Union College Minerva Fellowship 2018-2019

I will be discussing my experiences during my time as one of the 2018-2019 Minerva Fellowship. I have spent approximately 9 months in the Philippines where I have been volunteering for the coral reef conservation NGO, Coral Cay Conversation. I have been surveying coastal reefs of local villages for the provincial government of Southern Leyte in the Philippines. This is done by conducting biological surveys with the use of SCUBA equipment. We use the data we collect to then recommend marine protected areas for rural fishing villages in order to help protect their livelihoods. I will be talking about my experiences working in the conservation industry, the biological survey methodology we used, as well as the community work we accomplished.