Daniela Brown (left) and Paloma Cartwright (right) have been selected to receive the 2019 Alf Thompson Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by Bahamas Marine EcoCentre. Daniela, from Nassau, and Paloma, from Long Island, will spend four weeks this summer at the Bimini Biological Field Station, better known as ‘the Shark Lab’, studying, working and living with other interns, graduate students and with shark and marine biology research scientists from around the world.
Twenty-year-old Daniela Brown is pursuing a degree in Small Island Sustainability with a focus in Marine Science at University of the Bahamas. Aspiring to one day open a research facility in the Bahamas, Daniela has been passionate about the ocean all her life. She has interned with Water Features Department at Atlantis Resort, participated in the Revitalization of the Sponging Industry Project, a collaboration of UB and US scientists, and conducted marine assessments in the family islands as part of her Sustainability program at UB. Quoting Wyland, she states “ The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.”
Nineteen-year-old Paloma Cartwright, well known champion sailor, is attending McGill University, double majoring in Computer Science and Hispanic Studies. As the daughter of a fisherman in Long Island, Paloma spent much of her youth on or near the water. She has participated in turtle tagging with Captain Steven Connett, and attended the Bahamas National Trust’s Eco Camp at the Forfar Field Station in Andros and Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization’s Whale Camp in Abaco. Having witnessed the decline in marine life populations over the years, her goal is to acquire the skills to make a lasting impact on marine conservation in the Bahamas.
An insightful blog written by Paloma after her month at Shark Lab is posted on the Education page of this website.
