There are many fish in the sea, but it takes only one instrumental mentor to influence and steer someone’s career path. That’s the case with Regina Guazzo, Ph.D., and Tyler Helble, Ph.D. Dr. Guazzo is a Phase 2 SMART scholar, currently fulfilling her service commitment at the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC Pacific). Dr. Guazzo is being mentored by Dr. Helble, a previous SMART scholar himself, and expert in marine mammal detection and ocean acoustics. The pair have been working together since 2015 when Dr. Guazzo was awarded the scholarship. Together they have collaborated on several high-impact projects that study whale behavior and its impact to the Navy. Dr. Helble and Dr. Guazzo received the 2021 SMART Scholars and Mentors of the Year award for a scholar pursuing their Department of Defense (DoD) employment commitment (Phase 2).

Dr. Guazzo first utilized an acoustic detector developed by Dr. Helble while she was pursuing her Ph.D. at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She later added functionality to the detector and used it to detail the gray whale migratory calls and swimming behavior – a first of its kind. Dr. Helble continued to mentor Dr. Guazzo during her academic pursuit and summer internships. This empowered Dr. Guazzo to publish two papers on the gray whale migration. Through this research Dr. Guazzo and her collaborators demonstrated the increase in gray whale migration to the shore, putting the animals at risk for ship-strikes, entanglements and pollution. This research assisted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s whale population assessment, which is a requirement for protected species. Additionally, the effort helped the Navy assess and quantify their impact on the protected species to ensure compliance with regulations.

Since completing her Ph.D. in 2018, Dr. Guazzo has been an integral part of NIWC’s Whale Acoustic Reconnaissance Project lab. Dr. Guazzo and Dr. Helble served as principal investigators to investigate how whale behavior changes with environmental variations. This research helped inform how Navy training and testing events impact native whale populations. Previous research reported that baleen whales fully compensated for increases in background noise levels. However, Dr. Guazzo and Dr. Helble surprised the marine mammal community by finding that humpback and minke whales did not fully compensate for increased background noise. These insights provided the Navy with critical information regarding the environmental impact of its training and testing.

In order to fully evaluate the environmental impacts of Navy training and testing, researchers must be able to estimate the number of whales in the area. To accurately do this, Dr. Guazzo and Dr. Helble spearheaded a project with the Pacific Fleet. Here they determined the calling rates of baleen whales to estimate whale population through acoustic monitoring.

Additional research demonstrated more complex whale song and swimming than previously reported. The team observed correlations between singing fin whales and higher vocalization rates. Patterns were also observed about swimming behavior and the time of day.

Both Dr. Guazzo and Dr. Helble have a passion for inspiring future STEM leaders. Dr. Helble mentors graduate students through SMART, the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship program, and others who have been referred to him through the marine mammal bioacoustics community. Dr. Guazzo is a leader in NIWC’s outreach program and regularly works with K-12 and undergraduate students.

Together the pair is inspiring the next fleet of STEM professionals and received the 2021 SMART Scholar and Mentor of the Year Award during a scholar’s service commitment phase. For more information on the SMART Scholars and Mentors of the Year Award, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/news/411142/smart-scholarship-service-program-announces-scholar-and-mentor-year-awards.