Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Office of the Dean
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
tel: 561.297.3035
fax 561.297.3792
Dr. Russell Ivy
Interim Dean
Office of the Dean
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
tel: 561.297.3035
fax 561.297.3792
Dr. Russell Ivy
Interim Dean
1 December, 2014
The National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation
Mr. Frank Wojcik
4419 W.Tradewinds Ave.
Lauderdale by the Sea, FL 33308-4465
Dear Mr. Wojcik
One of the best parts of being the Director of Development and Outreach is sending theank you notes from our students to you. Each year that the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship funds the work of our students brings me a new opportunity to tell you about tthe exciting work that they are doing.
Without your generosity, none of this would be possible.
I've enclosed four letters from very appreciative students that benefited from Scholarship. As you will read, the scholarship made work on the sea turtle migration, food-searching, and hatchling paternity possible this year. Several students had the opportunity to share their research with the public through outreach and education and all are working to fill gaps in our knowledge of this species.
The College, these students, and our community are truly fortunate to be beneficiaries this wonderful scholarship.
Best Regards,
Allison Jewell
Directore of Development & Outreach
The National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation
Mr. Frank Wojcik
4419 W.Tradewinds Ave.
Lauderdale by the Sea, FL 33308-4465
Dear Mr. Wojcik
One of the best parts of being the Director of Development and Outreach is sending theank you notes from our students to you. Each year that the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship funds the work of our students brings me a new opportunity to tell you about tthe exciting work that they are doing.
Without your generosity, none of this would be possible.
I've enclosed four letters from very appreciative students that benefited from Scholarship. As you will read, the scholarship made work on the sea turtle migration, food-searching, and hatchling paternity possible this year. Several students had the opportunity to share their research with the public through outreach and education and all are working to fill gaps in our knowledge of this species.
The College, these students, and our community are truly fortunate to be beneficiaries this wonderful scholarship.
Best Regards,
Allison Jewell
Directore of Development & Outreach
Boca Raton • Dania Beach • Davie • Fort Lauderdale • Jupiter • Harbor Branch
An Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Institution
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences Office of the Dean
Sanson Science Building
777 Glades Road, P.O. Box 3091
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
tel: 561.297.3035
fax 561.297.3792
www.science.fau.edu/biology
November 7, 2014
Department of Biological Sciences Office of the Dean
Sanson Science Building
777 Glades Road, P.O. Box 3091
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
tel: 561.297.3035
fax 561.297.3792
www.science.fau.edu/biology
November 7, 2014
Dear Mr. Wojcik
I would like to personally thank you for the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship. This scholarship had provided me with an excellent start to my graduate career at FAU and had allowed me to focus on my future in sea turtle research.
I received my undergraduate degree in biology at FAU and entered the doctoral program in Integrative Biology this semester. As an undergraduate, I was introduced to the fascinating world of sea turtle biology and was very fortunate to begin a project on sex determination in sea turtles.
My project examined the role of moisture in sex differentiation, which is a topic I will further explore during my graduate career. I also enjoyed the opportunity to share our lab's research with the public through outreach and education.
Thank you again for your support. It is sincerely appreciated and will play an instrumental role in my blossoming graduate career. One day I hope to give back to future students as you have graciously given to me.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Lolavar
I would like to personally thank you for the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship. This scholarship had provided me with an excellent start to my graduate career at FAU and had allowed me to focus on my future in sea turtle research.
I received my undergraduate degree in biology at FAU and entered the doctoral program in Integrative Biology this semester. As an undergraduate, I was introduced to the fascinating world of sea turtle biology and was very fortunate to begin a project on sex determination in sea turtles.
My project examined the role of moisture in sex differentiation, which is a topic I will further explore during my graduate career. I also enjoyed the opportunity to share our lab's research with the public through outreach and education.
