Jenna Westfall (UR)- Shark Bait?

Ever since I was about 6 years old I've always loved surfing. My dad taught me when I was young and I grew up just enjoying being in the water and getting the thrill of dropping in on a wave. As a little kid you're always afraid of something. Well when I was 8 years old, I was out in the water one day and I saw a shark swim right underneath me. Let me tell you, that scared the living crap out of me but my dad told me they aren't going to hurt me unless I hurt them and I eventually began to like them and not be afraid. I'm and animal and ocean lover. I'm 18 years old and I have been stung by three jellyfish, one manowar, and pinched by a gazillion crabs but even that doesn't scare me. I love the ocean just as much.

One of my many jellyfish stings.

A stingray that washed up ashore.

I chose this field because the ocean means everything to me and I want to do everything I can to save it and all of the marine life it holds. I care about the health of marine organisms, the quality of their habitat and what might be affecting them. I think the thought of taking a sick or injured marine organism and making it healthy and stable again really helps motivate me. The ocean is beautiful and we should do everything we can to keep it that way. I love doing beach cleanups. Its sad seeing just how much garbage washes up on the shore, it just makes me wonder what else is out there.

My parents and I during a beach clean-up in New Smyrna Beach, FL.

Karen (UR) - I see dead people

I have always been fascinated with archeology.  Digging up (excavating) things that could be thousands of years old, WOW !  It's only been recently that I have become interested in anthropology as well.  A few years ago I was fortunate enough to spend a year and a half living in the high desert of northern New Mexico.  I was living on the Navajo Indian Reservation and the artifacts and history captivated me. So, of course, that's how I came to love Paleo-anthropology, the best of both worlds. 


I also love anything with fur, feathers and scales.  For my entire life I have had pets of all kinds. Armadillos to Zebras ! Horses are my true love though, well and dogs !!  I also am crazy about plants of any kind, especially trees.  I thought I would combine my love of animals and plants for my research project.


So, here goes.....
In many areas of the world, small holding farmers have a difficult time feeding their livestock and growing crops.  There are many reasons for this but one of the main reasons is water.  Clean water.  I'm not talking about drinking water, that is a whole other conversation.  Because of this difficulty, especially in under-developed countries, I will be researching the use of Lemnaceae lemna minor or the common Duckweed as a water purifier.  This plant can be used to clean water that has been contaminated with nitrates and phosphates (from animal manure and/or fertilizers).  The plant can then be dried and used for animal feed (fodder) or as an organic fertilizer because once dried, it no longer retains the nitrates and phosphates.  A dual purpose aquatic "weed". 

New Mexico

Shiprock, New Mexico
Navajo Sacred Mountain



Katie U.R : Sharks are Friends, Not Food !

If you asked anyone I'm pretty sure I first fell in love with seeing the commercials of the trainers performing with Orcas. I thought it was the coolest thing being able to spend your time working while swimming with animals that weighed a small truck (Don't get me wrong, after growing up and seeing the truth for the animals that are kept in captivity, I am against all of that!). Living by the beach also played a huge roll in why I wanted to Marine Biology. I chose this field because the ocean is still undiscovered. There is still so many things that need to be explored and I honestly hope to be apart of that group of people who get to. 

The ocean and the life that inhabit's it is what motivates me. The wrecks that have happened through out the ocean that have not been discovered is something I would really like to take part in finding. The ocean inspires me to become a better person for the world. It makes me want to help make people see that we cant keep throwing trash into it and that its not okay to not clean up the debris that is all around it. 

I care about everything in the ocean. I believe there are other things that are more important than other things, but I do care about them all. Sharks are a huge thing for me. I believe there is a lot going on with them that we are not made aware about. When I first got certified for diving, my first dive I went on I got the chance of seeing a couple Blacktips. It was a beautiful thing. Knowing that some sharks aren't so lucky to keep their fins was something that made me upset. Learning more about that is what got me into the whole Sharkwater stuff. Rob Stewart showed everybody what is happening in other countries to the sharks that swim in those waters. People are cutting off their fins and using them for food and other things. Some are even using the whole meat of the shark for things. 

