Dr. Amanda Jakshais a recent transplant to New York from Arizona, where she completed her doctoral degree in Teaching and Teacher Education at the University of Arizona. Amanda has a background in ecology and evolutionary biology and studied sea turtle biology for many years, including conducting fieldwork to investigate the nesting, feeding and migration habits of sea turtles in Baja California, Mexico and Florida. Amanda started her teaching career at aquariums and science centers. She went on to teach secondary science before pursuing her Ph.D. Amanda's research interests include the interaction of formal and informal science learning environments and ocean/environmental identity.