Finding Freedom from Barriers in Applied Science Career Paths and Estuarine Ecosystem Function

Presenter: Ayesha Gray, Ph.D.

Tuesday, 22 June 2021
10:00 – 11:00 AM PT | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

Registration Closed

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About the Webinar

Join Grand Bay NERR Director Ayesha Gray as she describes her efforts to conduct multi-partner, large-scale ecosystem restoration projects in estuaries. As part of her presentation, Dr. Gray will talk about student and vocational opportunities with the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and will highlight her CERF science experiences on a circuitous career path that started in Texas, went to Pennsylvania, toured the West Coast, only to return to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi to find the greatest opportunities of her life and career. 

 About the Presenter

Ayesha is the Director of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in Moss Point, MS. Her main scientific research interest is restoring ecosystem function in estuaries. Currently, she is working on large-scale landscape restoration projects and issues with infrastructure with a variety of partners. She earned her PhD with Charles “Si” Simenstad at the University of Washington (UW) in 2005 using functional trajectories to assess restoration success in the Salmon River estuary, Oregon. She has worked on large- and small-scale restoration projects in Washington, Oregon, California, and Mississippi, and developed and participated in numerous other studies including effectiveness monitoring programs, juvenile salmon out-migration monitoring and life history analysis and using macroinvertebrates as indicators of ecosystem function. Ayesha is the mother of miracle twin 3-year-old girls, an artist, and a writer. Public outreach is a component of her work as the Director at Grand Bay NERR, and she regularly teaches art workshops to connect local artists with the unique and fascinating habitats at the reserve. 

Moderated by Randy Chambers

Western Washington University Grad Student Introduction Katrina Poppe

Affiliate Society (PERS) Introduction by Liz Perotti President

Did you miss this webinar? All webinar recordings are available to members in the Webinar Library (login required)!

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