Amy Keita Burgess

Graduate Students (PhD)
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR

Ethnicity: Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

MS PHD'S Cohort(s):
Dream Team 2012-2013
2009-2010 (Cohort 7)

» Amy's Resume

My name is Amy Burgess. I started my PhD program at the University of Oregon in Fall 2011, I am stationed out at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. I successfully defended my Masters through Western Washington University and the Shannon Point Marine Center in Fall 2011. I did my undergraduate work at Brigham Young University in Utah where I studied Integrative Biology with an emphasis in Marine Biology. Attending a land locked university and wanting to go into marine science was a difficult task, but through BYU's spring marine biology trip to the west coast and other internships, I was able to gain a strong background in biology and experience in the marine field. I am interested in a wide variety of research topics: marine ecology, marine invertebrates, larval development and ecology, marine invasive species, and the effects of climate change on marine systems and organisms.

Past research: I have done research looking at the interactions between intertidal limpets and their predators on the Oregon Coast. I also received a grant to work with brook trout and cutthroat trout in Utah, looking at their interactions and how development and reproductive age and size differed. I worked with a professor at BYU on morphological research on barnacles along the west coast. I did an internship in Washington and my research focused on survival of larval crabs when fed differing diets of brine shrimp. My Master's thesis focused on the development of larval crabs and the nutritional value of their prey source. I did experiments with rotifers and toxic algae, to determine toxin transfer from algal sources to heterotrophic prey sources and finally to the larval crabs.

Current Research: My PhD research will focus on subtidal ecology, specifically species composition of differing sediment grain size habitats. I am interested in the biodiversity of these habitats and how grain size can play a role in species composition, reproductive success and recruitment. I am also involved in deep sea research, we are currently looking at population connectivity between deep sea seep sites.

Future Plans: Right now my future plans consist of working on my PhD and getting as much research, teaching and leadership experience as I can. After my PhD I will pursue a career in academia; hopefully leading to a full-time position at a university where I can continue to conduct research, teach and mentor students.

More About Amy

Former Institutional Affiliation(s):
Masters Institution: Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA


» Phase I Oral Presentation Slides

» Phase III Oral Presentation Slides

» Phase III Poster Presentation



Last Updated: 9/25/2012
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