Student Profile: Stephanie Talmage

Stephanie gauging (measuring) clams in the field.

Stephanie Talmage is a PhD student preparing to defend her dissertation and graduate this spring (Spring ’11). Stephanie received a BS in Earth Systems from Cornell University in 2004, and subsequently a MS in Biology from California State University-Northridge. She started at SoMAS in the fall of 2007, working with Dr. Chris Gobler on the impacts of ocean acidification on shellfish larvae.

Among the impacts of global climate change to marine systems, ocean acidification at first “flew under the radar” of the public’s attention, but no longer. It presents a clear threat to marine organisms, especially those forming shells from calcium carbonate such as corals, foraminifera, and many commercially important crustacean and molluscan shellfish species. Shellfish use dissolved calcium and carbonate ions in the water to create their shells. As atmospheric CO2 levels rise, so does the flux of carbon dioxide into the ocean. This increases the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in seawater, lowering its pH. As seawater acidifies, forming robust shells becomes increasingly more difficult for these marine species.

Stephanie’s research is at the forefront of understanding the ocean acidification problem, and she focuses on a particularly vulnerable life stage – the larvae. Her research has shown that clam, scallop and oyster larvae experience high mortalities with increasing acidification. Those animals that do survive exposure to seawater of lowered pH typically have severely underdeveloped shells, suggesting the possibility of longer term effects. Her research has major implications for the future of coastal marine ecosystems and Stephanie already has 2 publications from her dissertation research.

Stephanie has traveled internationally to present her research findings. In 2009, she presented her work in Nice, France at the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) meeting. She traveled to Puerto Rico this past February for the 2011 ASLO meeting. She has also presented her research numerous times as part of SoMAS public lecture series in Southampton through the Stony Brook Southampton Coastal Estuarine Research series. In spring 2010, Stephanie became the first SoMAS student to give a presentation as a part of the University’s Provostial Graduate Student Lecture Series.

Despite being kept busy with research, Stephanie was elected an East Hampton Town Trustee in 2007. She remained a trustee through 2009 and is currently the Assistant Clerk of the East Hampton Town Trustees, up for re-election this fall. The trustees were established in the 1600s as the original government of the town of East Hampton. Now, the trustees represent the governing authority over town beaches, bottomlands, waterways and Trustee roads and Stephanie serves an important role on many Trustee committees.

Stephanie with her experimental set-up

What made you choose SoMAS?
After completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and having the opportunity to work in marine environments from Tahiti to Mexico, I wanted to come back to the waters that began my love for marine science right here on Long Island. I am the 12th generation of my family to live in my hometown of East Hampton. Being able to live on Long Island and simultaneously complete my PhD degree and research was very important to me.

Ocean acidification is a major problem. Is there any hope for shellfish?
While many of the results of my dissertation research demonstrate negative effects of coastal ocean acidification on shellfish, I do believe that there is hope for the future of shellfish. Not all bivalves appear to be created equal; some species are able to withstand acidified water better than others. It is these species that need to be focused on in the future. Shellfish restoration and aquaculture programs might have more success if effort was allocated toward species that appear more resilient to acidification. Also, my research demonstrates that if shellfish are grown under ideal chemical conditions during the larval stages, they have a better chance at surviving juvenile growth in the field under ambient conditions.

More difficult – preparing for your comprehensive exam or mounting a political campaign?
Both were difficult in different ways, and both pushed me outside my comfort zone. If I could only choose one, I would have to say that the comprehensive exam was more difficult. It forced me to have the academic knowledge of marine science at the tip of my tongue and the pressure of having to able to explain it to the comprehensive committee in a detailed and educated manner as I stood before them was intimidating. However, both endeavors have forced me to be able to talk through or endure difficult situations in a logical format and even attempt to describe situations I may not have thought I would have been able to at first.

As a town trustee, have you been able to use your biology and marine science knowledge to influence town policy?
I am extremely fortunate that I have this unique opportunity to be both a graduate student and an elected official. My part time job as a Town Trustee provides me with the opportunity to be fully engaged in public policy concerning marine issues in East Hampton Town. I have served on many committees that daily contribute to important decisions about Trustee issues in Three Mile Harbor, Napeague Harbor, Accabonac Harbor and aquaculture in East Hampton. There are many issues of importance on which our board, as a unit of nine, collaborates to develop policies. For example, a group wishing to have any type of gathering on an East Hampton Town Trustee beach needs to obtain a Trustee permit. As Trustees, we are ensuring that the public has access now and in the future to the public lands. Thus, we set policies and procedures that we believe are necessary to protect these resources. Legislation that I was instrumental in passing prohibits any activity on a public beach requiring an East Hampton Town Trustee permit from involving balloons of any kind. This is to prevent balloons being released in the air and then ending up in the marine food web. There are many more examples, but this is an easy one to describe briefly.

You like to fish. Favorite local seafood? Why?
I do love to fish. My husband, Carl, is a partyboat fishing captain, so we have access to an abundance of fish depending on the season. I love to find new ways to cook fish. However, if I had to choose, my favorite local seafood would be shellfish: bay scallops; clams and oysters! I know this seems funny since these are the study species for my dissertation. Shellfish truly are my favorite and this has provided me with added incentive to find out why they have been on the decline. Carl and I spend much of our free time shellfishing in local waters and are always trying new recipes, from clam chowders to bay scallop ceviche. We are truly fortunate to have access to the local shellfish beds. I only hope that they are around for generations to come so that my great-grandchildren also know how to take looking boxes out in the bays and are able to come home with a bushel of bay scallops.