MS Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program, UNC-CH 2020
UNC Merit Fellow
Lauren received her Master’s degree in Ecology at UNC in 2020. Her primary research focused on new ways to measure the abundance of marine megafauna. Lauren also attended UNC for her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science.
Lauren’s research at UNC used drone technology to investigate shark populations. Traditional methods of abundance measurements such as gill-net surveys have been standard practice when attempting to define a coastal area as juvenile shark nursery ground. But, new technologies have proven to do a better job at capturing abundance and densities of juvenile sharks around the GMR. By using drone technology, Lauren’s research attempted to create a more efficient method of abundance sampling for potential nursery grounds. This research was meant to create a standard procedure to survey and delimit nursery areas on behalf of conservation aims.
Lauren received support for her work through many prestigious awards, including the UNC Merit Fellowship, the National Marine Aquarium Research Grant, the Galapagos Conservation Trust Research Grant, and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy: Gills Club Expansion Grant.
Read about Lauren’s work here:
Research Projects
- Chiriboga-Paredes, Y., Palomino, Á., Goodman, L., Córdova, F., Páez, V., Yépez, M., Jorgensen, S., Armijos, D., Pazmiño, D., & Hearn, A. (2022). Discovery of a putative scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini (Carcharhiniformes: Sphyrnidae) nursery site at the Galapagos Islands, Eastern Tropical Pacific. Environmental Biology of Fishes 105, 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01207-3