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!
Lara Eade
Lab Manager
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsLara is a junior 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
Gracie Barrentine
Project Lead
Bottlenose Dolphin ProjectGracie is a junior at Eckerd College double majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology with a minor in Anthropology. She is very interested in behavior modification research with both terrestrial and marine mammals. Gracie aspires to be an animal trainer as she interned in the Africa Department at ZooTampa and Island Dolphin Care. One day, Gracie hopes to fulfill her animal training dreams at her dream facilities as well as pursue animal-assisted therapies!
Morgan Brown
Project Lead
Rough-Toothed Dolphin ProjectMorgan is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and minoring in Environmental Studies. She is pursuing a career in marine mammal care and has spent her time at Eckerd volunteering and interning at various zoological and marine mammal facilities. Morgan is extremely passionate about the ever-evolving field of animal training and is particularly interested in utilizing training as a tool to enhance animal welfare and foster human-animal connections.
erin fagan
Lab Assistant & Data Collector
Dolphin Acoustic Projects & Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsErin is a junior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology. She recently did an internship at the Cape May County Zoo and currently volunteers at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Lemur Conservation Foundation. She hopes to pursue a career in animal training with cetaceans or possibly go more into animal behavior research.
angela ferraro
Lab Assistant
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsAngela is a sophomore 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.
Izabella Ferjiani
Project Lead & Data Collector
Dolphin Acoustic Projects & Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsIzabella is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology, and minoring in Marine Science. She loves animals and would like to have a future career in animal training. She is looking forward to using her SCUBA certification too!
Morgan Frieling
Project Lead
Rough-Toothed Dolphin ProjectMorgan is a junior 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 ProjectsKatie is a sophomore 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.
Natalie gransky
Data Analyst
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsNatalie is a first-year at Eckerd College who is majoring in Marine Biology and minoring in Animal Studies. She is interested in pursuing a career in marine animal conservation and rehabilitation with the goal of learning more about the marine environment through connections with the animals. Natalie is also involved with EC-SAR, along with several other organizations on campus, and is excited to start her journey with the FAB Lab!
Sophia koshansky
Social Media & Project Lead
Bottlenose Dolphin ProjectSophia is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Marine Biology, with a minor in Environmental Studies. She hopes to pursue a career in sea turtle and marine mammal rehabilitation, conservation, and education. She has loved animals since the day she was born and knew she wanted to specialize in marine animals after visiting the Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key. Sophia is excited to see what she can accomplish during her final year at Eckerd and in the FAB Lab.
Madeline loiselle
Lab Assistant
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsMadeline is a sophomore at Eckerd College majoring in Biology and minoring in Animal Studies on the pre-vet track. She is interested in gaining a better understanding of animal behavior and welfare and how that can be applied to the veterinary field. Madeline has volunteered for the local humane society and has worked as a veterinary assistant, in both appointment-based and urgent care settings. After graduation, she hopes to attend veterinary school.
Kenzie murphy
Data Collector
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsKenzie is a junior at Eckerd College, studying Animal Studies and Environmental Studies with a minor in Biology. She is interested in behavioral research for animals in managed care in order to make science-based decisions to improve welfare. After graduation she wants to continue her education at a master's program and go on to continue research in managed care settings.
Kaylee O'Bryan
Project Lead
Carnivore Problem Solving ProjectKaylee is a junior 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 ProjectsLily is a sophomore 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!
Emily Redding
Data Collector
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsEmily is a sophomore at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Communications. She hopes to focus her research on cetaceans. In the future, she aspires to train dolphins and pinnipeds under human care before moving to conservation of wild cetaceans and pinnipeds. She recently interned at the Pittsburgh Zoo with two California sea lions, two northern sea otters, a northern elephant seal, and a polar bear.
Emily Rhodes
Lab Assistant
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsEmily is a senior at Eckerd College, double majoring in Psychology and Animal Studies. She is originally from New Jersey and grew up visiting a variety of facilities along the East Coast and participating in interactive programs, which led her toward her focus on bottlenose dolphins. After graduating, Emily hopes to pursue a career as a marine mammal trainer working with animals under human care.
caroline tapalian
Data Analyst
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsCaroline is a sophomore at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and minoring in Psychology. She is pursuing a career in animal behavior research with Jane Goodall as an inspiration of hers. Caroline has worked in her town's animal shelter alongside animal control officers while assisting with American Kennel Club-certified dog training classes. She is highly passionate about her work with animals and even self-trained her service dog, Mookie. Mookie has been named the FAB Lab's Honorary Pup Assistant and proudly wears his FAB Lab bandana around campus.
elena torres
Lab Assistant
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsElena is a first-year at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies, with a double minor in Anthropology and Spanish. Elena intends to pursue a career in rehabilitation and conservation with a strong interest in marine mammals. Elena is so excited to explore her passions and grow with the FAB Lab!
Tara Wehibe
Project Lead
Squirrel Cognition ProjectTara is a senior at Eckerd College that is majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology. She is currently on the Clearwater Marine Aquarium projects, and is about to begin a behavioral research study with the cheetahs at Busch Gardens Tampa! In the future, Tara hopes to work as an animal caretaker and trainer, specifically with big cats!