SkIO welcomes 2025 Semester at Skidaway students

Dr. Clark Alexander, director of SkIO, talks to 2025 Semester at Skidaway students during the welcome event on Tuesday, August 12. (Photo by Jackson K. Schroeder.)

The University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is excited to welcome 13 students participating in the 2025 Semester at Skidaway Field Study Program.

Each fall, Semester at Skidaway places undergraduate students majoring in Ocean Science through the Department of Marine Sciences in UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences on the Georgia coast for a unique, hands-on learning experience. 

Students take courses on the SkIO campus taught by SkIO faculty members, participate in field trips to scientifically and culturally relevant locations, explore the coastal area on SkIO’s fleet of small vessels, and cruise on the R/V Savannah for an overnight research expedition.

Dr. Dan Ohnemus (middle), assistant professor, talks with 2025 Semester at Skidaway students during the welcome event on Tuesday, August 12. (Photo by Jackson K. Schroeder.)
The 2025 Semester at Skidaway cohort includes: 
Colin Bell
  • Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Minor(s): Ecology and Fisheries
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m most looking forward to the field and lab experience I’ll gain from this semester, as well as weekend trips to various places along the coast.”
Maggie Crawford
  • Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “This semester, I am most excited about being near the water and getting real, hands-on experience in the field.” 
Emma Gallagher
  • Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science and Biology
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m excited to be fully immersed in oceanography and get hands-on learning in the field!”
Cameron Garrett
  • Hometown: Milton, Georgia 
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Certificate(s): Nonprofit Management and Leadership
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m excited to live by the ocean and get hands-on research experience!”
Abbey Graddick
  • Hometown: Buford, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Minor(s): Environmental Law
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I am most excited about the opportunity to see the concepts we are learning about actuated in the environment.”
Leila Hendrix
  • Hometown: Monroe, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Minor(s): Spanish and Latin American and Caribbean Studies
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I am most excited to get hands-on experience doing fieldwork on this gorgeous island that has so much to offer. I am also really looking forward to island time and finishing my degree!” 
Kennedy Ingram
  • Hometown: Savannah, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Minor(s): Geology
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m excited to have more access to research opportunities and do field work. I’m also looking forward to living on the coast again and getting a change of scenery from Athens. There’s no place like home!”
Brantley Jenkins
  • Hometown: Cumming, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science, English
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m most excited for living near water and being able to relax a little easier than in Athens.”
Alex Mehta
  • Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Minor(s): English
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m really looking forward to getting hands on experience — most of all, the cruise!” 
Sydney Michael
  • Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Minor(s): Spanish
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I am most excited about exploring all that Savannah and Skidaway have to offer and stepping outside of my comfort zone by living in a new place! I am also excited to explore another side of marine science and apply my classroom learning to real, hands-on field experience.” 
Victoria (Tori) Olson
  • Hometown: Evans, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “This summer, I am most excited to gain extensive fieldwork experience through the Semester at Skidaway program.”
Macie Phillips
  • Hometown: Winston, GA
  • Major(s): Ocean Science
  • Minor(s): Ecology
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m extremely excited for the field expeditions for SkIO! I’ve always been a hands-on learner, so being able to go on boats and collect samples myself sounds like my ideal semester.”
Isaac Post
  • Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia
  • Major(s): Ocean Science and Fisheries & Wildlife
  • Minor(s): Wildlife Sciences
  • Looking forward to most during Semester at Skidaway: “I’m really looking forward to getting more hands-on experience and having the opportunity to live on our incredible coastline.” 

A recap of the 2024 Semester at Skidaway program is available here. 

About SkIO

The UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary research and education institution located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. The Institute was founded in 1967 with a mission to conduct research in all fields of oceanography. In 2013, SkIO was merged with the University of Georgia. The campus serves as a gateway to coastal and marine environments for programs throughout the University System. The Institute’s primary goals are to further the understanding of marine and environmental processes, conduct leading-edge research on coastal and marine systems, and train tomorrow’s scientists. For more information, visit www.skio.uga.edu.