Faculty and Staff

Meghan Buckley, Program Coordinator

Meghan Buckley graduated from Barry University in May 2006 with a BS in Biology with Marine Biology specialization and a minor in Chemistry. She participated in the youth advocacy and involvement office 2005 Summer Internship program at the North Carolina Aquarium at Ft. Fisher. She conducted research as a field technician with apple snails and worked with the 2006 Barry RISEE Summer Research Workshop as a research assistant.

Sister John Karen Frei, O.P., Program Director and Grant Author

Sr. John Karen Frei, O.P., Ph.D, is the dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences. Sister John Karen is an epiphytic ecologist who has studied orchids in the Florida Everglades, Nigeria, Ecuador, Mexico, and Jamaica. Her interest has been in studying orchid seed, protocorm, and seedling growth response on varying orchid substrates including tree bark.

Dr. Allen Sanborn, Program Co-Director and Research Mentor

Dr. Allen Sanborn is studying the mechanisms that permit habitat utilization and communication in insects of the superfamily Cicadoidea. The studies investigate the thermal adaptation, temperature regulation, endothermy, ecology, behavior, taxonomy, systematics, morphology, and acoustic biology to understand cicada biology. Dr. Sanborn has conducted field research throughout the U.S., Costa Rica, Argentina and South Africa.

Dr. Jeremy Montague, Summer 2006 Research Workshop Senior Instructor

Dr. Jeremy Montague has been involved in environmental research for over thirty years. His specialties include marine science, biostatistics, and evolutionary theory. He has been involved in summer research courses for high school students since 2003.

Dr. Silvia Maciá, Research Mentor

Dr. Silvia Maciá is an Assistant Professor at Barry University, where she teaches primarily environmental and marine science classes. Her research background is in the field of marine ecology. Dr. Maciá has conducted research on the seagrass beds and coral reef communities of South Florida and Jamaica, where she lived for two years. Her current research is on the use of laboratory-reared seagrass seedlings for restoration projects in disturbed field sites.

Dr. Gerhild Packert, Grant Co-Author and Research Mentor

Dr. Gerhild Packert studies the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, conducting research in genetics and developmental biology. Dr. Packert’s other areas of interest include histology, virology, and embryology.

Kristian Taylor, Summer 2006 Research Workshop Instructor

Kristian Taylor recently graduated from the University of Miami with a major in both Marine Science and Biology along with a minor in Chemistry. He has been involved in several research projects ranging from shark prey selection to Belizean tree frogs. Kristian is currently attending Nova Southeastern in pursuit of a Master’s Degree in Marine Biology while continuing to do research at NOAA Laboratories on Virginia Key.