Ernest Kwan

Conservation Related Experience:

The ocean has always fascinated me. Whenever I go to the beach, I always love discovering its secrets. Initially, when I first entered college, I was focused on my other passion, art. However, as I took more classes to fulfill requirements, I stumbled upon an oceanography class. It sparked my interest in ecology, and I knew I wanted to do something to protect our oceans. This led me to change my major and transfer to UW Madison.

Last year, I took a course called Ecology of Fishes, where I learned about a domestic study abroad opportunity at the Keys Marine Lab in Key West, Florida. I embarked on this journey with esteemed professors and fellow students. We did a lot of snorkeling, and I saw more species up close than I ever dreamed possible. Each day began with a morning lecture and walkthrough, followed by visits to field sites. We diligently recorded our observations in field journals, reflecting on what we learned and saw. In addition to our journals, we each conducted individual research projects and took an exam.

For my project, I did a comparative study of fish diversity between an artificial bay and an open water natural bay. This required snorkeling in six different sites and laying transect lines to record fish species and populations. By the end, we all presented our individual projects. Our professors encouraged us to share our work at the Spring undergraduate research symposium, where I created an academic poster for my presentation.

This experience opened my eyes to the world of marine ecology research and public presentation, further solidifying my determination to study marine biology in the future.