These are the faces of the amazing staff members that help make our summer programs amazing! They bring a wealth of knowledge from across the United States and are excited to be a part of the 2021 CBFS team. Get to know them while on program with us!
Allyson Lance
|
Britton Hayman
|
|
|
|
Allyson received her Bachelor's degree in Zoology and Environmental Science from Miami University in 2018. While studying for her degree, Allyson was an active member of many nature and conservation based student organizations, and would often spend her weekends volunteering at nearby sanctuaries and nature centers or herping (looking for salamanders, frogs, snakes, and other reptiles and amphibians) with friends.
Allyson grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where she would often be found exploring the woods and creek behind her neighborhood. In high school her biology class took a trip to the field station, where she fell in love with the area and the learning material. This experience had such an impact on her that she decided to become an educator herself! Allyson likes to spend her free time camping, cross stitching, playing video games, and playing with her two dogs, Percy and Olive. |
Britton is from San Diego, where she grew up exploring tide pools, kayaking, sailing, and snorkeling. She moved to Los Angeles for college where she graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Conservation Biology. After college she moved back to San Diego and interned for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, studying intertidal community composition changes. In her spare time you can find Britton walking on the beach, GIS mapping, or snorkeling. |
Ava Franklin
Intern Supervisor
Ava Franklin is a recent graduate of Shippensburg University, where she received a bachelor's degree in Sustainability, a minor in Public Administration and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems. Ava was an active member of the Shippensburg University Cross Country and Track teams, competing during all four years of college.
Ava is from a small town in Pennsylvania, but has always spent her summers on Chincoteague Island, Virginia and the surrounding waterways. During college, Ava conducted her own capstone research project, analyzing how sea level rise will directly impact the people and properties located on Chincoteague Island, using data she collected while taking classes at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station. Those classes at the CBFS lead Ava to pursue the opportunity to lead and assist others while participating in unique hands-on, feet-wet marine science educational experiences.
In her spare time, Ava enjoys hiking, kayaking, traveling out West, looking for sea creatures along the beach, helping to take care of the animals on her family's farm, and spending time with friends and family.
Ava is from a small town in Pennsylvania, but has always spent her summers on Chincoteague Island, Virginia and the surrounding waterways. During college, Ava conducted her own capstone research project, analyzing how sea level rise will directly impact the people and properties located on Chincoteague Island, using data she collected while taking classes at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station. Those classes at the CBFS lead Ava to pursue the opportunity to lead and assist others while participating in unique hands-on, feet-wet marine science educational experiences.
In her spare time, Ava enjoys hiking, kayaking, traveling out West, looking for sea creatures along the beach, helping to take care of the animals on her family's farm, and spending time with friends and family.
Abby Parker
|
Sarah Tirado
|
|
|
|
Abby uses she/her/hers pronouns and is a rising senior at Oberlin College pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biology. During her undergraduate career, she has studied the behavioral ecology of eastern gray squirrels, Florida scrub jays, and eastern mockingbirds, and she has proposed a study on bottlenose dolphin bioacoustics. She fell in love with all things ocean when she took a summer field course at Shoals Marine Laboratory and studied marine mammal biology along the coast of Maine.
Abby is excited to help students make the most out of their field station experience this summer as a University and Research Intern! She is passionate about environmental education and anticipates using her experience as an educator at Camp Fitch YMCA to help students connect with nature and learn about the ocean. In her free time, Abby enjoys exploring nature, birdwatching, spending time with friends, and playing with her cat. |
Sarah began her college career at Hartwick College, built into the Catskill Mountains and located in Oneonta, NY. She ultimately transferred to and graduated from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in the Spring of 2021 with a degree in Biology and a concentration in Animal Behavior. During her time as an undergraduate, Sarah conducted experiments on Convict Cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) to investigate female intrasexual territorial aggression. Additionally, Sarah completed research which studied the effects of anthropogenic activity on wild mammals in Lancaster County, PA nature preserves. Here at the field station, she will be conducting research on the immigration, prevalence, and interspecific dynamics of the Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda) and the Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) on Wallops Island.
In the future, Sarah seeks to be a field researcher of mammal behavior, particularly marsupials. Her favorite animal is the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana). In her free time, Sarah practices mixed martial arts and frequently goes hiking with her best friend, Dixie (pictured above). Her goals at the field station is to help students discover and explore an appreciation for wildlife and field work. She hopes students fall in love with Chincoteague, VA and field work as she did during her time at the field station taking Behavioral Ecology. |
