The PIT 2009 Crew

Dr. Joey (aka "CSI") DiBattista - This is my fourth year of coming to PIT and the first time after having graduated from school. I’m here to help out anyway I can: if they need me to catch sharks, tag sharks, sleep little, battle storms, and scoop poop so be it. Looking forward to my time in Bimini and enjoying the ride.

Alex Innes- I am currently studying Marine Biology at Eckerd College. This will be my first PIT after being hooked on the shark lab earlier this year. In the field from 7pm-7am: check Thousands of mosquitoes: check Having an awesome time at the BBFS: check!

Christina (aka Dances w/ Sharks) Comfort - I've been at the lab for about two and a half months, and this is my first PIT - I'm so excited! In landlocked Pennsylvania we don't see too many sharks, so living here at the lab has been amazing. I can't wait to catch bunches of baby lemons this month! Maybe that sawfish we saw last month is still hanging around, just waiting to get trapped in one of our nets too - cross your fingers. Hopefully, this whole experience will provide some extra creative inspiration for my semi-professional dance company, Dances with Sharks, which will be giving a debut performance in the Philly area this July. Stay tuned team, and break a leg!

Kristyn (aka Hot Pants) Rubertus - Hello all! This is my second time here at the lab, first time with Pit. Long nights filled with sharks are ahead and I can't wait to get started! Holla!

Steve Heck - I'm a biology major at Middlebury College.  This is my first time at the shark lab and my first PIT.  I'm super excited to be here and looking forward to playing with a lot of lemon sharks!

Sean Williams - This is my third PIT, second as manager.  Last year I held down the home front.  This year I am back in the action for the North Sound nursery area.  What's not to love about PIT...Thunderstorms, hordes of mosquitos and sand flies, long cold and wet nights, and sleep deprivation.   I am excited to be doing this year's PIT with our new Sundance boats and new Mercury engines.  For me living the dream, is living without mechanical (or mental) breakdowns during PIT.

Jimiane Ashe - I am visiting BBFS and participating in PIT to learn about lemon shark capture and data collection for my master's project on lemon shark population genetics with SUNY-Stony Brook School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.  My lifelong dream has been to work directly with sharks with an end goal of conservation and species preservation

Katrine (aka Kiki) Vinita - I'm here to study sharks as the partial fulfillment of a life long dream (insert corny montage here). I've graduated, spent some time in the real world, and have now successfully escaped to a shark paradise! My alter egos (Miss Sookie, Katrine the Pirate Queen, and Daisy Darkness) and I are all very excited to be at the Shark Lab for PIT 2009. Our powers will combine to become the ultimate shark researching machine! Today...Bimini, Tomorrow...The WORLD.

Diego Cardenosa - Last year I volunteered for 5 months and I had to come back because I love this place and to do my undergraduate thesis. This is my first PIT and I´m looking forward for all the bugs, storms and wetness....oh and sharks of course!

Andy (aka "Mr. Solder") Kell - i'm a SharkLab recap, this is my second long volunteer trip but my 1st pit,  i am a grad student at both the University of Chicago and Appalachian state university.  i am working on my masters degree systems biology my primary foci are developmental bio-psychology and behavioral endocrinology.  effectively the development of behaviors as function of exogenous stimuli, as well as, behavior as a function of global internal signaling such as the endocrine system.  lately my interest has turned back to sharks as a model system and also shark conservation.  i just hope to graduate at some point soon.   but in the mean time this is the coolest place on earth for me to be.

Katie (aka Kat) Gledhill - This is my 4th PIT in a row at BBFS. All the fun, games and hard work that embodies PIT is what brings everyone back here. I'm excited to be spending it with such an awesome crew this year! I am looking forward to being a part of catching all the little baby lemon sharks in Bimini and of course collecting the all precious DNA. All my dreams will come true if we are blessed enough to catch another Sawfish!

Hollie (aka Buckets) Neibert - I'm back again and super excited!!  Still addicted!  Still loving it!  At home, I am employed as a marine educator at Underwater Adventures Aquarium in Bloomington, MN - home to the largest collection of shark species in the world - but its just not enough. So I'm back for another session of PIT and all the sharkies that come with it!!  "baby shark doot doot doot doot da doot!"

Amanda Young - This year i am the sole representive of my great nation (England not Australia). I hope to make my absent countrymen proud. Although i will be sailing solo i will still kick American arse with my fellow European comrade.   I'm lookig forward to catching copious amounts of sharks, hopefully a sawfish but all with minimal damage to my nicely fixed gillnets please. AND DEFINATELY NO CUTTING THE NET FOR CRABS!!   PS- I don't play well with others

Marissa Wiganowkse - I'm here from Florida and super stoked for all the craziness that consumes PIT! It's my first PIT but from what I've heard, I know I'm totally down for the sleepless nights, insane radio talk, and the yummy meal boat. I have a passion for sharks and their energy in the water is nothing short of amazing. I'm looking to raise awareness and promote shark conservation. Oh yea, and I get to do PIT '09 with my "cousin Hollie"!

Eric (aka Capt. Sparrow) Holtz - I came to sharklab to get hands on experience in field research with sharks. I also came here to meet fellow shark enthusiasts and make contacts. I have been waiting to do something like this for my whole life and I am very excited about it. I am here for two and a half months.

Joris (aka Gunther) van Kessel - I will represent Europe in these American invested waters. It’s my third time over here and my second PIT. This place and the sharkies will get to you fast. You get hooked, realy hooked. Plus I have to come over and spread the word of Gunther some more. The legend will live on in Bimini. I’m very enthousiastic to see some more baby lemons and a little warning to all. The penny pool is mine!

Kristine (aka Kri-Tire) Stump - PIT 2009: This time, it’s real.  Actually, it’s real every time.  But this time, I will be applying the data we collect toward my PhD dissertation, so I am extra excited for PIT madness.  I have already bled and sweat in the prep for PIT ’09, and by the end of the month, there will probably be some sleep deprivation-induced tears in the mix.  We have a great crew, shiny new boats and a cohort of frisky neonates.  Other than 12 successful nights of fishing, my only other goal this PIT is to not use exclamation points in this brief bio.  Many thanks to all of the hard-working staff and volunteers for making PIT an unforgettable experience each year.  I love lamp.

Matt (aka Paparazzi) Potenski - I am back again for PIT - I have now been to more than half of them. As usual you will find me behind the camera - documenting our project and bringing it to you over the wonders of the internet. Hope you enjoy the ride!!!

Dr. Bryan (aka Ice) Franks - Five years doing a PhD………….$50,000 Medical bills related to field work (long story)…….$5,000 Doing something I am passionate about (namely catching sharks!)…….priceless

Jim ( aka "Castaway" ) Barley- Hi all. This will be my 2nd Pit. My Dance Flow is Silly and I am looking foward to all the quality time spent with old and new friends in the trenches.

Emily (aka Em) Marcus - Hey everyone. My name is Emily. This is my fourth PIT. I am really happy to see all the familiar faces back here again, and also to meet the new guys. It only took a week to write this bio, I hope you enjoyed it.

Doc - I'm Doc and they tie boats to me. To read my bio, Click Here.