Meet the Lab

  • Laboratory Manager: Breanna Vanderplow (Ph.D. Student)

  • Research Associate II: John Kluge (Ph.D. Candidate)

  • Senior Ocean Engineer: Geoff Morrison

  • Senior Ocean Engineer: Terry Thomspon

  • Captain/Divemaster: Brian Ettinger, M.S. (Field-Work Support)

  • Program Coordinator: Luba Solonenko

  • Technician: Ian Lundy (B.S. Student)

  • Graduate Research Assistant II: Megan Miller (M.S. Student)

  • Graduate Research Assistant II: Alfredo Quezada (M.S. Student)

  • Graduate Research Assistant II: Stephanie Ball (M.S. Student)

Former Students:

  • Atsushi Fujimura - Assistant Professor, University of Guam, Mangialo, Guam

  • Bryan Hamilton - Molecular Biologist, A-TEK, Miami, Florida

  • Cayla Dean - Outreach Specialist/Coastal Scientist, NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 

  • Christopher Maingot - DD/RSS Field Specialist, Weatherford, Houston, Texas

  • Georgia Parks - Staff Professional, Antea Group, Austin, Texas

  • Jenny Ostroff (Fenton) - Florida Fisheries Bioloigst, NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Saint Petersburg, Florida  

  • Katherine Moore - Lab manager, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida

  • Kathryn Howe - Ph.D. Candidate, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

  • Kathy Burge (Young) - Assistant Professor of Research at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

  • Mikayla Craven - Laboratory Associate at Quantigen Biosciences in Fishers, Indiana

  • Naoko Kurata - Ph.D. Candidate at American Museum of Natural History/City University of New York, New York City, New York 

PO Lab actively collaborates with:

  • Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada

  • German Aerospace Center (DLR)

  • University of Hamburg, Germany

  • University of Miami, RSMAS, Florida

  • University of Rhode Island

  • Seoul National University, Korea

 

Breanna Vanderplow

Lab Manager/Ph.D. Student

Breanna Vanderplow is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Oceanography at Nova Southeastern University alongside her work in the Physical Oceanography Laboratory. Her research in the lab focuses on using computational fluid dynamic software (ANSYS Fluent) to model hurricanes. Specifically, she studies the effects of surface-active materials (surfactants) on sea spray generation, which may lead to changes in hurricane intensity. She also models freshwater lenses, internal waves, and magnetics. She earned her master's degree in Marine Sciences from NSU in 2017 and her bachelor’s degree in both Marine Biology and Biology, with a minor in English, in 2013, also from NSU. Her passion for marine and environmental studies, as well as experiences working in the NSU Organic Chemistry Laboratory, the Racine Zoological Society, Museum of Science and Discovery, and Wisconsin Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, led her to move from Wisconsin to Florida to pursue a future in Marine Sciences and Oceanography in hopes of contributing to the scientific community and the environment.

Email: bv169@nova.edu

John "AJ" Kluge

Research Associate/Ph.D. Student

John “AJ” Kluge is a research associate and a PhD candidate at the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Physical Oceanography Lab. Currently he is working on electromagnetic fields and their correlation to internal waves while aiding in other research conducted in the lab. Before his current work John obtained his Bachelor’s Degree of Marine Sciences  from University of New England and his Masters of Sciences in Marine Biology  from NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. John’s graduate work primarily focused on coral epidemic and population models of four coral genera in the Arabian Gulf.  While working on his Master’s thesis his interest for modeling grew and ultimately led him to pursue a career in Physical Oceanography. Originally from Washington State, John was involved with Metro Parks Tacoma by volunteering or through internship opportunities at various parks around Pierce County.  During his internship at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, he would communicate to the public in a group setting or private tours scheduled by the park. It was these experiences that inspired him to continue his education at the NSU Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography and brought him to where he is today.

Email: jk1083@nova.edu

Geoff Morrison

Senior Ocean Engineer

Geoff is working on a project attempting to identify the physical signatures of surface and internal waves both in the open ocean and in the controlled environment of an experimental wave tank. He has considerable experience collecting and interpreting both Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) profiler data as well as hydro-acoustic data generated by Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs). Born and educated in the United Kingdom he has a  B.S. in Applied Physics, and has had extensive ocean going experience on a variety of platforms operated by a variety of different nations he has worked in the Arctic and Antarctic regions as well as all of the major ocean basins. Geoff is a dinghy sailor and a certified SCUBA diver. In the winter he enjoys downhill skiing.

Email: gmorrison@nova.edu

Terry Thompson

Senior Ocean Engineer

Terry worked at Nova Southeastern University’s Charles and Hamilton Foreman Oceanographic Center from 1985 to 1992 where he designed, built, and operated microcomputer-based instrumentation to record gravity wave high resolution directional spectra. After leaving NSU, he spent a decade in Houston, Texas as a partner in a geochemical consulting firm providing surface geochemistry services for oil exploration and environmental assessment. For the next 11 years he was an independent subsea controls contractor specializing in subsea well completion riser controls and subsea well production controls for two major oil companies. The final three years before his retirement in 2016 were spent in Nigeria as the Principal Subsea Controls Engineer for the operations of a major oil company in Africa. Terry left retirement to return to the NSU Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography in 2019.