Blacktip in BVI's 2015

Since I cant really stop people from Shark finning in a semester I think I want to maybe do my independent research project on the kinds of bacteria found in sharks mouths that cause bacterial infections in shark bite victims.  I might start out by going out on my grandfathers boat and catching and releasing the sharks that I am able to catch and do a lot of swabbing's on their mouths, and get as many as I can so I can do a range of sharks not just a couple. I also need to find shark bite victims that are opened to telling their stories on what bacterial infections they got. Just some ideas for now though! 

Jenna Westfall, UR- All About Me

         Hey everyone, my name is Jenna Westfall. I have lived in Florida for my entire life, my dad grew up surfing and fishing and as a kid he sort of passed it on to me. Growing up at the beach every weekend, feeling the calmness of the ocean and seeing all of the amazing marine life made me want to become a marine biologist. It has always been my dream ever since I was a little kid. Two summers ago, I volunteered at the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet and I got to teach kids and adults all about starfish and dogfish sharks. I think that basically sealed the deal for me. I am currently working on my A.A. degree and after I receive that, I will be transferring to Florida Gulf Coast University to get my bachelors.

The sunrise from my families condo in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Me carrying my surfboard up to the room after unpacking the truck for the week.

Awesome action shot that I took at the jetty in Ponce Inlet.

Niki UR Hi!

Hello! My name is Niki. I'm 25 and a Marine Science major, expecting to graduate next fall. I'm not sure which university i'll transfer to, or what degree I will pursue when I get there. I'm hoping the variety of classes in this program will help me choose my career path, although I would love to tie together my fascination with the ocean and sharks, and my love of travel and photography into a pretty awesome job.
I'm a born and raised Central Floridan, I've lived in the Daytona area for about ten years. I spent a lot of my childhood on the beach, and now I live two blocks from it. You really can't beat those sunrises.

One of my favorite sunrises from across the street from my house

I like camping, arts and crafts, yoga and science fiction. I have three cats and none of them are aware i'm not their real mom. One of my goals this year is to open up my own etsy shop. My mom is a seamstress and is teaching me all the sewing basics so I can make all kinds of stuff!

My three cats, Toulouse, Bagheera and Khajiit

Hannah Vu-Bennett (UR): Introduction

Hello! My name is Hannah and I am a dual enrolled student. I am happy to say I will be graduating from high school with my AA degree in June. I hope to transfer to either UNF or UH and work towards my marine biology degree. Eventually I hope to transfer into UF's Veterinary school and hope to specialize in aquatic veterinary.  My passion for the ocean, earth, and wildlife has inspired me to work in a field dedicated to conservation, restoration, and the study of marine life. Besides my love for the ocean, I also love to travel and hope to venture to more destination later in life. I love being outdoors and taking on new adventure. I can't wait to begin this class!

This photo was taken along the coast of Vietnam. The baskets shown here are used by the locals for fishing.  Fishing is an important staple in Vietnams economy, however, overfishing is common and very detrimental to the oceans ecosystem.

This was taken locally in NSB.

Augustus Sueck UR - Life.. uh.. finds a way

Hey everyone, my name is Augustus Sueck and I’m am really looking forward to this lab. My major is environmental science/ engineering, still teetering back and forth on the decision there. I guess if I’m going to introduce myself I’ll have to start at the beginning, I was born in Maryland and from an early age science and math were my two favorite subjects. Some of my earliest memories were getting up on Saturday and turning on the TV to watch some of the best programming to ever be on Television, shows like Bill Nye the Science Guy, Jeff Corwin Experience and of course the Crocodile Hunter fascinated me. From the first moment I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life, not necessarily have a TV show but to inspire a younger generation to get into math and science and just start to question the world around them and beyond. 

That’s where my passion came from and after messing around in college for a while I’ve finally remembered what I love and to make a career out of it. 

Beech Mountain in Banner Elk, North Carolina

 And as with any proper blog post I will leave you with a shameless post of my dog, Atticus.

Atticus relaxing at the beach

Ray, UR--Back to the Field!

Hello! My name is Rachel, but I do prefer to be called Ray. I have recently left my beloved job in the Florida State Park Service to finish my Bachelors degree in Coastal Environmental Science. I have only worked in Florida for two years, and you could say am just getting my feet wet when it comes to coastal ecology. I am originally from the Appalachian rage of Virginia, so Oceanography is a very new and exciting topic for me. I feel like I have so much to learn in such little time.


