6 January 2016

The National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation Mr. Frank Wojcik
4419 W.Tradewinds Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308

Dear Frank,

I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to be present when you made your gift to FAU's Marine Lab. It was a wonderful opportunity to see first hand the wonderful work being done at the lab and how integral your support has been.

I think that, as you read the enclosed letters from this year's fall scholarship recipients, you will be impressed at the high caliber of these students and very proud of thier work.

We are so grateful for your continued support and the vote of confidence that you give us along with each donation.

With gratitude, Janet Blanks
Interim Director

Dear Mr. Wojcik and the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation,

My name is Jake Lasala, I am a PhD student at Florida Atlantic University and I am one of the recipients of the 2015 National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarships from FAU. I would like to thank you for you generosity.

The purpose of my project is to fill a hole that exists in our knowledge of sea turtle behavior and population structure. Often we as researchers focus our efforts on nesting females and hatchlings as they leave the beach, but we rarely are interested in how the males are contributing to the population. My research aims to answer how males are contributing to nesting beaches and how many are related to one another. By examining paternity (specifically multiple paternity), I can access these answers and hopefully learn how males interact with the population as a whole. In order to better conserve these species we must discover how the whole population works.

By the end of the 2015 nesting season I had noninvasively sampled from over 135 nesting females and over 2700 hatchlings, encompassing three species(Loggerhead, Leatherback and Green) and three nesting beaches (Jupiter, Boca Raton and Sanibel, FL). Each sample needs to be genotyped and compared to determine paternity. The scholarship will be used to genotype many of these samples and hopefully we will have some answers to present at the International Symposium for Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation in Lima, Peru this coming March. This scholarship has made it possible for me to continue on with my research and my education so that I can better my future and achieve my goals. Thank you again, one day I hope to give back to future students just as you have graciously given to me.

Sincerely, Jake Lasala

Dear Mr. Wojcik

I would like to personally thank you for the National Save the Sea Turtle Scholarship and to express my sincerest gratitude for your generosity. This scholarship has allowed me to comfortably continue my graduate education with FAU and allowed me to focus on my future in sea turtle research.

I entered the doctoral program in Integrative Biology at FAU in Fall 2014, though I received my undergraduate degree here as well. As an undergraduate, I was introduced to the fascinating world of sea turtle biology and was very fortunate to begin a project on sex determination in sea turtles. My project examined the role of moisture in sex differentiation, which is a topic that I have continued to explore during my graduate career. My current research examines the impacts of moisture on sex determination as well as possible other environmental factors that may influence sex determination. As an undergraduate and graduate student, I also have enjoyed the opportunity to share our lab's research with the public throught outreach and education.

Thank you again for your support and generosity. This scholarship will play an instrumental role in my blossoming graduate career.

Sincerely,
Alexandra Lolavar