Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences

My name is Ramon Lopez-Rosado I’m a second year doctoral student at the Marine Sciences Department of the University Of Puerto Rico. I grew up in Ensenada, Puerto Rico and received a B.S. in Biology (Zoology) and a M.S. in Biology (Ecology) from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Currently I’m working on primary production of ocean waters and the variability of photosynthetic efficiency derived from Fast Rate Repetition Fluorometer (FRRF) measurements through Tropical Atlantic Waters. Recently I have been involved in several oceanographic cruises related with the study of the structure (biological, physical and chemical properties) of Caribbean eddies. In addition by march of 2004 I was involved in the Saharan Dust Aerosol and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE), where I explored the variability of photosynthetic efficiency derived from FRRF measurements across AEROSE transect through a gradient spanning oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic (Upwelling) tropical atlantic ocean waters; and the potential correlation of aeolian dust deposition on photosynthetic efficiency. Besides my principal approach to study photosynthetic parameters of tropical waters by fast rate fluorometry, I’m planning to eventually include remote sensed data to correlate with the insitu collected data. My expectations are to complete my Ph.D. within the next two to two and a half years to commence a career in biological and bio-optical oceanography research and graduate and undergraduate teaching.