Yeraldy Valera
Undergraduate Researcher and INBRE Scholar (2022- )
Project: “Environmental DNA and Hydrography for biological community surveys in SE Alaska”
I am from Barcelona, Venezuela. I started my biology degree in 2010, however, I could not finish back then. I took back my studies in 2020, finishing my AA degree that same year, then transferred to UAS to complete my BS in Marine Biology. I am fascinated by the marine environment, although I am not much a fan of tanning at the beach, I genuinely can say I belong to the ocean. Marine mammals are my passion, and to that I must add environmental DNA technology as the best compliment for me to study and understand the marine mammalogy world from the molecular perspective. At this time, my project is directed to surveying the marine ecosystem of SE Alaska through eDNA analysis in addition to hydrographic data. I want to discover the extent at which eDNA is correlated with the environment characteristics, and I am happy to have NOAA fisheries collaboration in my project, for which I am also very thankful.
Although I could proudly be called a home lover, I find outdoor time the most amazing of all. Me and my husband started our Alaskan adventure in 2021 and I must say I love going out for a hike, to encounter this wonderful wildlife. Here is a video we made during one of those out to wonder kind-of-day.