General
Welcome
to the webpage for Chris Martinez. I am a first year
Ph.D. student at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University
in Long Island, NY. On this page you will find information on my
past, present and future exploits in marine ecology. I hope that
you find it interesting...enjoy!
Note: This is a new webpage, so content is a little
low. You can expect more material as I continue the Ph.D. process.
Research
My research focuses on fish ecology and life-history. I am mainly interested in the
characteristics of fish species that make them more or less
vulnerable to
population disturbances like fishing pressure. I have not yet
started the field or laboratory aspect my research, but I plan on
looking at the spatial dynamics and stock structure of Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)
around Long Island. Potential projects include otolith
Strontium/Calcium analysis to look at inshore-offshore migration
patterns of adults as well as a "common garden" growth experiment with
young-of-the-year (YOY) flounder.
In the past I have assisted in research dealing with tropical reef ecology, thus
the blue-water diving pictures. I was an assistant on the Long Term
Ecological Research (LTER) project in Moorea, French
Polynesia.
My jobs included surveys of reef organisms, various field work
(on SCUBA and snorkel), and the all important laboratory work. I
was also involved in temperate reef ecology where I performed diving
surveys and collected benthic samples in the Channel Islands, off of
the coast of Santa Barbara, CA. This also included a lengthy
laboratory component, which was done in the Schmitt/Holbrook lab at the Marine Science Institute of UC
Santa Barbara.
Personal I am originally from a
little-known town in California called Visalia.
It is located in the agriculturally rich region of the
"Central Valley", which lies in the middle of the state. Although I
did not live at the beach, my semi-frequent visits to the California
coast fueled my passion for the ocean and the life within it.
I lived in Visalia until I left to pursue my
undergraduate career at the University
of California at Santa Barbara
(Go Gauchos!). I graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Aquatic Biology. The following year I was
accepted to the Ph.D. program at the School of Marine and Atmospheric
Sciences. I have now lived in Stony Brook, New York for almost a
year and I am enjoying a much different environment and culture.
Presentations and Outreach
"Tropical
Reef Ecology: Basic Principles with a Sweet View". 3 April, 2008.
Presented to a 12th grade marine ecology class at Smithtown West
High School in Long Island, NY.Contact
Email: Christopher.Martinez@stonybrook.edu
Office: Dana Hall 152
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook NY, 11794-5000