MESM 2022
Bio
Caitlin Manley graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. During her undergraduate career, Caitlin conducted coral reef ecology research supported by the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. She concluded her research with a thesis on the effects that natural polymers have on bleached and non-bleached coral tissue health. Outside of academic obligations, she spent her spare time volunteering at the Waikiki Aquarium, caring for and monitoring a set of mesophotic coral species on behalf of the university’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. Upon graduation, she worked as an environmental educator and volunteer coordinator for both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service on Long Island, New York, learning how successful communication is vital to the field of science. Planning to specialize in Coastal Marine Resources Management, she hopes to better educate the public about the importance of coral reef ecosystems through strategic environmental communication. In her spare time, you can find Caitlin swimming in the ocean or curled up in her hammock with a good book.