{"id":108708,"date":"2026-05-06T13:47:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=108708"},"modified":"2026-05-06T13:48:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:48:17","slug":"commencement-2026-marine-biology-and-marine-affairs-major-excited-to-dive-into-new-shark-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/commencement-2026-marine-biology-and-marine-affairs-major-excited-to-dive-into-new-shark-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Commencement 2026: Marine biology and marine affairs major excited to dive into new shark research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 6, 2026 \u2013 As a child, Mary Brantley read her ocean encyclopedia so often it nearly fell apart. Years later that same fascination brought her to the 溏心vlog免费B站, where she double majored in marine biology<\/a> and marine affairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ocean is something I have always been deeply curious about,\u201d Brantley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, as she prepares to graduate this May, Brantley does so with a perfect 4.0 GPA across both majors\u2014earning the University Academic Excellence Award in each field. Her success reflects both discipline and a genuine enthusiasm for learning. A self-described highly organized student, she manages a demanding schedule with careful planning and a creative approach to studying.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Brantley\u2019s curiosity about the ocean led her to a competitive summer internship at NOAA, where she studied the American lobster and learned about federal research; she\u2019s shown with fellow NOAA Hollings coworker Nick Angeli.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI pace around and act like I\u2019m teaching the material,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I can’t teach the material well enough to have other people understand it, then that signals to me that I don’t understand the material as well as I thought I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite her academic success, she notes that her most impactful learning experiences happened beyond the classroom. Through hands-on research, Brantley developed adaptability in ways lectures couldn\u2019t replicate. \u201cAdjusting to exams or assignments being moved around is one thing,\u201d she said, \u201cbut having to work with an animal that is completely out of your control is very different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a CELS Summer Research Fellow<\/a>, her days often began before sunrise on the water\u2014catching bait near Beavertail Lighthouse and waiting offshore for hours. The payoff made it worthwhile. \u201cEven just seeing a shark circle the boat makes the entire day of waiting worth it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One standout moment came when she caught a tiger shark after previously studying its movement patterns. \u201cThe research becomes much more than just numbers on a page when you get to interact with the animals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fieldwork reinforced an important mindset for a marine scientist: \u201cI learned very quickly that the best course of action is to go with the flow,\u201d she said. \u201cYou adjust to the situation as needed and work hard regardless of the conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brantley\u2019s experience led to broader research opportunities, including her selection for the nationally competitive National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hollings Scholarship<\/a>, which afforded her a summer internship at NOAA where she studied how temperature affects the metabolism of the American lobster. The experience introduced her to federal research and the intersection of science and policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy career goal is to conduct research and work closely with fisheries managers to create more effective conservation policy,\u201d said Brantley, who was also the recipient of a Professor Robert A. DeWolf Scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fall, Brantley will continue her academic journey at the University of Delaware, where she will pursue a master\u2019s degree focused on shark ecophysiology.  \u201cI am incredibly excited to dive into this field of shark research,\u201d she said. \u201cI have done work at 溏心vlog免费B站 pertaining to where sharks move, but I am looking forward to now exploring why these animals move the way they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on her time at 溏心vlog免费B站, Brantley encourages future students to remain open to new opportunities and experiences. \u201cBeing well-rounded is a good way to set yourself up for success and 溏心vlog免费B站 is the perfect place to try different things out,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone’s path will be different, and your path will probably change as you try out new things, but if you consistently work hard, things will work out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Brantley, that lifelong curiosity about the ocean is still driving what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was written by Anna Gray in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 6, 2026 \u2013 As a child, Mary Brantley read her ocean encyclopedia so often it nearly fell apart. Years later that same fascination brought her to the 溏心vlog免费B站, where she double majored in marine biology and marine affairs. \u201cThe ocean is something I have always been deeply curious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":108709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1907,5,1906,1905,1912,1915],"class_list":["post-108708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-academic-excellence","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences","tag-experiential-learning","tag-research","tag-special-events","tag-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108708"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108713,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108708\/revisions\/108713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}