Mitch got his start in marine biology research by examining Sea Star Wasting Syndrome as an undergraduate researcher with Team Aquatic Virus at Cornell University. Mitch obtained his B.S. in Environmental Science and Sustainability with minors in Marine Biology and Climate change from Cornell University in 2016. He spent a year continuing his work with SSWS as a laboratory technician, leading to two publications pertaining to the biogeography of the Sea Star Associated Densovirus (SSaDV) along the Pacific Coast, and the tissue tropism of a related virus, Asterias forbesi associated densovirus (AfaDV) on the Atlantic coast. After leaving Cornell, Mitch took a job as a fisheries observer for NOAA. For three years he worked on fishing vessels in the Bering Sea collecting biological data vital to maintaining the sustainable nature of the fishery. Mitch has a passion for marine invertebrates and aims to pursue further knowledge into how these organisms will be affected in the face of climate change. Currently, Mitch hopes to understand how changing ocean acidity will affect California Spiny Lobster’s (Panulirus interruptus) ability to detect and react to chemical stimuli allowing them to locate food and mates.