Halmos Student Wins Marine Industries Memorial Scholarship

This June, Halmos College marine science graduate student Marissa Mehlrose was awarded the Frank Herhold Memorial Scholarship from the Marine Industries of South Florida (MIASF). The award was recognized in the MIASF 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting and Awards Event on June 24.

In her second year as a master’s student, Marissa thesis research is on the shortfin Mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus). They are an extremely important apex predator within the ocean environment, but their popularity as a commercial and sport fish has resulted in severe population decline.  Her research will be the first to examine the Mako shark population structure in the Atlantic using whole mitogenome data, which will provide a far more comprehensive and accurate view of the population than previous sampling methods.

Created in 1961, MIASF is a not-for-profit trade organization focused on the sound growth of the marine industry for the benefit of its members and their customers, local communities, and the environment. MIASF is comprised of more than 500 members in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties and is the owner of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.