Eric Guinther is the president of AECOS and has been conducting environmental studies with the company throughout the Pacific for over 20 years. His responsibilities at AECOS include corporate and project management, consulting on water quality and ecological issues, and production of environmental survey reports and assessments. His educational background includes geology and botany in addition to his primary field of invertebrate zoology. He is an accomplished taxonomist specializing in marine polychaetes, but is also competent in other invertebrate groups, marine algae, and terrestrial plants.
Mr. Guinther received a degree in biology from the University of the Pacific in 1965 and undertook graduate studies in zoology at the University of Hawaii. The latter included detailed studies on atolls and non-marine aquatic environments (including anchialine features). He has conducted coastal zone and marine surveys for AECOS clients at many locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and the western and central Pacific. These areas include American Samoa, Kwajalein, Canton, Tarawa, Christmas Island, Fanning Atoll, and Palau. His experience in offshore, deep benthic environments includes surveys associated with proposed sand mining off the north Kona coast of Hawaii, the effects of dredged spoil disposal dumping off Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii, and a technical report on deep ocean and seamount benthic communities in relation to proposed manganese crust mining in the Hawaii extended economic zone.
Mr. Guinther served as project manager, editor and a principal writer of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers sponsored surveys of reef resources around Oahu, Maui and American Samoa. He was the cartographer for coastal zone atlases developed for the Hawaii locations. Other management planning documents include the environmental impacts of mooring systems in Hawaii for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and a feasibility study of organisms available in Hawaii for bioassays conducted for the U. S. Army's Dredged Spoils Disposal Program. During a three-year period when AECOS was affiliated with a Saudi Arabian company conducting environmental studies in the western Arabian Gulf, Mr. Guinther managed personnel and material procurement for the onsite operations.
In addition to these marine-related studies, Mr. Guinther has conducted terrestrial vegetation and aquatic wildlife surveys for streams on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii, has surveyed the native strand vegetation of the Kahuku dunelands and other locations, and has assessed both construction and contaminant impacts on numerous streams and wetlands in Hawaii. Some of these studies have spanned several years and included hydrology, water quality, hazardous waste assessment, and biology of unique hypo- and hypersaline environments. Mr. Guinther is recent past-president of HAEP, the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP).
Jacqueline “Snookie” Mello is vice-president of AECOS and has been with the company in various positions since August 1981. She currently manages the analytical laboratory and oversees a variety of projects including environmental chemistry, ecology, toxicology, and permitting. She also manages the microbiological and biotoxicity monitoring programs for AECOS.
Ms. Mello received an AA degree in Liberal Arts with a Marine Options Program Certificate from Windward Community College in 1975 and a BA degree in Land Use Tenure and Ethnicity from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1985. Her field of study and interest included planning, culture, geography and science. Ms. Mello has completed the 40-hour basic health and safety training required for hazardous waste workers under OSHA 1910.120.
Ms. Mello is skilled in field sampling and laboratory techniques. Her experience includes managing nine bioassay and bioaccumulation studies in harbors and streams around the State of Hawaii for the ACOE/EPA dredged spoil ocean disposal program. She is proficient in the operation of many laboratory and field instruments, and has set up and managed monitoring programs for various ongoing projects throughout the State of Hawaii. Her field experience includes offshore, coastal, and terrestrial sample collection and monitoring.
Ms. Mello has researched and written reports for the Department of Defense Environmental Restoration Program and assists other AECOS personnel in writing environmental assessment and impact studies. She is familiar with requirements for Zone of Mixing, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, Coastal Zone Management, Underground Injection Control, Section 401 Water Quality Certification, and other Federal, State, and County environmental permits and proficient in preparing these permit applications.
Some of Ms. Mello's administrative duties include client contact and price quotes for the laboratory; assisting the office manager with invoicing and data preparation; and supervising and assisting other employees. Additionally, she is active in the community and participates on the board of several community organizations.
Prior to working at AECOS, Ms. Mello was employed as a legislative researcher, community developer, VISTA volunteer and student help for various employers. These positions required working with community and government agencies; researching water rights, land use ownership and environmental issues; drafting maps, community plans, and regulations; and assisting botanists with forestry field work.
Dr. Allen Cattell is trained in oceanography and specializes in water quality and phytoplankton ecology. His primary responsibilities at AECOS include senior review, statistical analysis, and preparation of environmental survey and assessment reports. Dr. Cattell has been extensively involved in the design and implementation of field survey programs, many aimed at the production of environmental impact documents. He has participated as a major contributor in numerous ecological investigations throughout the Pacific area including: Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Christmas Island, Johnston Island, Canton Island, Fanning Island, American Samoa, Kwajalein, Palau, Guam, and Thailand.
