Dr. Pat Tester, a respected figure in the field of oceanography, has dedicated her career to studying and understanding marine ecosystems. Growing up in Oklahoma, her love for the natural world led her to pursue a Bachelor's Degree at California State University at Sonoma in 1972. Seeking further specialization, she obtained her Master's Degree in Oceanography from Oregon State University in 1976 and went on to complete her Ph.D. in the same field at OSU in 1983. In 1976, Dr.

Peter originally hails from Connecticut, but at an early age, his family moved to Southern Pines, North Carolina. He attended East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. Shortly after graduation, Peter took a brief job with Allied Chemical Company. Peter moved to Carteret County, NC, in 1979 and he accepted a Physical Science Technician position at NOAA’s Beaufort Laboratory in March. Peter worked for Dr. Peter Hanson for his initial five years at the Laboratory; then, he worked for Dr.

 Dr. Randolph “Randy” L. Ferguson was born in Wisconsin along the shores of Lake Michigan and
spent his formative years there.

 During his mid-teens the family moved to New York; there, he enrolled in Cornell University and graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor’s Degree concentrating in Environmental Sciences.

 He entered graduate school at Florida State University in Tallahassee and received his Ph.D. from FSU in 1971; his dissertation dealt with the effects of light and temperature on the growth and productivity of phytoplankton.