January 28, 2022, by Alex McCarrel

The Sitka Sound Science Center welcomes Courtney Hart as February’s Scientist in Residency Fellow (SIRF). The SIRF Fellowship is meant to provide four weeks for scientists to have time to work on their research and engage a breadth of the community in a variety of ways. Ms. Hart’s fellowship is funding from the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ NSF EPSCoR (National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) program.

Ms. Hart is a PhD candidate at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Originally hailing from northern California, Courtney Hart moved to Alaska in 2018 to pursue her doctoral degree. Her education includes a BA from UC Berkeley in Marine Science, a MS in Biology from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and 7 years of professional experience with the United States Forest Service and nonprofits in fisheries habitat monitoring and restoration. Ms. Hart’s studies have included geology and geomorphology of tropical ecosystems to molecular processes of genes and proteins in marine shellfish.

Currently, her research leverages this breadth of knowledge and draws on collaborative partnerships with commercial shellfish divers and growers, Alaska Native tribal entities, state, and nonprofit organizations to investigate the interaction between harmful algal blooms and economically or culturally important shellfish species. She plans to incorporate her biological and ecological skillset to develop modern and equitable management solutions for coastal fisheries stakeholders. Besides the community events listed below, Courtney hopes to connect with local shellfish divers and fishermen to gain valuable insight from our local community. Courtney will then move into the classroom, leading an exciting field science course with Sitka High School students exploring low tide beaches on the hunt for shellfish.  

Mark Your Calendars!

• The Morning Interview– Tune into KCAW 104.7 FM on Wednesday February 2^nd @ 8:15 AM
• Coffee with Courtney– Highliner Café on Friday 2/11 and 2/18 @ 9:00 AM
• The Library Show– Tune into KCAW at 104.7 FM on Sunday February 13^th @ 10:30 AM
• Science After Hours “Cockles and Cocktails”– Hosted by SSSC on Thursday February 10^th @ 5:30 PM (Register at sitkascience.org)
• Natural History Seminar w/ Kitty LaBounty “How Harmful Algal Blooms Impact Southeast Alaska’s Shellfish Industries”- Virtual Seminar on Tuesday February 15^th @ 7:00 PM (Register at sitkascience.org)

Follow @sitakscience or email Alex McCarrel, SIRF Coordinator, at amccarrel@sitkascience.org for more information.

Courtney can be reached directly at (530) 414-3953 or email her at chart16@alaska.edu.