Fascinated by the ocean’s beauty and mysterious wonders, Joanne gained a curiosity about marine life at an early age. She carried that curiosity into her academic studies and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with a marine concentration. Since graduating from Northeastern University in 2021, Joanne has been researching fish virology at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center in Washington state. Her research interests primarily lie in aquatic disease ecology, and she plans to incorporate scuba diving into her future graduate work. Joanne aspires to become a scuba-certified scientist and conserve marine species for which disease poses a serious threat.