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
Co-Lab Manager
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsLara 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
Emily redding
Co-Lab Manager
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsEmily 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
Sanaa ali
Lab Assistant
Bottlenose Dolphin ProjectSanaa is a senior at Eckerd College majoring in Marine Science with a minor in Animal Studies. She is passionate about studying marine mammals in human care and how it can enhance our understanding of their wild counterparts. She has gained experience volunteering with CMA and interning with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Project, Georgia Aquarium's Pinniped Department, and Dolphins Plus with their bottlenose dolphins, and hopes to pursue a career in marine mammal training in the future.
Gracie Barrentine
Project Lead
Bottlenose Dolphin ProjectGracie 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.
bradi dagel
Lab Assistant
Bottlenose Dolphin ProjectBradi is a junior at Eckerd College double majoring in Animal Studies and Music. Her love for marine life grew through programs like Trainer for a Day and DolphinLab at Dolphin Research Center, where she gained valuable insights into conservation and research. This past summer, she served as a shift lead at a dog daycare, enhancing her leadership and animal care skills. Excited to begin volunteering at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in February, Bradi is focused on developing her expertise in training and observation, all while aspiring to become a marine mammal specialist in the future.
elle donoghue
Data Analyst
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsElle 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.
erin fagan
Project Lead & Data Collector
Dolphin Acoustic Projects & Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsErin 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.
angela ferraro
Project Lead
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsAngela 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.
Morgan Frieling
Data Collector
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsMorgan 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 ProjectKatie 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.
jordyn hillhouse
Lab Assistant
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsJordyn is a first-year at Eckerd College double majoring in Animal Studies and Biology. She is interested in a career in zoological veterinary medicine, and in studying the behavior and welfare of large mammals. Jordyn is currently a Certified Veterinary Assistant who gained experience at Hope and Love Veterinary Hospital and enjoys working with small pets including dogs, cats, and rabbits. She worked on rabbit training for three years and showed a Holland Lop at the 2024 Florida State Fair.
Madeline loiselle
Data Collector
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsMadeline 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 ProjectsSavannah 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.
JJ Mullen
Lab Assistant
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsJJ is a junior at Eckerd College majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology, with a minor in Music. She is primarily interested in acoustic behaviors in cetaceans and aspires to be involved in research and conservation programs when she leaves Eckerd. She has recently worked with Cape Ann Whale Watch on humpback whale research.
Kenzie murphy
Data Collector
Clearwater Marine Aquarium ProjectsKenzie 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 ProjectKaylee 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 ProjectsLily 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 ProjectsCaroline 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 ProjectsElena 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.