Lauren Witick

Education

• Master of Professional Science in Marine Science - Unity Environmental University
• B.S. Environmental Science with a concentration in Natural Resources and Conservation - Southern New Hampshire University

Lauren Witick is a Chemistry Support Technician at the NOAA Fisheries Milford Laboratory. She supports research focused on shellfish aquaculture, environmental chemistry, and marine ecosystem science. Her work includes the Oyster Conversion Factors Project, for which she collected and processed farm-raised oysters from across the East Coast to develop standardized biological and morphometric data by location and farming method. This work also supported NOAA's Oyster Aquaculture Nutrient Removal Calculator. She contributes to ocean acidification and shellfish research through: 

• laboratory sample processing
• water chemistry support
• data management
• data quality assurance and quality control activities.

Prior to joining the Milford Laboratory, she worked as a NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fishery Observer Program observer, independently collecting fisheries data aboard commercial fishing vessels operating along the Northeast coast. Her responsibilities included: 

• identifying and quantifying retained and discarded catch
• collecting biological samples such as otoliths and tissue
• documenting fishing effort and gear specifications
• monitoring and reporting interactions with protected species, including marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds
• conducting pre-trip vessel safety inspections
• maintaining emergency preparedness while completing multi-day deployments at sea

Lauren previously supported Long Island Sound water quality and hypoxia monitoring with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She also served for nearly 10 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant and gaining extensive leadership, mentorship, and team management experience as a Noncommissioned Officer.

Her professional interests include marine conservation, protected species and marine mammal conservation, shellfish aquaculture, water quality, and applied marine research.