Thank you again for your support. It is sincerely appreciated and will play an instrumental role in my blossoming graduate career. One day I hope to give back to future students as you have graciously given to me.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Lolavar
Boca Raton • Dania Beach • Davie • Fort Lauderdale • Harbor Branch • Jupiter • Treasure Coast
An Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Institution
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences Office of the Dean
Sanson Science Building
777 Glades Road, P.O. Box 3091
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
tel: 561.297.3035
fax 561.297.3792
www.science.fau.edu/biology
November 3, 2014
Department of Biological Sciences Office of the Dean
Sanson Science Building
777 Glades Road, P.O. Box 3091
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
tel: 561.297.3035
fax 561.297.3792
www.science.fau.edu/biology
November 3, 2014
Dear Mr. Wojcik
I am writing to personally thank you for the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship and to express my sincerest gratitude for your generosity. This scholarship has made it possible for me to comfortably finish my education at FAU and focus on the opportunities in my future.
I will be graduating from FAU this semester with a master's degree in Biology. During my time at FAU, I was very fortunate to be part of such a successful lab studying sea turtle behavior and biology. My project involved examining the behavioral responses of turtles to airborne odors and how these odors might function in long-distance migrations or close-range food searching. I enjoyed each and every opportunity to share our lab's research with the public through outreach and educations; it is my hope that I made a difference.
I hope that one day I can give back to future students just as you have so graciously given to me.
Again, thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Kedzuf
I am writing to personally thank you for the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship and to express my sincerest gratitude for your generosity. This scholarship has made it possible for me to comfortably finish my education at FAU and focus on the opportunities in my future.
I will be graduating from FAU this semester with a master's degree in Biology. During my time at FAU, I was very fortunate to be part of such a successful lab studying sea turtle behavior and biology. My project involved examining the behavioral responses of turtles to airborne odors and how these odors might function in long-distance migrations or close-range food searching. I enjoyed each and every opportunity to share our lab's research with the public through outreach and educations; it is my hope that I made a difference.
I hope that one day I can give back to future students just as you have so graciously given to me.
Again, thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Kedzuf
Boca Raton • Dania Beach • Davie • Fort Lauderdale • Harbor Branch • Jupiter • Treasure Coast
An Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Institution
Dear Mr. Wojcik & National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation,
As a recipient of the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship I would like to thank you for your generosity. This scholarship has made it possible for me to continue my research and education so that I can better my future and achieve my goals.
My Thesis research aims to improve methods of sex ratio monitoring in sea turtle populations by providing a less-invasive and quicker method to identify sex in hatchlings. In this method, small blood samples are collected from hatchlings, and then sex hormones (testosterone. estrogen & progesterone) are separated and quantified using a technique called High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
This research is important because turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination in which the envirinment of the nest influences the sex of the developing turtle. Sex ratios can be skewed during embryonic development by environmental changes, such as increased temperature, and can negatively impact reproductive potential of a population. By improving sex identification methods we can make sex ratio monitoring more accurate and increases monitoring efforts not only here in Plam Beach County, but globally.
This scholarship is important to me because it will provide me with the supplies I need to finish my thesis research. Once my research is complete, I hope that this technique will continue to be used and improved upon to further sea turtle conservation efforts. My future aspirations include continuing to work in marine biology and conservation biology through agencies like FWC or NOAA. I have a passion for working with and caring for marine wildlife as well as educating the public about conservation and the environment.
One day I hope to be able to give back to future students just as you have graciously given me.
Sincerely,
Andrea Reis
As a recipient of the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship I would like to thank you for your generosity. This scholarship has made it possible for me to continue my research and education so that I can better my future and achieve my goals.
My Thesis research aims to improve methods of sex ratio monitoring in sea turtle populations by providing a less-invasive and quicker method to identify sex in hatchlings. In this method, small blood samples are collected from hatchlings, and then sex hormones (testosterone. estrogen & progesterone) are separated and quantified using a technique called High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
This research is important because turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination in which the envirinment of the nest influences the sex of the developing turtle. Sex ratios can be skewed during embryonic development by environmental changes, such as increased temperature, and can negatively impact reproductive potential of a population. By improving sex identification methods we can make sex ratio monitoring more accurate and increases monitoring efforts not only here in Plam Beach County, but globally.
This scholarship is important to me because it will provide me with the supplies I need to finish my thesis research. Once my research is complete, I hope that this technique will continue to be used and improved upon to further sea turtle conservation efforts. My future aspirations include continuing to work in marine biology and conservation biology through agencies like FWC or NOAA. I have a passion for working with and caring for marine wildlife as well as educating the public about conservation and the environment.
