Bess is a Ph.D. student in geography at Florida State University where her research focuses on the ecological and socioeconomic dynamics of coastal and marine management. Bess integrates geographic approaches with her training in economics, conservation planning, and marine resources management to holistically assess the spatio-temporal dynamics of marine spatial planning. She has conducted surveys for a variety of marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean. With the Advanced Dive Training grant, Bess will pursue her AAUS Scientific Diving certification in order to better assess the ecological outcomes of varying marine spatial planning scenarios.