Below are a few critical facets of science I attempt to stay involved in:

Outreach

Growing Equity in Science and Technology (GEST): GEST is an annual outreach event hosted at the Duke University Marine Lab geared towards providing middle school students with STEM activities, knowledge, and access to role models (faculty, staff, etc.). I serve on the planning committee for GEST, help to maintain the website and socials, and lead the creation of the GEST newsletter.

GEST 2025

SciREN Coast: Held annually in coastal North Carolina, SciREN Coast connects researchers with local grade school teachers to help develop curricula and classroom activities. In 2025, our booth, which discussed the use of technology, remote sensing, and AI in studying marine ecosystems, won runner-up! Slides here. In 2026, our booth focused on showcasing biodiversity of local marine invertebrate species, and again won runner-up!

Mentorship

Smartwhales: I supervise undergraduate students on various projects. Max Niu is working on developing detection models using AI-generated whale images. Stay tuned for more progress updates from Max and other undergraduate researchers!

Teaching

AI in Marine Science: Hosted a workshop this year for Duke Oceans Week introducing AI and how it can be applied to marine science, replete with concepts, applications, and a coding demo. Slides from event available here.

I’m also very interested in creating educational materials and coursework centered around developing computational literacy and programming skills in life sciences students. Stay tuned for more info regarding this as future TA opportunities come along.

Communications

Do me a favor and don't look too hard at the pictures/footage of me they used.

February 2026: Duke Nicholas School alumni article and Q&A.

October 2025: Republished feature (more fake whales) in NC Sea Grant Coastwatch.

September 2025: Another article, this one in Inside Climate News, about the fake whales and a cool broader commentary about generative AI in conservation.

September 2025: Article in Eastern NC Public Radio about the fake whales.

August 2025: Shiny new Duke Nicholas School article about our deepfake whales.

May 2025: Some writing about a Marine Science/Conservation departmental award conferred at graduation.

April 2024: Featured in DUML Documentary with now PhD advisor Juliet.