Category: SeaSquad

After graduating with a degree in political science and working for two and a half years in nonprofits, Emory Wellman was unsure whether a career shift to the natural sciences would pay off, but she knew she would regret it if she didn’t try. These days, Emory is a full-time graduate student studying ecology, and enjoys […]

Joe Marchionno vividly recalls the sense of wonder he felt as he got an up-close look at a bird for the first time while a colleague at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) attached a small band to the bird’s leg to track its movements. “One of the rewards of doing conservation work […]

Researcher and educator Nina Stark has crisscrossed the world to help coastal communities build more resilient infrastructure in the face of rising coastal hazards and climate change-related threats. Her expertise in marine geotechnics, the mechanics of seabed sediments, has taken her from the frigid and windy conditions of the Arctic to the sunny Florida coasts. […]

Todd Van Natta loves going to work, wherever that happens to be on any given day. As director of field research for the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), Todd oversees field work for multiple complex projects in different locations throughout Florida and the Southeast region.   “I’m the luckiest person in the world, I really […]

Congratulations to Britney Hay, winner of a 2023 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award, a prestigious and highly competitive fellowship that helps support outstanding graduate research across the country. With this support, Hay, who’s a doctoral candidate in Environmental Engineering Sciences, will advance her research on mangrove ecology and coastal restoration, and hopes to […]

Shannon Myers was first drawn to the ocean as a child, a fascination that has continued throughout his formal education and immersion in marine ecology work.   “I feel called to explore and deepen our understanding of the ocean, especially the dynamics and drivers of global environmental change, toward a more sustainable future,” said Myers. […]

Undergraduate student Donovan Mitchell can trace the genesis of his goal to earn a doctorate degree in marine sciences to his visits as a child to the Georgia Aquarium.   “I saw what the ocean was really about, and their message about education, and I always admired that.”   As a fourth-year marine science student at the […]

Ray Carthy is fascinated by edges.  “Edges are important. Beaches are the edge of the land and edge of the sea, and important things happen at beaches. It’s where a lot of change happens, a lot of transitions,” said Carthy, who is assistant unit leader for the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, a […]

Two words capture UF student Yvanna Serra: adaptable and open-minded. From the wetlands of Panama to the Peace River in southwest Florida, Yvanna’s journey in studying water links to her goal of finding a balance between human development and conservation.   Serra is a first-year master’s student in environmental engineering sciences and is currently researching the […]

Small but mighty, oyster gardens enhance oyster recruitment, the process of incorporating new oysters into a population to maintain population sizes; improve water quality and have a valuable role to play in environmental education. Adrian Sakr, a graduate student in the Altieri and Angelini labs, is experimenting with five materials to determine which oyster garden […]