For over 30 years, Southampton Graduate Campus' marine science program has produced effective leaders with the expertise necessary to excel in graduate school or in the work force. Southampton Graduate Campus marine science alumni are employed as faculty members at some of the most prestigious universities in the country. In addition, many graduates obtain top positions at aquariums, environmental regulatory agencies, government research laboratories and environmental consulting firms. Others build careers in industry. Here are just a few of Southampton College's marine science success stories:

Joe Yaiullo S'85

It all started with a dream and rough sketches on loose-leaf paper. Joe Yaiullo, a 1985 graduate of Southampton Graduate Campus' marine science program, began to shape his plan for a world-class aquarium on Long Island's East End. In 2000, after toiling for three long years, his vision became a reality with the opening of the $20 million Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, NY. Not only did he play a vital role in the development of the facility, he became its curator as well. Joe also designed the aquarium's 20,000-gallon Live Coral Tank, the largest closed reef system in the Americas and the fourth-largest in the world.

After three years of successful operation, Atlantis is a top employer of Southampton Graduate Campus students and graduates. Seven of the nine senior employees at the aquarium are Southampton alumni, and scores of undergraduates intern there each year.

Kathy Barbeau S'91

Kathy Barbeau grew up in Connecticut, spending her summers at the shore. So, when it came time to decide on a college, Southampton's seaside location made it a natural choice. She also was attracted by the College's renowned Marine Science program.

Research conducted during internships while at the College played a critical role in determining her professional direction. She studied contaminants at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and did a co-op at the Environmental Protection Agency. During her senior year, she went to England as part of an exchange program with the University of Southampton and completed an internship studying tribunal tin.

Her research on the influence of metallic compounds on marine environments won her a Fulbright Fellowship to study the relationship between trace elements and phytoplankton in Belgium.

After graduating from Southampton Graduate Campus, Kathy went on to earn her Ph.D. in chemical oceanography through a joint program between Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She also was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Today, she serves as assistant professor/researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

Catherine Ellis S'84 While other little girls were playing with dolls, Catherine Ellis was dreaming of the sea. Growing up in Rockland, New York, she idolized Jacques Cousteau. How she longed to explore the ocean depths that he courageously conquered on TV. That dream became a reality, when she enrolled in the Marine Science Program at Southampton Graduate Campus of Long Island University. After graduation she secured a position at Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. Today, she serves as its curator of fish and invertebrates, sharing her knowledge and passion with a new generation.

Andrew Fields S'02 Marine science graduate Andrew Fields is the most recent Southampton Graduate Campus student awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship for graduate study abroad. He will perform an in-depth study of manta rays on a tiny Indonesian island next spring. Based in a small fishing and whaling village, where manta ray schools are being killed for food, herbal remedies and their skins, Andrew will be conducting a detailed census of local manta rays. He hopes to offer solutions for saving this endangered species. "Without a control on fishing, the manta ray population of the area is in grave danger," Andrew said. He will work with an Indonesian liaison from the World Wildlife Fund to attain the proper access permits and to become acquainted with the region. He prepared for his Fulbright assignment by studying fish populations during semesters at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (University of Maryland) and at the Milford Lab in Connecticut.