STUDENT OF MARINE BIOLOGY
Tiffany Birge
ABOUT ME
My name is Tiffany Birge. I am 23 years old and was born, raised, and currently reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with an Associate's Degree in Science from Tidewater Community College. Presently, I am a senior at Old Dominion University and will graduate in May 2016 with a Bachelor's in Biology, specifically concentrating in Marine Biology. I am a very dedicated student and absolutely love studying the oceans. I could not imagine going to school for anything else.
Academically I am involved with the Marine Biology Student Association. I am also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and have been accepted into The National Society for Leadership and Success as well as The Society for Collegiate Leadership and Achievement. I have recently started interning with the IUCN Red List Global Marine Species Assesment at ODU under Dr. Kent Carpenter and Dr. Gina Ralph.
Outside of school, I am a PADI certified advanced open water scuba diver with specialties in night, deep, and boat diving as well as peak-performance bouyancy and navigation. I am also a PADI AWARE- conservation specialist diver. I have recently helped conduct scientific work in my field on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I had the privilege of working with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) on Project AWARE Eye on the Reef- Rapid Monitoring Marine Conservation Program.
Moving forward I plan to go for my Master's Degree in Marine Science and possibly move towards a Ph.D. Studying Marine Science is the best route that I have takin thus far and I cannot wait to continue my academic and professional career.
EDUCATION
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Manta Ray Identification
How long term pigmentation changes affect mobulidae ray individual identification.
2014 - 2016
Old Dominion University
Major in Biology; Concentration in Marine Biology
Eel Hybrids and Larval Olfactory Cues in Iceland
What primary cues, if any (chemosensory, olfactory, etc.), play a role in genetically isolating hyrbrid American and European eel leptocephalus larvae to Iceland? And does this hybrid constitute a new species formation?
El Nino in Relation to storms affecting the Great Barrier Reef System
What are the predicted affects of El Nino on the Great Barrier Reef? It is likely the drastic temperature increase will widely decimate reefs, but to what degree? And if the reef is able to bounce back, how long is the expected recovery time? What affect will this decimation have on the reef ecosystem ecology as a whole (this includes reproduction/death rates, species domination, speciation, food web changes and spatial, temporal and salinity changes/ adaptations) ?
2011 - 2014
Tidewater Community College
Major in Science, Magna Cum Laude
2007- 2011
First Colonial High School
Legal Studies Academy
2016- present
Old Dominion University
Master's student in Biological Sciences