Marine Biology and Sustainable Aquaculture

Distance Sampling Population Estimate

Through a simulation custom created by the Unity Environmental University XR Innovation Lab, students are tasked with identifying different species of whales based on their blow. In addition, students are asked to estimate how far the whales were from the boat and the number of whales in the area giving the students a feel of what being marine researcher.

Orientation of a Field Station

Students are asked to explore an island using a 360° video created by the Unity Environmental University XR Innovation Lab. They are asked to research this remote area and create ethograms based on behavioral observations of the animals on the island.

Sustainable Seafood Watch

In the local communities where each student lives, they are tasked with creating a graph of sustainability based on the seafood offerings at their local grocery store. They are asked to investigate what their local communities are able to offer.

Unity student, Courtney, recently took the Form and Function of Unique Marine Ecosystems course at Unity Environmental University with Professor Tanya Lubansky.

“I am majoring in Marine Biology & Sustainable Aquaculture with a concentration in Animal Health & Behavior and plan to graduate in December 2022.

I started my college career back in 2014 at CSULB and attended classes there for almost three years, but life happened, and I was no longer in a situation where I wanted to participate in college. While attending CSULB, I volunteered at the Aquarium of the Pacific as a Husbandry Volunteer for about a year. That is where I got the aquarist bug. With that experience and working at pet stores in the aquarium section, I was able to get a paid aquarist position at SeaWorld San Diego. My favorite animals that I got to work with are sharks, octopuses, and sea turtles. The three years that I worked there taught me so much and made me realize that I wanted to go back to school to better understand the aquarium world so that I could be a better aquarist. That is when I found Unity! I love how the school is structured so much that I decided to leave my past job to dedicate my time to school and finish faster by taking two classes at once.

One of my favorite classes so far has been Unique Marine Ecosystems with Professor Tanya Lubansky. In Unique Marine Ecosystems, we studied unique marine ecosystems around the world and how the organisms within them interact, and I believe that it strengthened my knowledge of caring for them in an aquarium setting.

I love that this class is directly applicable to my desired field. I look forward to using all of my knowledge from Unity to help me excel and be an inspirational leader in a future dedicated to caring for exotic marine species.“

Unity student, Erin, took the Freshwater & Marine Resources course with Professor Amanda Moeser.

“I love taking classes with Unity because the online format allows me to continue to work while I go to school. The classes are engaging, and the professors are always easily reachable if I have questions about the coursework.

I have always had a passion for caring for those that are unable to care for themselves. Through my studies at Unity, I am learning that by working towards saving our ocean’s ecosystems we can not only save our ocean friends and their environment but also provide small coastal communities with food security.

It is my dream to be a tropical marine ecologist working with small coastal communities to help restore reef systems so that animals and humans can thrive. I believe the education that I gain from Unity will be fundamental in helping me save as much of the ocean as I can.”

Unity student, Courtney, recently took the Form and Function of Unique Marine Ecosystems course at Unity Environmental University with Professor Tanya Lubansky and the Animal Nutrition course with Professor Anooshrokh Rakhshandeh.

“I am majoring in Marine Biology & Sustainable Aquaculture with a concentration in Animal Health & Behavior and plan to graduate in December 2022.

I started my college career back in 2014 at CSULB and attended classes there for almost three years, but life happened, and I was no longer in a situation where I wanted to participate in college. While attending CSULB, I volunteered at the Aquarium of the Pacific as a Husbandry Volunteer for about a year. That is where I got the aquarist bug. With that experience and working at pet stores in the aquarium section, I was able to get a paid aquarist position at SeaWorld San Diego. My favorite animals that I got to work with are sharks, octopuses, and sea turtles. The three years that I worked there taught me so much and made me realize that I wanted to go back to school to better understand the aquarium world so that I could be a better aquarist. That is when I found Unity! I love how the school is structured so much that I decided to leave my past job to dedicate my time to school and finish faster by taking two classes at once.

My favorite classes so far have been Unique Marine Ecosystems with Professor Tanya Lubansky and Animal Nutrition with Professor Anooshrokh Rakhshandeh. In Unique Marine Ecosystems, we studied unique marine ecosystems around the world and how the organisms within them interact, and I believe that it strengthened my knowledge of caring for them in an aquarium setting.

In Animal Nutrition, we learned about animal nutrition, an essential aspect of caring for animals in all zoological settings. It allowed me to understand why animals need a complex diet to grow and maintain their health.

I love that both classes were directly applicable to my desired field. I look forward to using all of my knowledge from Unity to help me excel and be an inspirational leader in a future dedicated to caring for exotic marine species.“

Dr. Tanya Lubansky

Instructor of Marine Biology

Dr. Tanya Lubansky received her B.S. in Environmental Sciences at Wheaton College and her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on quantifying individual movement behavior and social networks of humpback whales within the Gulf of Maine. Her field work was conducted in collaboration with Allied Whale, a nonprofit organization within College of the Atlantic of Bar Harbor, ME.

Dr. Lubansky has worked in a variety of positions from non profits to tourism industries. She brings value to the students by sharing her experiences in her career and encourage students to look into a wide range of potential job options.

As Dr. Lubansky creates her coursework, she keeps the students future careers in mind and makes sure to ask them to work on projects that will directly apply to their future goals.