Kaitlin’s passion for marine conservation was sparked in high school during a beach
clean up when she was shocked by the amount of anthropogenic debris that had been
washed ashore. This forced her to ask the question: “If this is what has washed up
on the beach, how much is still left out there in the ocean?” This moment was the
first of many that inspired Kaitlin to pursue a career in conservation and waste management.
When asked why we should care about marine conservation, Kaitlin’s passion was evident
as she discussed the intrinsic value of marine environments as well as their impact
on humanity: “The vast array of flora and fauna [marine environments] contain are
both amazing in their own right and also extremely valuable to humanity as a whole.
We rely on the oceans for food, renewable energy, recreation, and as a source of genetic
material used in the development of cutting edge medications. These ecosystems are
so valuable that we cannot affordnotto conserve them.”
This is just one of the reasons Kaitlin is so excited to be working with the MCP team,
supporting a program that is designed to prepare students for the real life challenges
facing them in the conservation field. Kaitlin praises the program for its interdisciplinary
and “student-led” approach stating that “students have the opportunity to direct their
education through their internship/research and capstone project, which helps them
build a strong and personalized platform to jump off of when they graduate.” Kaitlin’s
passion for learning, her deep roots with the Stony Brook University community, and
her wealth of experience will undoubtedly help raise the MCP program to new heights!
Publications
Publications
R. Lawrence Swanson, Kaitlin Willig Giglio, Lequan Chi; Restoring a Degraded, Sentinel
New England Salt Marsh to Mid-20th Century Conditions (Flax Pond, New York, U.S.A.). Journal of Coastal Research 1 September 2021; 37 (5): 993–1011. doi: https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-20-00043.1