 Being a park ranger gave me a chance to work out in the field, which motivated me to finish my degree and hopefully return as a Natural Resource Manager.

Jordan Vagovic UR - Introduction

Hello all, my name is Jordan, I am studying to get my A.A. in marine bio, and transfer to UCSB hopefully within the next year for my bachelors, then masters. I grew up and live on the beach, so I am in the ocean almost everyday, I cant really imagine life without the ocean. I have a 90 gallon mixed reef tank that is basically a giant money pit, and something is always going wrong with it.

My midnight black clowns and tomini tang

I absolutely love coral and reef life, I would love to work with that, however since I am moving to California, I will probably just settle for otters. One day in the future I would like to start up my own marine aquaculture for fish or inverts. I surf, paddle board and skate. If the waves are good, I am not in class. 

Welsophyllia, my brain coral. My show piece 

Cynthia UR Nature Bound

The great blue heron

Hi, my name is Cynthia. Come join me while I pursue the realities and mysteries that surround us, that make up the creation we call planet earth. Uncover marvels of the physical world, learning to be part of, and beginning to know and understand. Since I was young I wondered at the beautiful formations, plants, and creatures that surrounded me; I learned their names and found out how and where they lived. They are part of me, and I now choose a place with them. 

Michelle (UR) - Introducing me

A combination of two of my loves: Halloween and tigers

Hello all. I'm Michelle. This is my final semester at DSC; I'll be graduating with a general A.A. and an A.S. in Environmental Science Technology. There isn't much to know about me, other than my hair color has a tendency to change often. I love gardening, and am a big believer in limiting waste and composting as much as possible. I love animals and have a fascination with tigers, dinosaurs, and sharks.

Current color. :)

Two of my three dogs; Sirius and Presley

I'm a dog person. Sirius is the big one, named after the character in Harry Potter. I hope everyone gets why Presley is the hound dog. If not, google it. :)
I look forward to a great semester!

Karen UR >> Introduction

Hi everyone,


I'm Karen and I am in the Environmental Science Technology program.  I received my A.A. from Daytona State in 2015 and came back for the EST A.S. program. 
I am a work study student at the South Campus (New Smyrna Beach) in the science department. 
When I complete this program I am moving to Colorado to attend Colorado State University to earn my Bachelor's then Master's in Paleo-anthropology.  Paleo-anthropology is a combination of Archeology and Anthropology, excavating and then studying human (sometimes) remains.

                
                                               I love the mountains and the high desert. 
 

Katie, UR--Can't wait to "Sea" you Guys in Class!

Hello my name is Katelyn but I usually go by Katie. My major is Marine Biology and I hope to teach it at a college level at some point in my life. The ocean is a whole other world to me. I spent the Summer after my senior year on a catamaran for 1 month exploring the BVI's and diving over 40 dive spots while also getting to see the effects of the coral bleaching that is happening there. Seeing oil spills, trash on the beach and trash in the ocean destroys my heart because of all the animals it is affecting. My passion right now is the fight against Shark Finning. I believe in everything Rob Stewart was doing for trying to put a stop to this horrific thing. If you haven't heard of Rob Stewart this is his website. I highly suggest watching Sharkwater if you haven't heard of or seen shark finning.


This is a picture of me in Belize snorkeling. I love diving and snorkeling. Any chance I have to be able to be under water I take it. I was actually here for a trip but we did a beach and water trash pick up with some of the local lifeguards. This also right after I just saw Christmas Tree Coral which just so happens to be my favorite coral!

Snorkeling in Belize.

Allie, UR--My Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Allie and my major is Environmental Science. I'm excited to start the semester and this class in particular. I am very passionate about nature and the environment. I believe it should be preserved and protected by humans instead of exploited. My favorite thing to do would have to be adventuring. I love taking trips to travel the world and explore new places. 

This is a picture of a view from mountain Cheaha in Alabama. During hurricane Irma my friends and I spontaneously picked the highest peak in Alabama. We decided to spend a few nights hiking the mountain and hanging out by waterfalls. 

View from Cheaha, Alabama.