Biography

Since completing his Ph.D. in 2012, Jason was offered the prestigious John E. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, but declined this position to pursue an opportunity at NOAA/NMFS as the liaison ecologist to the Long Island Sound Study.  In this position, Jason works to co-ordinate the efforts of scientists at government, academic, and non-profit institutions, and translate their results into effective management strategies, a position which draws heavily on his IGERT experiences and training.

Jason has continued his involvement with his IGERT internship mentor, The Reef Ball Foundation, and is presently serving as scientific co-cordinator for the Foundation, as well as sitting on their board of directors.  He has also continued some of his work with oceanographic curriculum development, working with the National Science Teachers Association on developing and maintaining live ‘mentor’ support  for climate change, evolution, and ecology lesson plans, and serving on the biological oceanography technical advisory panel for the Consortium for Ocean Leadership’s National Ocean Sciences Bowl, an oceanography based academic bowl style competition for high school students.

In his free time, Jason continues to enjoy representing GSO as a member of the Narragansett Bay Blades ice hockey team, which has enjoyed a recent 11-1 run against archrival WHOI. He also hikes, swims, and kayaks with his wife Emily and their 5 year old son Charlie.

Favorite personal quote of Jason: “With respect to climate change and other environmental stewardship issues, we have the information necessary to justify change and the innovation necessary to implement it, what we lack is the motivation to do so.  We must instill a paradigm shift in the issues that the voting public views as important when they go to the polls in order to have any chance of succeeding on this front. This is why a strong core program in environmental education should be at the center of any policy agenda.”