The University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) congratulates eight undergraduate students and one doctoral student for graduating in May 2026 with degrees from UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Marine Sciences.
All eight undergraduate students were participants in the fall 2025 Semester at Skidaway program. Their Bachelor of Science in Ocean Science degrees were officially conferred during UGA’s Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 8, 2026.
The new undergraduate degree holders include Emma Gallagher, Cameron Garrett, Leila Hendrix, Kennedy Ingram, Brantley Jenkins, Sydney Michael, Tori Olson and Macie Phillips.
From August through November 2025, the students lived and studied on SkIO’s campus through the Semester at Skidaway program, which annually brings undergraduate ocean science majors to the Georgia coast for a semester of hands-on, experiential learning. Students participate in face-to-face instruction, field excursions, trips to scientifically and culturally relevant locations, and research expeditions, including an overnight cruise aboard the 104-foot Research Vessel Savannah.
Also graduating this May was doctoral student Mariah Ricci, who successfully defended her dissertation, titled “Marine Particles as Drivers of Trace Element Cycling in the Pacific and Southern Oceans,” on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
During her time at SkIO, Ricci worked with faculty members Dan Ohnemus and Clifton Buck and participated in a 56-day GEOTRACES research cruise spanning the South Pacific and Southern oceans before concluding in Chile.
Ricci has already begun a postdoctoral fellowship with Washington Sea Grant and marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) startup Banyu Carbon, where she is advancing community-informed modeling for marine carbon dioxide removal initiatives in the Salish Sea.
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.