Alora Yarbrough
Alora graduated from Pepperdine University in 2017 with a B.A. in Biological Sciences. Her senior thesis looked at the effects of hypoxia and increased temperature on the embryonic development of the California Grunion. During her time at Pepperdine, Alora volunteered with AllAshore, a pilot study that monitored the health of sandy beach ecosystems in Los Angeles County. She interned at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium as an aquarist which gave her an interest in community outreach and education of conservation. After graduating, Alora took a small hiatus from research and joined Walt Disney World’s Animal and Conservation Programs taking guests on tours and educating the public about conservation for Africa’s endangered species.
Alora joined the Ichthyology lab at Moss Landing Marine Labs in the Fall of 2018. Her current research interests focus on how anthropogenic climate change effects the physiological processes of marine fish. For her thesis, she will focus on how fish reproductive output is affected by environmental stressors including hypoxia, increased temperature, and decreased pH.