Nicole Ertle '19 selected Stockton for its strong marine science program. "I was able to take advantage of different research opportunities in which the academics were applied in the field to foster a better understanding of the science.", said Ertle.

It was during a trip off Long Beach Island where they were finding relict fluvial deposits - evidence that a river once ran there that put the pieces of her course and fieldwork together. She explained, "We had covered that geomorphology in a coastal processes course earlier that month. It was pretty special and one of those 'everything is coming together' moments."

While a student at Stockton, she was able to assist the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in bathymetric surveys [Bathymetry is the measurement of the depth of water in oceans, rivers, or lakes. Bathymetric maps look a lot like topographic maps, which use lines to show the shape and elevation of land features. - National Geography.com] on the R/V Petrel, and conducted her own current profiling surveys under faculty. Ertle felt this opportunity helped her prepare for a career in hydrography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ertle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science - Oceanography in 2012. She found her dream job working with fellow Stockton alumni at the Philadelphia District of United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) as a hydrographic survey technician. Her duties include running various surveys - from the beaches to the back bays - and processing that data which includes bathymetric, topographic, turbidity, water current, and other geospatial data.