Debra A. Ingrao
- A.A.S. Applied Marine Biology and Oceanography, Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute, South Portland, ME, USA, 1975
- B.S. Marine Science, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL, USA, 1983
Ms. Ingrao joined Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) in November 1987 as a Staff Biologist in the Benthic Ecology Program, as an invertebrate taxonomist, specializing in mollusc. During her career at MML she worked and was involved with several different subjects including: water quality analyses; benthic ecology; environmental health and occupational safety; teaching MML summer camp, Elderhostel and adult education classes on benthic ecology; and live invertebrate exhibits in the Benthic Ecology Showcase Laboratory. She has also been studying an introduced marine mollusc, the Indo-Pacific Green Mussel, Perna viridis.
Prior to joining MML, Ms Ingrao was the vertebrate and invertebrate Museum Curator for Jacksonville University. While attending Jacksonville University, she was also a Research Assistant on artificial reef projects in Jacksonville, Clearwater and Panama City, Florida. Her responsibilities included invertebrate identification, biomass, volume displacement and sediment analysis. She also has experience in commercial marine macroalgae production, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen analysis of marine algae, culture experiments to improve agar content in Gracilaria, chemical analysis of agar from cultured Gracilaria, culturing high quality marine macroalgae as food for larval, juvenile and adult stages of the sea hare, Aplysia, used extensively in biomedical research.