Mari Cullerton Email & Phone Number

United States

United States

Mystic, Connecticut, United States

Work on research projects related to assessing marine biodiversity at the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts (NECS) Marine National Monument. These projects include testing and use of baited remote underwater video systems to assess apex predators, collection of sonar records for diel vertical migrators, analysis ofvideo for species diversity and behavior, and analysis of archived data to identify patterns in movementof apex predators. The work engages my skills implementing geographic information systemsand R statistical procedures. Field programs at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to testcameras and an extended research expedition to the NECS Monument are an integral part of thisFellowship.

Work collaboratively with the team at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo and other external partner organizations in the development and implementation of in situ and ex situ research and conservation activities with partners as well as the development of funding streams for all related programs in their interest area.

I am a Master's student in Dr. Zhe Zhu's Global Environmental Remote Sensing (GERS) Laboratory I am responsible for two research projects: (i) Understory vegetation change detection and (ii) classification of CT solar photovoltaic systems via deep learning and machine learning methods from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. I use quantitative remote sensing and geospatial analysis to better understand how the landscape is changing over time. Experience includes working with high performance computers (HPC), GIS, MATLAB, Python, and various remote sensing data to develop algorithms that allow us to better understand big spatial data.

Storrs, Connecticut, United States

I worked with Dr. Robert Fahey on an interdisciplinary project that links field-based disturbance ecology research with remote sensing and geospatial analysis to gain a better understanding of secondary mortality agents and how modern technology can be used in forest ecology research. I specifically looked at how the twolined chestnut borer and Armillaria influenced the forested landscape following drought and defoliation by spongy moths.

Responsible for analysis of behavioral interaction networks of marine fishes to identify patterns across geographies and tropic roles using R and ArcGIS software. I also assisted with a study of seafloor community dynamics at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary using a towed camera system, as well as testing a baited remote underwater video system to assess apex predators.

Three Rivers, California, United States

Collected forest demography data (7,000-11,000ft elevation) for long term research projects in Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks. Identified and recorded the presence of pests and pathogens on trees in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and evaluated thier role in the mortality of trees within the research plots. I gained experience in ecological research, forest pathology, navigation, GIS, use of GPS units, and backpacking.

I provided information on the current status of forestry practices that are premised on maximizing carbon uptake and storage for policy recommendations to the State of Connecticut. I also researched and compiled relevant literature regarding carbon forestry and wrote a professional report of my findings under the supervision of the Council’s Executive Director, Peter Hearn.

Norfolk, Connecticut, United States

Assisted and worked in a variety of forestry operations, including: locating and marking boundary lines, collecting forest inventory data, chainsaw use and maintenance, tree removal, logging road maintenance, firewood production, maintaining recreational trails, wooden canoe construction and restoration, and working in GIS programs.

My experience includes work on nonpoint source pollution and water quality related activities with Dr. John Clausen from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut. I have experience with both lab and field work. Lab work included: aiding with polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and running agarose gels to identify the presence of E. coli in various water samples; cleaning and autoclaving lab equipment; creating graphs from runoff data using the program JMP; organizing runoff data for later analysis.

Master Of Science - Ms, Natural Resources And The Environment

Specialized in remote sensing and geospatial analysis.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Natural Resources/Environmental Science