Mia Tegner
Mia J. Tegner, a researcher in the Marine Life Research Group, decided
on a career in science after abandoning hopes of fire fighting in the third
grade.
Her formal oceanographic education began as a biology student at UCSD, where she received a bachelor's degree. Next she was accepted into UCSD's graduate program at Scripps where she earned a Ph.D. in marine biology and stayed on to complete her postdoctoral research in biological oceanography. She decided not to leave La Jolla, and has been conducting research at Scripps since 1977.
"I like the research environment at Scripps, the opportunities for collaborating, the library, the people coming through," said Tegner. "It's a good place to work. I enjoy the freedom of a research position."
Tegner's research focuses on the relationship between giant kelp (a marine plant prolific along the Pacific coast) and certain marine organisms, such as abalones and sea urchins, that live and feed among the thick kelp forests. She investigates how these relationships change under different conditions.
Many hours of her day are spent pouring over data in her laboratory and office at Scripps, but once a week she and a team of research divers descend into the Point Loma kelp forest, off San Diego's coast, to conduct a series of measurements and observations involving the plants and animals that live in the kelp forest community. These tests include monitoring plant growth, tracking the health of the urchins and abalone, and measuring the clarity of the water within and surrounding the kelp forest. Tegner has
been making these dives for 20 years. "It is important for me to stay in contact with my organisms," Tegner said. She stays in contact, even when the water temperature dips into the low 50s.
The San Diego wastewater treatment plant discharges treated sewage near Tegner's study area, and since 1992 she has measured the effects of the sewage on the local marine life. She finds great satisfaction in using the information she gathers on the health of the Point Loma kelp forest to promote a better understanding of the effects of sewage on marine organisms.
The information she gathers assists the state with the maintenance of California fisheries, and provides citizens with the facts they need to make informed decisions about environmental issues and expenditures, such as sewage treatment.
"People deserve scientists' time and efforts to provide data on which to base decisions regarding the environment," Tegner said.
© 1995