Director 

Dr. Frick's research interests are in areas of animal behavior, welfare, and conservation, and biopsychology of learning in animal models. She has experience conducting research with wild animals and animals housed in managed-care facilities, including: bottlenose dolphins, rough-toothed dolphins, sea otters, Asian small-clawed otters, hippopotamus, polar bears, sea lions, Pacific walrus, sea turtles, zebrafish, and rats. Across all teaching and research endeavors, Dr. Frick is committed to and enthusiastic about creating opportunities for undergraduate students at Eckerd College to conduct research. She provides instruction, supervision, and mentorship to students as they learn the research process from start to finish and apply concepts learned in the classroom to laboratory and field-work settings.


Learn more about Dr. Erin Frick here!  

This interaction was supervised by animal care professionals at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Lara Eade

Co-Lab Manager

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Lara is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies, and minoring in Biology and Data Science. She plans to pursue graduate school and a career in animal behavior research and welfare science. Lara is interested in studying dominance hierarchies and social networks, and is especially passionate about exploring ways we can enhance animal welfare through data-driven decision-making. 


Contact Information: lmeade@eckerd.edu
This interaction was supervised by animal care professionals at the Pittsburgh Zoo.

Emily redding

Co-Lab Manager

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Emily is a junior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Communications, with a minor in Data Science. She has worked with a wide range of species from otters to dolphins to polar bears, and has even had the pleasure of working with an elephant seal. In the future, she hopes to work with marine mammals through either research or training.


Contact Information: ecredding@eckerd.edu
This interaction was supervised by animal care professionals at Island Dolphin Care.

Gracie Barrentine

Project Lead

Bottlenose Dolphin Project

Gracie is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology with a minor in Anthropology. She is very interested in behavior modification, which is why she loves doing research for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium projects. Gracie has completed two animal care and training internships with the Africa department at ZooTampa and at Island Dolphin Care in the Florida Keys. Her hopes are to become a marine or terrestrial mammal trainer and eventually get her PhD in comparative psychology or animal behavior.



elle donoghue

Data Analyst

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Elle is a first-year at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies, with a double minor in Biology and Public Health. She hopes to pursue a career in animal rehabilitation or animal care in a zoo setting. She is very interested in conservation, behavioral research, and animal training. Elle has experience shadowing at a vet clinic and has completed an internship at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium working with animals from Asia.

This interaction was supervised by animal care professionals at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

erin fagan

Project Lead & Data Collector

Dolphin Acoustic Projects & Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Erin is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology. She is interested in pursuing a career in animal care and training at a zoological facility, or continuing with animal behavior research with a focus on cetaceans. Erin volunteers at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and has completed internships at the Cape May County Zoo and Dolphin Research Center.

This interaction was supervised by animal care professionals at Xel-Ha Park.

angela ferraro

Project Lead

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Angela is a junior at Eckerd College majoring in Marine Science and Animal Studies. After participating in the Trainer-for-a-Day program at Xel-Ha Park in Mexico, she became fascinated with animal behavior with a focus on marine life. She is particularly focused on pursuing a career in rescue and rehabilitation for marine mammals. She hopes to use the knowledge she acquires from the project to work in a successful program that helps to rehabilitate and release injured marine mammals back into the wild. 

This interaction was supervised by animal care professionals in Belize.

Morgan Frieling

Data Collector

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Morgan is a senior at Eckerd College pursuing an Animal Studies major, with a minor in Biology. She is interested in rescue and rehab but also enjoys wildlife conservation. Morgan is a certified SCUBA diver and loves marine animals. Morgan also works as a professional mermaid and loves to teach children about ways to keep the ocean clean. 



katie gallagher

Data Analyst

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects & Carnivore Problem Solving Project

Katie is a junior at Eckerd College double majoring in Psychology and Animal Studies, with a minor in Marketing. She hopes to go into the field of animal care and zookeeping, with a focus on collaborative breeding efforts for conservation of species and restoration of wild populations.



Madeline loiselle

Data Collector

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Madeline is a junior at Eckerd College majoring in Biology and minoring in Animal Studies on the pre-vet track. She is very passionate about veterinary care and animal welfare. She hopes to continue examining animal behavior and relating it to each animal's welfare. She is so excited to continue working on projects with the FAB Lab!



Savannah Motz

Data Analyst

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Savannah is a first-year at Eckerd College double majoring in Marine Science and Animal Studies. During her college career, both undergraduate and graduate, she plans to participate in as much animal behavior research as possible. Savannah's research interests lie in cetacean behavior and communication, but she is open to studying other mammals and reptiles as well.



Kenzie murphy

Data Collector

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Kenzie is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Environmental Studies, with a minor in Biology. She spent the 2023 summer as an REU student at the University of North Florida and Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, where she researched Atlantic stingrays' welfare and social dynamics. She hopes to continue researching welfare and wants to pursue a master's degree after graduation.



Kaylee O'Bryan

Project Lead

Carnivore Problem Solving Project

Kaylee is a senior at Eckerd College and majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology. Kaylee has always had a strong passion for the well-being and cognition of animals and is most interested in dogs, manatees, big cats, and primates. She hopes to go to veterinary school after graduation. 



Lily Oehlkers

Data Collector

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Lily is a junior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and minoring in Women & Gender Studies. Lily is especially interested in marine mammal and bird psychology and communication. Outside of the lab, they enjoy singing and participating in on-campus theatre. They also interned at the New England Aquarium on their whale-watching team!



caroline tapalian

Data Analyst

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Caroline is a sophomore at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and minoring in Psychology. After graduating, she intends to pursue a career in animal behavior research. She is highly passionate about her work with animals and has even self-trained her service dog, Mookie, who has been named FAB Lab's honorary Pup Assistant.



elena torres

Data Collector

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Projects

Elena is a sophomore at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies, with a double minor in Anthropology and Spanish. Elena has a strong interest in primates, as well as marine mammals. She is also a student researcher for the Conservation Behavior Lab, conducting observations of the orangutans at ZooTampa.