Ellie Brind’Amour is in her final year at Sonoma State University as an undergraduate in the Environment Science, Geography, and Planning department. Her major focus is Environmental Systems, and her minor is in Biology. Ellie is an avid ocean explorer and certified nature lover. Her passions for marine and environmental science stem from camping all over California as a child and later backpacking through Europe while working as an English teacher. Ellie moved back to the Bay Area after living abroad to complete a Bachelor of Science.

Since earning her AAUS certification and becoming a scientific diver for the Hughes Lab, Ellie has worked on kelp and estuary monitoring projects. She hopes to help with restoration of critical marine ecosystems like bull kelp forests and seagrass meadows along California’s coast. After graduating from SSU, Ellie hopes to purse a master’s in Marine Biology followed by a PhD in Environmental Science. Her goal is to help businesses in coastal regions develop sustainable restoration management strategies.

Ellie also works as a Sustainability and Engagement Researcher for the Sustainability Office and as a Student Research Assistant for Dr. Allison Ford in the CHSSA. In her time at Sonoma State, Ellie has acted as President of the Environmental Engagement Club, helped restore plant signage in the Native Plant Garden on campus, and participated in the removal of invasives and replanting of native species along Copeland Creek. In her free time, Ellie loves to practice yoga in the garden, swim in the ocean, and backpack where there’s no cell service!