While most students were home enjoying their summer vacations, University of Denver senior Jill Hamilton was below the Caribbean Sea, hanging out with fish and seeking solutions to their declining numbers.
The environmental science and strategic communications major was one of 44 undergraduate students to receive a DU grant to spend the summer engaged in research. Hamilton studied the interaction of marine industries and reef management in Nevis, a small island in the Caribbean. She spent the summer doing research dives into the reef surrounding the island, conducting interviews with fishermen and government officials and coming up with solutions to create more sustainable fishing habits on the island.
“I would go down to the docks in the morning and talk to the fishermen as they got off their boats. That was really interesting because they were very candid, real people who have been using resources from the ocean since they were born,” Hamilton says. “A lot of people said that their parents, and previous generations, viewed the ocean as this endless resource, and they recognize now that it’s not. The new generation is more educated and realizes that there’s a problem.”
Hamilton’s enthusiasm for the project stems from her interest in resource management, as well as her love of scuba diving. She plans to continue her work in natural resource management after graduation, citing the Nevis project as a major motivator.
“I hope to go to grad school for natural resource management, possibly with a marine focus,” Hamilton says. “I would love to have the experience of working on a marine research team. This was my first taste of research. The summer research grants really provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to have their first taste of independent research.”