Principal Investigator

Dr. Heather Liwanag

Postdoc

Dr. Linnea Pearson (2016-2022)

Graduate Students

Kenzie Davidson
Maria Lopez-Neri
Katie Saenger
Rachel Survilas

Undergraduates

Kendall Bangert
Caroline Bates
Holly Brue
Halley Carson
Olivia Halter
Grace Favro
Joe Fewel
Anna Foehr
Alexis Grim
Helen Hanigan
Parker Jeanes
Cheyenne Jepson
Ella Jorgensen
Kyleigh Kane
Samara Kaplan-Zenk
Mary Keegan
Lauren Krauter
Kaylie Kwan
Ella Leback
Enrique Lecha
Jordan Lederer
Dan Lee
Helen Lee
Maidah Maidah
Molly McNulty
Anna Mooradian
Lucy Nosbisch
Jeslyn Pham
Shayna Rivera
Stella Raymond
Marshall Rottier Johnson
Claire Savage
Michela Seronello
Carley Schrandt
Kayla Silverman
Elsa Simenstad
Alexandra Siverson
Alicia Sosa
Lauren Sprague
Liv Springer
Shelby Such
Kelsi Taylor
Lucy Thackray
Ella Wallis
Bea Walton
Zane Warsen
Lily Yenovkian
Sarah Yeung

VIP lab alumni

2024 B.S. degrees: Robby Beam, Hayden Dillon, Simone Goetsch, Evelyn Hernandez, Sophia Hosmer-Hughes, Courtney Lang, Isa Mattioli, Kyla McHugh, Wendy Miyazaki, Alex Siecke

2023 B.S. degrees: Avery Ancell, Jenna Camargo, Emilia Caballero, Justin Chung, Elise Fiskum, Paul Kessler, Caroline McNamara, Tess McIntyre, Emilie Melnychuk, Paige Nettles, Jake Roth, Erin Schneider, Jason Talbott, Alex Thompson, Scout Whitaker

2022 B.S. degrees: Payton Adema, Kira Becker, Dylan Corpron, Annika Dean, Jahzeel Diaz, Wendy Dochterman, Gillian Ippoliti,Emily Levin, Anika Lewis, Meagan Listek, Annika Malmstrom-Smith, Melina Martin, Kylie Phillips, Makenna Phillips, Grace Scrafford, Allyson Taylor, Mia White, McKenna Williamson

2021 B.S. degrees: Caitlyn Halvorsen, Bryce King, Alexis Leviner, Nita McHugh, Gianna Patchen, Janelle Ross, Katie Saenger, Gabriel Santos-Elizondo

2020 B.S. degrees: Emily Christensen, Ellie Kaiser, Bryn Power, Marianne Rogers, Michael Tillman, Lauren Zaragoza

2019 B.S. degrees: Jahi Abimbola, Jason Adam, Joscelyn De La Torre, Paige Edwards, Abrielle Goodwein, Haley Gonzales, Bridget Hobscheid, Emma Malone, Paige Nankey, Tyler Peck-Burnett, Kathleen Tran, Doug Ward, Ross Wohlgemuth

2018 B.S. degrees: Ellie Brauer, Megan Drap, Paula Eberle, Rebecca Immel, Sarah Landy, Madeline McDonald, Allegra Menniti, Allison Nai, Kendra Rekevics, Jacqueline Severson, Hanna Sheldon

2017 B.S. degrees: Riley Ellis-Reis, Nadine Filippi, Katherine Holst, Katrina Pine

2016 B.S. degrees: Shawn Hannah, Simone Mangini, Hali Morgenroth, Parisa Mokhtari

M.S. Thesis projects

• Molly Murphy, M.S. Biology, 2024
  How does a pup recognize its mother? Vocal recognition and individuality of pup attraction calls in northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris)

• Kate Riordan, M.S. Biology, 2023
  Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) fur morphology, thermal function, and buoyancy across ontogeny

• Cameron Cooper, M.S. Biology, 2020
  Feeling out your food: A histological analysis of the whisker system in seals.

• Melissa Voisinet, M.S. Biology, 2019
  The proteomic response of northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups to physiological stress during development.

• Emma Weitzner, M.S. Biology, 2019
  The development of diving capabilities in Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) pups throughout early ontogeny.

• Daniel Haro, M.S. Biology, 2018
  Cold acclimation response of non-native Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus) populations from New York and California

Senior projects

Simone Goetsch: Organization and partial articulation of a northern elephant seal skeleton
Avery Ancell: Abiotic effects on the haul-out of harbor seals in Avila Beach
Elise Fiskum: Developmental progression of apneustic breathing in northern elephant seal pups
Annika Dean: Sea otters: May the buoyant force be with them
Dana Twisk: Morphological comparisons between adult and neonate Weddell seal pelts
Nita McHugh: Analysis of population survey data for northern elephant seals at Piedras Blancas
Katie Saenger: Assessment of male northern elephant seal behavior during the 2021 breeding season at the Piedras Blancas rookery
Gabriel Santos-Elizondo: Pier Ocean Peer: A self-sustaining live-stream at the Cal Poly Pier
Ellie Kaiser: Factors affecting harem size and structure for northern elephant seals at Piedras Blancas
Michael Tillman: Synthesis of northern elephant seal weanling data at Piedras Blancas rookery
Marianne Rogers: Entangled in a whale of an issue: An analysis and report of whale entanglements along the west coast of the United States between 2015 and 2018
Tyler Peck-Burnett: Morphometric trends and sexual dimorphism in weanling northern elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery
Paige Nankey: Under pressure: Effects of instrumentation methods on fur seal pelt function
Joscelyn De La Torre: Why are those green jackets on the beach? An educational brochure for distribution at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery
Paige Edwards: Who’s on the beach? An analysis of northern elephant seal breeding harems
Ross Wohlgemuth: Weathering the storm: Supercooling in the Italian Wall Lizard
Haley Gonzales: Birds of a feather: Morphological adaptations of birds to aquatic environments
Paula Eberle: Caudal autotomy and tail regeneration in Italian Wall Lizards
Kendra Rekevics: Tail movement following autotomy in male and female Italian Wall Lizards
Katherine Holst: Thermal tolerances vary with age and sex for the nonnative Italian Wall Lizard in Southern California
Riley Ellis-Reis: Full articulation of a sea otter skeleton
Sarah Landy: Full articulation of a gray fox skeleton
Nadine Filippi: Effects of instrumentation methods on pelt function in northern fur seals
Shawn Hannah: Coccidiodomycosis in stranded marine mammals along California’s coast