Welcome To Tartan Toes!

Telephone/Facsimile
1.281.812.3176

Postal Address
P.O. Box 265, Humble, TX 77347 USA

Electronic Mail
General Information and Sales: shoes@tartantoes.com

Mailing List
E-mail your postal address to shoes@tartantoes.com to receive any future mailings

About the Owner

Dunstaffnage Bay, Oban, Argyll, Scotland	Tartan Toes' founder, Jennifer M. Smith, has a varied background in Celtic dance. She first joined the Houston branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society while in college, and soon after started taking Scottish Highland lessons from Ms. Catherine Caldwell in Clear Lake, Texas. Irish stepdance lessons were next to follow at the O'Maoileidigh School in Houston, Texas, and later briefly with Ms. Karen Devaraux in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Dunstaffnage Bay, Oban, Argyll, Scotland
	Jennifer earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Saint Thomas, Houston, Texas with a primary discipline in biology and a secondary discipline in theology. She has also earned a master of science in marine and fisheries science from the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, Scotland. Her thesis title was: The effects of artificial structures on marine sediments: granulometry, oxygen penetration, erosion and deposition. For this research, artificial reef modules were deployed in Dunstaffnage Bay, Argyll, Scotland to assess their physical effect on the surrounding marine sediments.
Dunotter Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland	Jennifer is currently working on a doctoral degree in zoology from the University of Aberdeen. Previous research focused on examining the effects of exploration and production platforms as artificial reefs. Her current thesis title is: Growth investment in Loligo forbesi (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) and the socio-economic contribution of directed artisanal fisheries in Scottish and Mediterranean waters. On-going research includes the determination of growth equations for the maturation of the squid L. forbesi to identify patterns of investment in reproductive and somatic growth, as well as the evaluation of landings and socio-economics of directed artisanal squid fisheries in the Moray Firth, Scotland and Greece. Recent awards include the IMarEST Stanley Gray Fellowship. To read a recently published paper from Jennifer's research, click here! All profits from the sale of shoes and accessories through Tartan Toes go directly for support, tuition fees and project expenses for Jennifer's research. By purchasing your dancewear from Tartan Toes, you are helping to promote research in marine science which will increase the collective body of knowledge of cephalopod stocks, one of the world's last unexploited fisheries!


Monastery of Osios Loukas, west of Thebes, Greece	Volunteer work has included collecting for the OCMC Agape Canister Program, participation in a public service announcement for the Hepatitis B Foundation, speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C. for National Immunization Awareness Month, serving the Aberdeen University Alumnus Association, the Houston Zoo, Memorial Hospital and the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Other interests include both contemporary and traditional Celtic, ethnic and Byzantine music, archaeology, biblical history and theology, interior design, traveling, photography, visiting monastic communities, watching old Seinfield episodes and her cat "Poopy." She is also an active member of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Houston, Texas and is currently a Committee Member of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) Houston and Gulf Coast Branch.

Cathedral of the Sacre Coeur, Paris, France	Jennifer is a member of the following groups/organizations: Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) Working Group on Cephalopods (WGCEPH) The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) Young Members Network (YMN) British Ecological Society (BES) Moray Firth Partnership East Grampian Coastal Partnership University of Saint Thomas Alumni Association University of Aberdeen Alumnus Association Clan MacDuff Society of America Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (TMMSN)