WISE Honors Student Discovers Power of Teamwork in Research
Jenna White — the URECA researcher of the month for December — is a WISE Honors student double majoring in marine vertebrate biology and environmental studies. Since January 2024, she has been a member of the Marine Community Ecology Laboratory of Professor Bradley Peterson in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), where she investigates the role and impact of aquaculture cages in the Peconic Bay.
White’s project involves diving, installing and deploying Brinno time-lapse cameras on floating and benthic oyster cages; collecting data on fish community composition, species richness and behavioral interactions; and using R for data analysis, with the goal of informing sustainable management practices for shellfish aquaculture farms. She has also conducted research in SoMAS Professor Joseph Warren’s group, working on a project involving aerial surveys of Atlantic Menhaden and doing data analysis based on drone-captured footage of fish and bird species. White also participated in the Loop Abroad Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation and Research program in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica in May 2025.
When asked what advice she has for fellow students, she replied: “I was a mentor for the WISE program, and I currently have two interns helping me with my data. I tell them that if there’s an opportunity you want to do, just apply. It’s important to just reach out; if you don’t reach out or apply, that’s an automatic no.”
White has presented at Earthstock’s research showcase event and at the URECA Poster Symposium/Celebration (2025). On campus, she has been active in the Society for Women in Marine Sciences, serving as an outreach coordinator, treasurer and now president, and she is the vice president of the Marine Science Club. White is also a college ambassador in the Women in Ocean Sciences global network. For the past two years, she has been involved with the Westhampton Dunes New York Horseshoe Crab Monitoring network, contributing to long-term studies on horseshoe crab populations.
Read the full interview with URECA Director Karen Kernan.