Dr. Cattell received his Bachelor of Science in 1963 and Master of Marine Sciences in 1965, both from the University of the Pacific. He was awarded a Ph.D. in oceanography by the University of British Columbia in 1969. He subsequently served as an Assistant Professor in the Graduate Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii and as Assistant Research Associate at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology before joining the staff at AECOS
. While at AECOS his consulting experience has included a wide variety of environmental investigations throughout the Central and Western Pacific area, including: the effects of disposal of thermal and sewage effluents and also dredge spoils into aquatic environments; the effects of various land development and watershed uses on the water quality of rivers, streams and coastal environments; and the suitability of certain specialized environments for aquaculture development of the alga Spirulina, brine shrimp (Artemia salina), and the common mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the agriculture potential for the Barbados cherry (Acerola) in Hawaii. Research investigations have included the seasonal cycle of dinoflagellates in California coastal waters; the effects of vitamins on phytoplankton growth in the coastal waters of British Columbia; the seasonality of primary productivity in sub-tropical oceanic waters; studies of zooplankton growth rates as a function of salinity and diet under controlled laboratory conditions; factors contributing to the development of “red tides” in sub-tropical coastal waters; and ground water simulation studies relative to deep-well injection of liquid wastes from a manganese nodule processing facility.
Dr. Cattell has served as a member of the Technical Committee on Water Quality Standards for the State of Hawaii Department of Health as part of the National 208 Areawide Water Treatment Management Plan program. He is a member of the Watershed Management Council and the Hawaii Association of Environmental Professionals and serves on the Internet International Committee for the National Association of Environmental Professionals.
Hilary has moved to the East Coast (New Jersey)
As an environmental scientist at AECOS, Ms. Maybaum's responsibilities include management of interdisciplinary environmental assessment projects, environmental report preparation, and environmental permit acquisition and compliance. Ms. Maybaum received her B.A. in Biology and Marine Science magna cum laude from Boston University in 1984 and completed her M.S. in Oceanography at the University of Hawaii (UH) in 1989. She has conducted research in these fields for over 14 years. Her specialties include water quality, marine ecology, and marine mammalogy.
Ms. Maybaum has been employed with AECOS since 1995. For five years prior, she worked with Ogden Environmental and Energy Services Company in Honolulu. As Acting Branch Manager of Ogden's Environmental Assessment group, Ms. Maybaum directed biological and marine research programs while supervising a staff of five employees. Ms. Maybaum was also employed as a part-time Research Associate with the UH Department of Oceanography from 1990 through 1994, during which time she managed a long-term benthic ecology study funded by the National Science Foundation.
Ms. Maybaum has conducted extensive field and literature research on marine mammals. In collaboration with the UH Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory, she staffed and trained a team of scientists and volunteers while investigating humpback whales on their North Pacific breeding grounds. From 1986 to 1989, she was the principal investigator of a project assessing the response of whales to sonar. She later served as primary observer during annual aerial censusing surveys and continues to remain involved in scientific research and development in this field.
Ms. Maybaum has authored three study guides in oceanography for Prentice Hall, Inc.'s college textbook division. She has published numerous scientific reports and was an invited speaker at a special session of the Acoustical Society of America's annual meeting in 1994. Her professional affiliations include memberships in the National Association of Environmental Professionals (including the Hawaii chapter), Society for Marine Mammalogy, and The Oceanography Society.
Related project experience includes development of a statewide Geographic Information System (GIS) for managing coastal and marine resources in Hawaii; biological surveys of marine resources throughout the main Hawaiian Islands; a comprehensive study of environmental risks to Hawaii’s ecosystems; preparation of various Department of Defense documents related to Base Realignment and Closure efforts for Naval Air Facility (NAF) Midway Island; assistance in an ecological risk assessment for NAF Midway Island; NPDES permitting and water quality monitoring for various projects statewide; preparation of numerous EAs, EISs, and EIAs for development in Hawaii, California, and Guam; master planning efforts for proposed large-scale geothermal development in Hawaii; preparation of environmental support documents for a submarine telecommunications cable in the Mariana Islands; and permitting/feasibility reports for a proposed landfill development in the Marshall Islands.
Stephen Coles has been a research associate with AECOS since October 1990. His specialties include surveys and analyses of marine communities, management of marine environmental studies, and statistical analysis of environmental data. Dr. Coles received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Hawaii in 1973. He holds an M.S. in zoology from the University of Georgia which he received in 1968 and a B.A. degree in biology from Dartmouth College received in 1966.
Dr. Coles's research has focused on the effects of temperature and other physical stresses on coral reef systems and on relationships between reef corals and their symbionts. He conducted a number of marine environmental baseline and impact assessments in Hawaii between 1973 and 1985, and in the western Arabian Gulf in 1982. In 1982 he was a member of a United Nations working group on the biological effects of thermal discharges in the marine environment which established environmental guidelines for siting power stations on marine coastlines.
