Olivia Nogueira-Wheaton: Scientific Illustration/Marine Biology, Week One

I am interning at The University of California, Santa Barbara/Marine Science Institute, with Robert Miller, Assistant Research Biologist.

I am helping out with their kelp studies, community ecology and the role of kelp in the food chain, as well as the importance of biodiversity in the kelp forests of California.

I will also be doing quite a bit of scientific illustration.

Here is a photo of me examining a blade of kelp looking for mobile invertebrates (animals without backbones) that live in the kelp forests such as shrimp and other shrimp looking species like mysids, and others like nudibranches.

Here is a photo from the boat of the kelp forest…

and a kelp crab, more specifically, Pugettia producta.

This is me minutes before completing my final dive in getting my PADI Open Water certification.

The beginnings of one of many illustrations to come!

Thank you Pinhead!!! So incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

As always,
Olivia