We delivered signatures from >300K WWF supporters to the Department of the Interior to end Arctic drillingImage credit: WWF-US
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Research results by Dulcinea on extreme sea surface temperature events in Indonesian coral reefsImage credit: Dulcinea Groff

Dulcinea Groff, EES PhD Candidate

Through the support of the NSF “Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change” IGERT fellowship, PhD Candidate Dulcinea Groff completed an internship with the World Wildlife Fund-US in Washington, D.C. over 12 weeks during the summer of 2016. As an intern on the Ocean’s Team within the WWF, Dulcinea analyzed coral reef ecological data from Indonesia, wrote scientific reports used by Indonesian NGOs and government managers, and designed a self-directed study. The study examined the correlation of the frequency of extreme sea surface temperature events known to cause coral bleaching over the past 30 years and if these extreme events shaped the community structure of over 300 coral reefs.

Dulcinea found the internship experience to be eye-opening as she learned about post-graduate opportunities within U.S.-based NGOs.  She noted that “the most rewarding part of my internship was to be able to observe the influence of my work on coral reef management, and collaborate with WWF scientists and other USA and Indonesian NGOs.”

Dulcinea is a PhD Candidate in the Ecology and Environmental Sciences program focusing on climate and environmental change of the Falkland Islands over the past 15,000 years.