By Sydney MaHan, Student Correspondent
For Alex Squadrito, becoming a research specialist at the Virginia Tech Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (VTAREC) in Hampton was a no-brainer.
“I get to work with Dr. Michael Schwarz,” says Squadrito, noting that Schwarz was the president of the World Aquaculture Society when he was hired. “So with an opportunity like that, I would have hated myself for not applying.”
Squadrito first joined VTAREC as a research assistant in December 2013. In his newest position as a research specialist, which he began in October, Squadrito helps conduct aquaculture research for institutions and facilities that do not have the resources to conduct independent trials on their own. Squadrito is currently assisting Hampton University and Governor School students with their aquaculture research projects.
“By obtaining this position, I have fulfilled my lifelong dream of being able to work with fish as my profession,” says Squadrito. “Working with the high caliber of people here is really helping to build my knowledge in the work environment as I slowly progress up the ladder and my aquaculture knowledge in general. The variety of trials that we run and the institutions we have dealings with really help expand all the different aspects of the things I could learn.”
Squadrito received a BA in marine biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2010 and went on to receive an MS in aquaculture from Kentucky State University in 2013.
Virginia Sea Grant is a proud partner of VTAREC.
