Breadcrumb
Alumni Updates
James A. Seward
Oceanography, 2016
James A Seward, Oceanography, 2016, was an environmental services intern for California Coastal Conservancy from July 2017 to January 2018. He is currently a technician with the Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS).
Jessica Taatjes
Oceanography, 2014
Jessica Taatjes, 2014 Oceanography, joined AmeriCorps VISTA with the California State University after graduation. Taatjes currently works with COAST (Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology) conducting student engagement across the CSU.
Julianne Fernandez
Oceanography, 2014
After earning her degree, Julianne Fernandez, Oceanography, 2014, interned with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District in Illinois. As a Physical Science Technician in Water Quality she assisted in monitoring the upper Mississippi River. Fernandez worked on her M.S. in Geology at the University of Cincinnati, where her research focused on methane emissions from Lake Erie. Fernandez completed her M.S in 2017 and soon decided to pursue a PhD. She’s currently a Marie Slodowska-Curie Postgraduate Research Assistant in the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway University of London, UK. She studies urban methane emissions from London and other European metropolitan areas.
Michael William Ra
Oceanography, 1996
Michael William Raftery, Oceanography, 1996, worked for Lockheed Martin Technical Operations as a Satellite Engineer (1996-2000), Loral Skynet as a Spacecraft Orbit Analyst (2000-2004), Stevens Institute of Technology as a Research Engineer (2004-2012), received a Masters Degree in Ocean Engineering (Stevens 2009), and is the sole inventor on US Patent 8093736B2 (Wave Energy Harnessing Device) own by Stevens Board of Trustees. He's currently working for Martin & Ottaway in Tinton Falls, New Jersey working to commercialize the SurfWEHD based on US patent 8093736B2.
Carrie Leonard
Oceanography, 1992
Carrie has recently been name the Director of Advanced Concepts for BAE Systems in Honolulu. In this role she meets with the user community to develop technical solutions to their pressing needs. She has also been named the Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers Hawaiian Island Chapter. On a personal note, she's a soccer coach (U8 AYSO), baseball and water polo mom, and active triathlete.
Carrie Leonard
Oceanography, 1992
After 20 plus years of research and managing research operations, Leonard has moved to implementing policy to address Climate Change and Racial Justice at the Oregon State Legislature. She's excited to move to implementing ideas instead of answering questions.
Jay Brandes
OceanographyChemistry, 1988
Jay Brandes recently gave a talk titled “Microplastics: A Local Problem with a Local Solution” at the 2022 TEDx Savannah Event. He is presently a Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia Athens, working out of UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah Georgia. His work encompasses a variety of areas including nutrient and carbon cycling, biogeochemistry, and marine pollution. This fall (2022) he will begin teaching an Oceanographic Cruise course for Marine Science majors, and hopes to impart the knowledge he gained having experienced a similar transformational course in his education at HSU.
Bradley K. Paulson
Oceanography, 1985
After graduation, Brad Paulson joined the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA, as a marine geologist to assist in arctic coastal erosion and diving investigations designed to collect long-term data on ice formation in the Beaufort Sea and to study its effect on sediment transport and shoreline dynamics. In 1988, he was hired by an engineering consulting firm (CH2M HILL) as an oceanographer to support various environmental studies and engineering design projects located around the world. In 1993, he earned an M.S. in Geological Oceanography from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. He is currently a senior technologist and oceanographer with Jacobs Engineering in the Seattle area. He has a diverse background in coastal and estuarine oceanography, water and sediment quality, contaminant transport, outfall mixing zone/dilution analysis, and engineering design. He specializes in wastewater discharge analyses that include integration of field and modeling programs, outfall design, and NPDES compliance and permitting issues. He also serves as an AAUS-certified scientific diver on the Jacobs dive team.
Robert Miller
OceanographyFisheries post grad, 1984
Robert Miller is the Co-owner and CFO of Sea Dwelling Creatures, Inc. (www.seadwelling.com) and founder of The Coral Ark (www.thecoralark.org).
Clark Alexander
OceanographyGeology, 1983
Clark Alexander, 1983 Oceanography, was recently appointed Director of the University of Georgia (UGA) Skidaway Institute of Oceanography located in Savannah, GA. He also holds the rank of full professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at UGA.