Email: tthomps1@nova.edu

Brian Ettinger

Captain/Divemaster

Brian Ettinger, M.S. has been working with the Oceanographic Center since 1996 when he came to NSU’s Oceanographic Center to complete his Master’s Degree in Marine Biology.  The focus of his study was abundance and diversity of coral reef fishes and reef associated fishes of Broward County, FL.  While at the Oceanographic Center Brian Ettinger became the first AAUS scientific diver during the Oceanographic Center’s process of becoming an AAUS facility.  Brian Ettinger participated in many benthic survey projects involving coral and fish survey and census projects.  Brian Ettinger worked full time with the National Coral Reef Institute as a scientific diver and worked as a scientific diver/field services technician with the Physical Oceanography Lab.  Brian Ettinger is a Licensed Captain (OUPV) and a Diving Instructor for PADI, SSI and PDIC.  He is also an First Aid/CPR instructor with Divers Alert Network, PADI and the American Red Cross.  In addition to the recreational diver agencies, Brian Ettinger has completed the Diver Training Program at the U.S. EPA Diver Training Facility in Gulf Breeze, FL and a Diver Medical Technician at Hyperbarics International in Key Largo, FL.  He has also served as a Dive Team Coordinator and Training Officer for the Hollywood Fire Rescue Dive Team where he is a Fire Lieutenant/ Paramedic. Currently Brian works part time with a local commercial diving company where he is exposed to many different areas of diving.  Brian Ettinger’s B.A. is in Biology Concentrating in Marine Science and was completed at Boston University through the Boston University Marine Program (BUMP).  He has worked at the New England Aquarium as well as taught marine science courses and scientific diving courses at Seacamp Association and Newfound Harbor Marine Institute in Big Pine Key, FL.

Email: ettinger@nova.edu

Luba Solonenko

Program Coordinator

Luba Solonenko is the Program Coordinator at the Physical Oceanography Lab. She acquired her Bachelor's of Science in Telecommunications-News with a Minor in Leadership from the University of Florida in 2012. During her time at UF she volunteered at WUFT-TV, the PBS-affiliate news station located on the UF campus and held various positions including studio camera operator, reporter, and anchor. She also interned at NBC Miami in the fall of 2011, shadowing local reporters and gaining insight into large market news operations. Following college she worked as a reporter for KTVH, an NBC-affiliate news station located in Helena, Montana and covered stories such as interim legislative meetings at the state's Capitol and county commission meetings. Luba is a member of the National Academy of Television, Arts, and Sciences (NATAS) for the Northwest Chapter through her past work at KTVH. From 2014 to 2024 she served as a judge for various regional NATAS Emmy Awards.

Email: lsolonenko@nova.edu

Megan Miller

Graduate Research Assistant II/M.S. Student

Megan Miller is a master’s student and research assistant in Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Physical Oceanography Lab. She is currently researching internal wave soliton activity and their interactions with Florida coral reefs. Specifically, her research focuses on using Ansys Fluent computational fluid dynamics software to model internal waves breaking on Conch Reef in the Florida Keys. The model will be used to understand the hydrodynamics of internal wave solitons and the resulting variations in temperature and nutrients on coral reefs. Megan earned her bachelor’s degree in Coastal Environmental Sciences at Louisiana State University in 2020 where she developed research skills while assisting in an on-going project studying chemical cycling of Gulf of Mexico sediments. Megan was an intern at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences and participated in numerous projects focused on coral reef research including fragmenting and out-planting Acropora corals, coral cover surveys, gut content analysis of invasive lionfish, and spatial analyses of over-growing mat tunicates on Roatan’s coral reefs. Megan’s passion for the marine environment and interest in coral reef dynamics is what brought her to Nova Southeastern University to further her education and gain hands-on experience while working for Dr. Soloviev.  

Email: mm5734@nova.edu

Alfredo Quezada

Graduate Research Assistant II/M.S. Student

Alfredo Quezada is an M.S. candidate and graduate research assistant at the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Physical Oceanography Lab. He is currently studying coastal circulation using robotic instrumentation. Specifically, he studies the effects an undercurrent and coastal eddy activity might have on turbulent flow and transport across and along the southeastern Florida shelf. Additionally, he does volunteer research work during the weekends with Mirrors for Earth’s Energy Rebalancing (MEER), a nonprofit organization seeking to mitigate the lethal heating effects of Climate Change. Originally from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, he did not have much access to any large body of water. However, his passion and curiosity for the protection of our ocean’s megafauna led him to the US to get his bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2021. His experiences here as a programmer and researcher for diverse fields have also led him to continue his professional development into Marine Sciences and Oceanography in the hopes of furthering research efforts towards the study and protection of the Earth’s oceans and fauna.

Email: aq199@nova.edu