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 Amanda
McLenon is currently a Biological Science Writer for NOAA/NOS in Charleston,
SC. She is the Educational Coordinator for the Coral Disease and Health
Consortium (CDHC) at the Hollings Marine Laboratory. The CDHC is an
interdisciplinary group working to organize and coordinate scientific
resources nationally and internationally to address coral health issues.
Amanda has been commissioned to help create training modules for the Coral
Disease Event Response System. The Event Response System will serve as a
plan for collecting samples and analyzing unusual coral disease or mortality
events in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific.
Amanda will begin the College of
Charleston Marine Biology Masters degree program in fall of 2006. She is
currently seeking a research project. Her previous education includes a
Bachelor of Science Education in biology and chemistry from the University
of Michigan, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Marygrove College, in
MI.
Amanda has seven years of
professional experience as a high school biology teacher. She also spent
time as an ACT prep instructor, founded an environmental club, and
co-chaired the school improvement committee. Beyond the role of a public
school teacher, Amanda was invited to speak at national conferences across
the country on the topic of science literacy. As a result of these
presentations, Scholastic Publishing Co. requested she coauthor a book
proposal on the same topic.
Further education included several
graduate courses, among them Introduction to Marine Ecology in the Florida
Keys, and Outdoor Leadership in northern Michigan, where she was certified
as a Level I canoe instructor. These
courses renewed her interest in conservation education and the marine
environment, and were a catalyst for her return to graduate school.
Amanda is a Michigan native, who now
lives in Charleston, SC. Her interests include Ashtanga yoga, snowboarding,
photography, hand-thrown pottery, tennis and sailing. Her goal in returning
to graduate school is to gain significant laboratory and field experience.
Ultimately, she wants to use her strong education background to help change
global perceptions of the ocean and its importance. For her graduate work
she is interested in identifying histological, intracellular, and other
physical changes that occur in coral prior to or during the progression of a
disease infection. Her broad interests include coral ecology, anthropogenic
influences on marine ecosystems, macroalgae, and symbiotic relationships.
Email: a.mclenon@conservationinstitute.org
Amanda McLenon NOAA/National Ocean
Service
Hollings Marine Laboratory
331 Fort Johnson Rd.
Charleston, SC 29412
voice: (843)762-8848
email:
amanda.mclenon@noaa.gov
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