After a few years of traveling and working by the ocean, I wanted to learn more about how to study and protect coastal ecosystems. I went back to school to get a Master’s degree in marine biodiversity and conservation. Since graduating, I’ve been coordinating community science programs. Community science, also known as citizen science, engages students and volunteers in real scientific research. I believe that educating people and empowering them to participate in research is a really important step towards conserving the environment. It’s like my hero, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, said, “People protect what they love, they love what they understand and they understand what they are taught.”
Now I am continuing my Spanish language learning, my travels and my research in Argentina. I’m studying animals and algae that live on rocks along the coast in an area called the rocky intertidal ecosystem. These animals spend half of their day above water, when the tide is low, and the other half of their day under water, when the tide is high. They have to be really good at adapting to change, just like a traveller. I’ve already been here for three months, and it has been quite an adventure so far! I’ve been living in a city called Mar del Plata, and soon I will be moving south to a new city called Puerto Madryn to continue my research. The things I miss most about home are my friends and family, Mexican food and my cat, Klaus. The things I like most about Argentina so far are the friendly people, long-distance buses and the cultural centers, which I’ll tell you more about these in another post!
I’m excited to share this journey with your class!
