Vanessa Bézy

UNC Biology Ph.D. Graduate Student

E-mail: vbezy [at] live.unc.edu

Education

PhD Student in Biology
University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill, North Carolina

M.S. in Marine Biology
– College of Charleston; Charleston, South Carolina
– 2014

B.S. in Marine Biology
– University of North Carolina at Wilmington
– 2010

Research Interests

  • Mass-nesting and mechanisms of reproductive synchronization in sea turtles
  • Microbial abundance and sea turtle hatching success
  • Conservation biology
  • Animal behavior

Publications

Sykora-Bodie, S., Bézy, V., Johnston, D., Newton, E., and K. J. Lohmann.  2017.  Quantifying nearshore sea turtle densities: applications of unmanned aerial systems for population assessments. Scientific Reports. 7:17690.  DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-17719-x

Bézy, V.S., Girondot, M., and R.A. Valverde.  2016.  A new method for estimating nest density at an arribada rookery in Ostional, Costa Rica. Journal of Herpetology. doi: 10.1670/14-152

Bézy, V.S., Valverde, R. A., and C. J. Plante.  2015.  Olive ridley sea turtle hatching success as a function of the microbial abundance in nest sand at Ostional, Costa Rica.  PLoS ONE 10(2): e0118579.

Bézy, V.S., Valverde, R. A., and C.J. Plante.  2014.  Olive ridley sea turtle hatching success as a function of microbial abundance and the microenvironment of in situ nest sand at Ostional, Costa Rica. Journal of Marine Biology  vol. 2014, Article ID 351921, 10 pages.

Awards and Honors

  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2013-2017)
  • Archie Carr Award for Best Poster, International Sea Turtle Symposium (2013)
  • National Geographic, Conservation Trust, Young Explorers Grant (2011-2012)

Public Service, Educational Outreach

  • Founder and President, TORTUGuiones (a volunteer- and community-based sea turtle conservation project that strives to protect sea turtles and their habitat in the Guiones Sector of the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica)
  • Environmental education program Guardianes de la Naturaleza

National Geographic Video featuring Vanessa Bezy

Personal Website

Last updated 01.04.2018