Dawn Goley

Dawn Goley is a Professor of Zoology and Marine Biology at Cal Poly Humboldt since 1996. She directs the Marine Mammal Education and Research Program (MMERP) and serves as the Stranding Authority for NOAA's Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz (Behavioral Ecology of Pacific White-sided Dolphins)
• M.S., University of Victoria (Behavioral Ecology of Shore/Songbirds)
• B.S., University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Marine Mammal Strandings, Carolina Marsh Clam)

Research Focus spans marine mammal ecology, behavior, and conservation. Her MMERP program has studied PCFG gray whales since 1997, Steller Sea Lions since 2010, and northern elephant seals since 2015. She integrates VHF/satellite telemetry and population dynamics with community science through systematic coastline surveys (200+ miles) involving >400 undergraduates.

Academic Contributions include co-developing Place-Based Learning Communities (Among Giants, Rising Tides) and designing Science 100 course. Her 15 most recent publications (2002–2019) cover gray whale migration patterns, non-invasive health diagnostics, stranding monitoring frameworks, and marine protected area effectiveness.

Student Training is central to her work, having mentored current graduate students (Ashley Jacob, Allison Lui, Robyn Norman) and former students like Ryan Jenkinson (National Geographic), Allison Fuller (USFWS), and Misty Niemeyer (IFAW Marine Mammal Rescue). Over 400 undergraduates have participated in hands-on marine mammal research through MMERP since 1996.

Collaborations include the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, UCSC Costa Lab, ODFW, and Cascadia Research Collective. She also supervises HSU MMSP operations, including the 2015 elephant seal colony study and stranding response teams.