Saskia Schmöle
Master’s Student
Bio
Saskia Schmöle, a student at the University of Bremen, Germany, is currently doing a master’s degree in International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology (ISATEC).
She grew up in a small town in the middle of Germany, not close to the sea, but has always been interested in marine biology. She is happiest when living near the ocean. Pursuing her interest in the ocean, Saskia moved to the Netherlands, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Coastal and Marine Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands in 2020. While at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany, Saskia researched her bachelor’s thesis on thecosome (shelled) pteropod occurrence in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica.
During her bachelor’s, she had a chance to do research in the Philippines and South Africa. In the Philippines, she conducted research with the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute, helping to collect data on the local whale shark population. During her time in South Africa, Saskia worked with Natures Valley Trust and published her first scientific article in the African Journal of Marine Science on spatial and temporal variations of shark and ray egg cases.
Saskia is currently working on her master’s thesis in the field of social sciences. Together, with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and Alligator Head Foundation, she will conduct research on the J.A.M.I.N. program. By comparing schools not participating in the J.A.M.I.N. program with schools participating in the program, her goal is to investigate if the J.A.M.I.N. program changes students’ knowledge and perception of the mangrove ecosystem.
