as though NOAA is really investing in us scholars and will support us however they can during our tenure to prepare us for success in our careers.
Do you intend to use the research collaboration opportunities that the scholarship offers? If so, how?
I will certainly take advantage of the research collaboration opportunity. In fact, it is a requirement of the program that I participate in one, and a second is optional. The purpose of these collaboration awards is to help us to broaden our experience as scientists and expand our network of professional contacts. I hope to use one of these opportunities to work closely with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary on my research project studying an invasive seaweed in the sanctuary. For my second collaboration, I may seek out an internship with a policy-oriented office of NOAA to learn more about how science can be translated into language and policy used for conservation and resource management.
Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic.
I had been doing ecological research in kelp forests for some years when I applied for this scholarship, and the topic I proposed to study was: how a recently introduced invasive seaweed Sargassum horneri is impacting local kelp forest ecosystems, and how the environment affects its spread. I learned of this invasion through the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary when they listed it as a research priority on their website. Once I developed a research proposal for this application, I became so interested in the subject that I began doing the work before I learned I won the award! So far, I have done extensive dive surveys at the Channel Islands to learn more about where and how the invasive alga grows and how it may be impacting native species. This fall, I will begin experiments aimed at testing some hypotheses that have come out of these surveys.
What has graduate student life been like for you?
I love being a graduate student! Sometimes I think to myself: How lucky am I that my job is to learn? It is certainly challenging and busy, but also very rewarding.
What do you wish you had known before you started grad school?
In my first two years as a graduate student, I felt overwhelmed by my responsibilities and didn’t allow myself much time for much socializing. But I have since realized that taking breaks and developing relationships with other students is actually just as important as what’s on that endless to-do list. Taking some time to relax helps to process information and generate new ideas. And having friends who are going through the same experiences can provide great support.
What do you like most about grad school and what do you like least?
What I like most about graduate school is the energizing atmosphere created by folks who are excited to be learning and love what they do. I also appreciate having the freedom to explore new things, and the permission to learn by trial-and-error.
What I like the least is not having much context for how I am progressing in my degree. It is difficult to feel like I’m making headway on a somewhat undefined goal with an end-date several years down the road. I tend to just put one foot in front of the other, trust that I’m doing the best I can, and try not to worry about it too much.
What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?
Small accomplishments keep me motivated. I recognize that even simple things like learning a new statistics program or writing a grant proposal help me develop skills I’ll need to be a successful scientist, and I stay motivated by focusing on these short-term goals and acknowledging myself when I reach them.
High school senior Lindsay Marks and her father, Rick, stopped in Sacramento on a tour of California colleges in 2002.Is there any event that had a big impact or influence on you and helped shape who you are today?
The traveling I have done, and in particular the extended periods I have spent abroad, have made me flexible and open to new experiences. I am content in times of transition and unpredictability, and I generally trust that even if my path is unclear, I will end up in the right place.
Who are your heroes, mentors, or inspirations in your life?
My hero is my dad. He is an incredibly smart and good-hearted person, and a great teacher, friend, and father. He found a perfect balance in life where he provided invaluable service in his career as a professor and touched many people’s lives for the better, but also experienced other joys in life like traveling the world and having a family. I aspire to, like him, make great contributions in my field, but also continue to enjoy the other wonderful things life has to offer.
Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.
Winning the Nancy Foster Scholarship is probably my greatest accomplishment to date! I am proud and honored to have received it.
What do you do to relax? What makes you happy?
Lindsay Marks presses kelp for creative fun; her framed artwork is displayed in her home.I used to be a water rat, but now that I spend so much time in the ocean for my research, my recreational activities have become drier! In my free time I enjoy making jewelry, and getting outside for hikes, disk golf, tennis, and camping/backpacking. I also press algae for some creative fun. Happiness is spending time doing fun activities with loved ones.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I get incredibly seasick! Not an ideal trait for a marine scientist! But I still love being out on the water, as long as I remember my anti-nausea drugs.
What do you hope to be doing five or 10 years out of graduate school?
I hope to have a permanent position as a researcher with an academic institution, government agency, or non-profit environmental group doing conservation-based marine science.
Do you have any advice for current grad students?
Take advantage of the GSA’s Bagel Hour (if you’re a student here at UCSB)! It’s great!