Andrew Whitley, TAMU

Ph.D. Student, Department of Oceanography 

Bio: My name is Andrew Whitley. I am currently a Ph.D. student in oceanography at Texas A&M University (Galveston Campus) working with Dr. Jens Figlus and Dr. Timothy Dellapenna.  I hold bachelor degrees in music and physics and a M.Sc. in Marine Science.  I got involved in marine science because I absolutely love physics and shipboard operations, and I thought that would be a great way to merge the two.  This will be my third time at sea aboard a research vessel and my second time at sea on a NOAA ship.  I hope to gain valuable research-at-sea experience on this cruise that will benefit my career.  My research is on the numerical modeling of coastal systems and how they evolve.  I am currently examining the evolution of mega-nourishments and how hypothetical ones may evolve in Texas.  I was also heavily involved in teaching acting as assistant director of physics labs at the TAMU Galveston and as an adjunct professor of physics at San Jacinto College.

What I’m doing on this cruise: I will be a CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) specialist on this cruise.  My job is to look at how temperature and salt-content changes with water depth and also collect water samples from various depths.