From 1979 to 1985, Dr. Coles directed marine environmental assessment studies for the Hawaiian Electric Company in Honolulu. Prior to that he conducted studies at various, well-known marine research facilities, including the Georgia Marine Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Bermuda Biological Station, Enewetak Marine Laboratory and Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
From 1985 to 1990, Dr. Coles was employed by the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Research Institute where he directed an extensive study of oceanographic and marine biological baseline conditions along the Saudi Arabian coastline in the Arabian Gulf. This project was conducted for the Meteorological and Environmental Protection Agency of Saudi Arabia and the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment, under the United Nations Regional Seas Program. He also participated in additional marine environmental studies for the Saudi ARAMCO Oil Company and the Saudi Arabian National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development.
Dr. Coles was an Associate Professor at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman from 1992 through 1995. He taught marine ecology, fisheries sciences, and statistics through the Department of Fisheries Science and Technology while conducting research in marine ecology and environmental management. He was the first to obtain an externally funded research grant ever awarded to that university.
Dr. Coles is author and co-author of more than 50 refereed publications, book chapters and technical reports on subjects related to the marine environment. His professional affiliations include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, International Association for Coral Reef Studies, and National Association of Environmental Professionals. He was a participant and contributor at the Fifth and Sixth International Coral Reef Symposia in 1985 and 1988.
Joann Fisher has been with AECOS in various capacities since 1973. Her specialties include numerous oceanographic and marine biological field and laboratory techniques. Her main responsibilities at AECOS include data reduction and analysis, assisting in report preparation, and field monitoring.
Ms. Fisher received her B.A. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii in 1977. She has taken graduate classes in oceanography and marine botany. In 1991 she graduated, with honors, from Kapiolani Community College with an A.A. in Medical Laboratory Technology. She is ASCP-certified and licensed in the State of Hawaii.
Ms. Fisher has extensive practical experience in algae and invertebrate taxonomy, including specific identification of zooplankton, polychaetes, and other benthic organisms. She is familiar with all common methods of separating and splitting samples, including the use of perchloroethylene to extract organisms from sediment samples. Her laboratory experiences are not restricted to biological work, and include familiarity with instruments and techniques used for measurements of physiochemical, geochemical and water quality parameters.
Ms. Fisher has participated in the collection of organisms, set up, and performance of bioassay, bioaccumulation, and biotoxicity studies. While working at Oceanic Institute she was assistant manager responsible for coordination and field collection of sediments in Nawiliwili and Port Allen harbors on Kauai. In the laboratory she was responsible for overseeing the installation and monitoring of aquaria.
Ms. Fisher's field experiences include participation in over 50 offshore cruises, during which she became familiar with the operation and maintenance of many types of sampling and monitoring equipment. For example, she served as the biologist onboard the University of Hawaii's research vessel, R/V Kana Keoki, for a project investigating manganese crusts along the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.
Certified Medical Laboratory Technician with the State of Hawaii, and the Board of American Society of Clinical Pathologists. In 1995 she was trained by the State Department of Health to perform drinking water microbiology. While interning as an MLT student Ms. Fisher worked at Maui Memorial Hospital, where aside from phlebotomy, and hematology responsibilities, she learned basic techniques in handling and platting microbiological samples. She also interned at the State of Hawaii's Department of Health where she was exposed to different techniques in identifying unusual specimens, i.e. fungi, T.B. and leptospirosis. In 1991, Ms. Fisher was hired as a Medical Laboratory Technician by Diagnostic Laboratory Services at Queen's Hospital, where she worked in the hematology and coagulation departments.
Dean Harada is an analytical chemist who has been a member of the AECOS staff since 1989. Mr. Harada's responsibilities at AECOS include operating and maintaining many of the laboratory instruments, especially the TJA Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer for metals and Technicon AutoAnalyzer II for both inorganic and organic nutrients. He also oversees the maintenance and calibration of the UV/VIS spectrophotometer and fluorometer.
Mr. Harada has a B.S. degree in Horticulture Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and an extensive background in chemistry. He is highly skilled in field sampling and laboratory techniques and proficient in the operation of most field and laboratory instruments. His field experience has included sample collection of water, sediment, soil, and biota from nearshore, coastal, and terrestrial areas. Mr. Harada has also assisted with managing bioassay, bioaccumulation, and biotoxicity testing.
Mr. Harada has over 12 years of experience that includes elemental analysis of soil and plant tissue using atomic absorption, continuous flow analysis, colorimetry, turbidity, flame spectroscopy and micro Kjeldahl. He is also experienced in different methods of sample preparation for various matrices including seawater, freshwater, sea water, soil, plant and animal tissue, and sludges. He is a certified diver and maintains the AECOS aquarium.
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Last modified January 21, 1999 by webmaster (Cattell@aecos.com)