My dissertation research concerns the interdisciplinary study of an 18th century shipwreck located off the island of St.John, USVI. HMS Santa Monica serves as an example of the rich maritime history of the Caribbean during the American Revolution. I am interested in the ways that a shipwreck site such as HMS Santa Monica can be managed in a sustainable way, particularly through interdisciplinary efforts that examine the interface between the shipwreck and the environment. Located in close proximity to the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, HMS Santa Monica is an excellent example of a resource with potential for interdisciplinary management efforts. My interests in the field of submerged cultural resource management also stretch to the Pacific Ocean, where I am currently working with NOAA’s Pacific Islands Regional National Marine Sanctuary Program. I am working with the Maritime Heritage Program in the Pacific Islands Region to develop long-term, interdisciplinary monitoring strategies for shipwrecks in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. I have recently been involved in an interagency project led by NOAA to document deepwater wrecksites outside of Pearl Harbor in the vicinity of the Japanese Midget Submarine. This project in December of 2004 included the discovery of several historic seaplanes: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2354.htm. My doctoral research funding has been made possible by the generosity of NOAA’s Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship.
