I am passionate about raising awareness of the beauty and complexity of larval fishes and the larval fish taxonomy and ecology research in particular to support the CalCOFI Ichthyoplankton Ecology program. I am trained in taxonomic identification of larval fishes and understanding the morphological changes that they undergo through ontogeny. My focus has largely been on Clupeiformes due to the importance of Sardinops sagax and Engraulis mordax in the California Current Ecosystem however, I am familiar with a large number of families since we remove and identify all larval fishes caught in bongo, neuston, and vertical tow samples. I have a particular fondness for Stomiiformes and Tetraodontiformes. Mesopelagic fishes are some of the most abundant and commonly occurring families in the CalCOFI samples so I am extremely familiar with myctophids and gonostomids.I have had the privilege to work among the best-kept archives of ichthyoplankton in the world, containing roughly half a million samples. Within this archive, there exists the CalCOFI Ichthyoplankton collection which is the longest such time series in existence, dating from 1949 to the present. I’ve grown very interested in not only trying to learn to identify as many species as possible, but also to help advocate and protect collections for the next generation. They contain extensive research potential and also provide a wonderful educational tool and I hope to continue interacting with the public to increase understanding of the immense diversity of fishes through all stages of life.In my spare time one of my favorite things to do is use focus stacking techniques to create high quality images that I am using to develop a digital library to help future taxonomists in the field as well as improve community outreach.