The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) recently said goodbye to Nick Croft, a student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who spent a month of his summer vacation volunteering at the Center before returning home to begin his final year of high school.
During his time at PICRC, Nick primarily worked with Dr. Cinzia Alessi, assisting with important experiments aimed at understanding the resilience of certain corals to rising ocean temperatures. Among other tasks, he helped collect corals from reefs, feed and maintain them in the lab, and collect and analyze data. He also had the opportunity to collaborate with the aquarium researchers on their work rehabilitating degraded coral reefs through the outplanting of coral fragments and devices carrying juvenile corals.
This is not the first time Nick has shown an interest in marine conservation and coral reef science. In 2024, he volunteered in Zanzibar, Tanzania, where he gained his first hands-on experience in this field, helping conduct fish surveys and maintain coral nurseries. Through his work at PICRC, he has been able to further develop his knowledge and acquire new skills that could be valuable for his future career. “I intend to study marine biology, but am also interested in applications of robotics, computer science, and artificial intelligence in the field and for general conservation opportunities,” he explains.
While in Palau, he also earned his Advanced Scuba Diver certification, which he applied both in his work at PICRC and in exploring the country’s rich marine life during his free time. “I had a great time working at PICRC, and I loved that I could go scuba diving or fishing in such a beautiful place on my days off,” he adds.
Through his contributions, Nick supported PICRC’s mission to advance understanding of coral resilience and apply that knowledge to help reefs locally and globally adapt to climate change. PICRC sincerely thanks him for his dedication and hard work, and wishes him continued success in his future endeavors.
