Alexandra Chu

My name is Alexandra and I am an undergrad at the University of California Davis, pursuing a B.S. in Marine and Coastal Science with a focus on organismal biology and marine ecology and a minor in French. I was born and raised in New York and I speak French and English. I have always had a passion for the ocean but I knew I wanted to study marine biology when I dove the Great Barrier Reef for the first time. During my time as a college student, I have been fortunate enough to gain a variety of experience related to aquatic biology and marine mammal research all around the world. In the summer of 2017, I lived on a boat and interned with the Ischia Dolphin Project off the coast of Naples estimating the degree of residency of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Canyon. We also investigated the incipient impacts of increased anthropogenic noise on cetaceans. Being able to witness the level of human noise and its effect on cetaceans first hand sparked my passion for studying noise pollution and its disproportionate effects on different species of cetaceans due to their unique acoustic profiles. I have also worked at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab in a paleoclimate lab, analyzing core samples taken from sea grass beds to calculate how effective sea grasses are at storing carbon. At Cascadia, I work in the Hawai’i office doing photo ID of rough toothed dolphins. I am also pursuing an independent project evaluating the frequency and severity of shark bite scars on bottlenose dolphins. In my free time, I work as French teacher for elementary aged kids. I also enjoy scuba diving, traveling, cooking and spending time with my friends and family. 

Summer 2019