Tamara Rivera

Background

About Tamara Rivera

I am a PhD student studying the fate and export of mercury from proglacial watersheds in Alaska. Temperatures are increasing at disproportionately high rates in high latitude regions causing a loss in glacial coverage, of which has been sequestering mercury for a very long time. I am investigating the impact glacial retreat may have on mercury exposure including the ecological and human health risks. I have always been passionate about conserving wildlife, environmental justice, and mitigating the harmful effects of anthropogenic activities on our environment. During my time at Wesleyan University, I initially began gaining professional experience as a data analyst for the college of the environment. I worked individually on processing data for a project on the Xeric Grassland, Barren, and Woodland Pollinator Conservation Project. I also worked for Forklift Danceworks, a collaborative team that used skilled movement to tell the often unheard stories of the people whose work sustains our daily lives. This work enabled environmental awareness and environmental justice. Upon graduating, I was then able to gain research experience as a research assistant for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Then I was awarded the NSF REP fellowship to conduct independent and collaborative research in an ecology lab at Yale University. Currently, I am a graduate research assistant at the University of Texas at Austin's Marine Science Institute. For my research I am primarily interested in understanding the interactive effects of climate change and mercury contamination in an ecosystem reliant on subsistence fishing. I am also involved in the other ongoing research projects in my lab, which include investigating the effects of various pharmaceuticals, 6PPD-quinone, and various PFAS on our local fishes.