Diego Morales

My name is Diego Morales and I’m a Marine Science Master’s student working in the COAST lab with Dr. Bresnahan. My passion for coding and project development directly tie into what I’ll be doing in the lab. There, I’ll be working on the continuing development of a low-cost, multiparameter optical tool designed to enhance coastal water quality monitoring, evaluate satellite ocean color data, and engage citizen scientists. The goal of my research is to develop an optical package as an affordable, user-friendly tool to quantify key optical indicators: CDOM, TSS, and chlorophyll-a. In addition, I’ll be acting as coordinator for the Participatory Ocean Color Network, a network designed for organizations, institutions, and individuals to easily measure water color, transparency, and pH and upload their data onto an open-source server using a mobile app.

When I’m not in the lab, I like to spend my time fishing, working out, snowboarding, and playing tennis! I also enjoy playing all kinds of instruments (but mostly guitar and piano) and finding cool places where I can read. Catch me on Wrightsville Beach this summer learning how to surf!