Tanika Ladd

Tanika’s childhood on the Puget Sound showed her how intriguing coastal ecosystems could be, something that was further cemented through her study abroad trip to Costa Rica. Tanika received a Hollings which helped her fund two years of her studies and provided her the opportunity to intern at a NOAA facility during the summer. She chose to work at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA, with mentor Paul McElhany. As a mathematics major interested in oceanography, Tanika worked on a project modeling the carbonate chemistry of Puget Sound while also examining the effects of ocean acidification on zooplankton communities in Puget Sound. Tanika learned many skills such as how to identify zooplankton with a microscope, collect zooplankton in the field, run ocean acidification experiments, and how to program in Java. Tanika believes that the Hollings program not only helped her discover her passion for oceanography but also “gave [her the] experience and tools for working in this field and getting into graduate school.”