CIEE Research Station Bonaire

Instructors

Dr. Rita Peachey is the Resident Director in Bonaire. She received her B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Zoology from the University of South Florida and her Ph.D. in Marine Sciences from the University of South Alabama. Dr. Peachey’s research focuses on ultraviolet radiation and its effects on marine invertebrate larvae and is particularly interested in issues of global change and conservation biology. Rita teaches Independent Research.

Caren Eckrich is the Assistant Director of the CIEE Research Station Bonaire. She received her B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology from Texas A&M University and her M.S. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Caren teaches Coral Reef Ecology and Fundamentals of Scientific Diving Research Methods and also serves as CIEE’s Dive Safety Officer. Caren’s research interests include fish behavior, seagrass ecology, and sea turtle ecology.

Caren Echrich

Dr. Amanda Hollebone is our new Marine Conservation Biology faculty. During our semester program, she will be the instructor for Tropical Marine Conservation Biology and co-instructor for Independent Research. Amanda recently received her PhD in Marine Ecology at the Georgia Institute of Technology and has been teaching in the Biology Department at Georgia Southern University. Amanda’s PhD research focused on the ecological consequences of non-native species in coastal habitats using the green porcelain crab, Petrolisthes armatus, which has invaded oyster reefs of Georgia at densities of up to tens of thousands m-2. Dr. Hollebone is also a triathlete and will be seen around Bonaire at all the sporting events.

amandahollebone

Kelsey Burns is our Tropical Marine Ecology Intern for Fall semester 2008. Kelsey will be the Teaching Assistant for Coral Reef Ecology and Independent Research and will serve as a co-TA for Scientific Diving. A recent graduate of James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, Kelsey has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Marine Biology. She is originally from Huntsville, Alabama and has studied marine processes and gained extensive “hands-on” research experience during her studies in Australia. Kelsey’s long-term goals include gaining as much experience as possible teaching and conducting research in tropical marine ecosystems and to begin a PhD program in Marine Biology.

kelseyburns

Staff

Carmen Campos is in charge of housekeeping at CIEE Research Station Bonaire. She’s always laughing and is an excellent addition to our team. Carmen is from Venezuela and speaks Spanish, so students have plenty of opportunities to practice their Spanish.

Carmen