 |  | Regina Campbell-Malone
Guest Investigator
Biology
Contact Information:
Work: 508 289 3651
Fax: 508-457-2089
regina@whoi.edu
Building: Marine Research Facility 219
Mailing Address:
Mailstop 50
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA 02543
|
Research Interests
Ship strikes are a major source of mortality in the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale population. Vessel-whale collisions often result in major blunt trauma and skeletal fractures. Bones commonly fractured when an animal is hit by a ship include the skull, jaw bones (mandibles), ribs, and vertebrae.
The jaw bone is wrapped in a thin layer of soft tissue compared to other bones and may be presented during behavioral avoidance of an oncoming vessel, possibly making it the Achilles heel of the right whale when it comes to ship strikes. The jaw bone has a simple geometry and is often the site of injury, making it a viable bone for modeling purposes.
CT-scanning, 3-D laser scanning, physical density measurements and mechanical testing will be used to determine the physical and material properties of the jaw bone.
These properties were incorporated into a finite element model designed by collaborators at the University of New Hampshire and were used to predict the 3-dimensional response of the mandible to applied stress.
Once the stress required to induce a fracture was determined, this value was then compared to the stresses generated by ships of a given mass moving at a particular speed to determine if speed restrictions are a viable management strategy for reducing mortality and serious injury resulting from vessel-whale collisions.
The findings from my thesis were utilized by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to substantiate the use of speed restrictions for vessels 65 feet or larger traversing right whale critical habitat (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/fr/fr73-60173.pdf)
At present, I am investigating the biomechanical behavior of mammalian bone to determine the functional significance of its structural organization in various mammalian groups. Mammals of varying sizes (from mice to whales) and modes of locomotion (terrestrial tetrapod, marine and aquatic tetrapod swimmers, flying and gliding mammals) will be explored in a comparative context to determine how both the micro- and macroscopic structure of bone influence the mechanical capabilities of these organisms.
Education
2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
Ph.D., Biological Oceanography
MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program
Michael J. Moore, advisor
2000 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
B.S., Biological Sciences
with a Concentration in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University Honors Program, Distinguished Honors Scholar
Graduated Magna Cum Laude
Skills
Laboratory Skills –
- Uniaxial compression testing of mammalian bone and soft tissue
- Biomechanical testing of mammalian soft tissue in tension
- DNA/RNA extraction and quantification
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
- Molecular subcloning
- Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)
- Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)
- Tissue culture
- Gel electrophoresis
- Microtomy & IHC slide preparation
- Extensive vertebrate/invertebrate dissection experience
- Small animal surgery & measurement of physiological vitals
Additional Skills -
- Marine mammal necropsy
- Shipboard hydrocast deployment
- Phytoplankton/zooplankton identification
- Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) sensor deployment & processing
- Tursiops behavioral observation & recording
- Tursiops acoustic recording & analysis
- Water quality analysis of lakes and estuaries
- Dredging (for Tursiops feeding ecology studies)
- Seining (for plankton and fish larvae migration studies)
- Equine behavioral observation & recording
- Statistical analysis
- NAUI S.C.U.B.A certification
- CPR/First Aid certification
- Airplane ditch training certification
|
|
|