One day I hope to be able to give back to future students just as you have graciously given me.
Sincerely,
Andrea Reis
Dear Mr. Wojcik and National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation,
My name is Jake Lasala, I am a PhD student at Florida Atlantic University and I am one of the recipients of the 2014 National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarships from FAU. I would like to thank you for your generosity.
The purpose of my project is to fill a hole that exists in our knowledge of sea turtle behavior and population structure. Often we as researchers focus our efforts on nesting females and hatchlings as they leave the beach, but we rarely know how many males are contributing to nesting beaches and how many are related to one another. By examining paternity (specifically multiple paternity), I can access those answers and hopefully learn how males interact with the population as a whole. I am also looking at operational sex ratio to detrmine the ratio of productive males and females. In order to better conserve these species we must discover how the whole population works.
By the end of the 2014 nesting season I had noninvasively sampled from over 165 nesting females and close to 1700 hatchlings, encompassing three species (Loggerhead. Leatherback and Green) and three nesting beaches (Jupiter, Boca Raton and Sanibel, FL). Each sample needs to be genotyped and compared to determine paternity. The scholarship will go straight into extracting DNA from these samples to start genotyping and and the plan is to present our findings at the Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Meeting in Jekyll Island, GA this coming February. This scholarship has made it possible for me to continue on with my research and my education so that I can better my future and achieve my goals. Thank you again, One day I hope to give back to future students just as you have graciously given me.
Sincerely,
Jake Lasala
My name is Jake Lasala, I am a PhD student at Florida Atlantic University and I am one of the recipients of the 2014 National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarships from FAU. I would like to thank you for your generosity.
The purpose of my project is to fill a hole that exists in our knowledge of sea turtle behavior and population structure. Often we as researchers focus our efforts on nesting females and hatchlings as they leave the beach, but we rarely know how many males are contributing to nesting beaches and how many are related to one another. By examining paternity (specifically multiple paternity), I can access those answers and hopefully learn how males interact with the population as a whole. I am also looking at operational sex ratio to detrmine the ratio of productive males and females. In order to better conserve these species we must discover how the whole population works.
By the end of the 2014 nesting season I had noninvasively sampled from over 165 nesting females and close to 1700 hatchlings, encompassing three species (Loggerhead. Leatherback and Green) and three nesting beaches (Jupiter, Boca Raton and Sanibel, FL). Each sample needs to be genotyped and compared to determine paternity. The scholarship will go straight into extracting DNA from these samples to start genotyping and and the plan is to present our findings at the Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Meeting in Jekyll Island, GA this coming February. This scholarship has made it possible for me to continue on with my research and my education so that I can better my future and achieve my goals. Thank you again, One day I hope to give back to future students just as you have graciously given me.
Sincerely,
Jake Lasala
Dear Frank Wojcik and National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation:
I was fortunate enough to be a recipient of the "National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarships" this year. I would like to sincerely thank you for this support. This is actually the second year I have had the honor of being a recipient of this scholarship and the truth is that it's hard to express in writing how much it helps me.
As a full time student, my only source of income is the modest stipend we get from the university. This is of course crucial to my ability to further my career as a sea turtle biologist, but it is not enough to cover other essential things. Thanks to your generosity, I will be able to attend important conferences and communicate my research to respected scientist in my field. Additionally, these funds will also go towards buying necessary materials to conduct my research.
Thanks to YOUR support I am one step closer to reaching my goals of being a successful scientist, sea turtle biologist, and educator.
Sincerely,
Boris Tezak
I was fortunate enough to be a recipient of the "National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarships" this year. I would like to sincerely thank you for this support. This is actually the second year I have had the honor of being a recipient of this scholarship and the truth is that it's hard to express in writing how much it helps me.
As a full time student, my only source of income is the modest stipend we get from the university. This is of course crucial to my ability to further my career as a sea turtle biologist, but it is not enough to cover other essential things. Thanks to your generosity, I will be able to attend important conferences and communicate my research to respected scientist in my field. Additionally, these funds will also go towards buying necessary materials to conduct my research.
Thanks to YOUR support I am one step closer to reaching my goals of being a successful scientist, sea turtle biologist, and educator.
Sincerely,
Boris Tezak
