My career in coral reef science began in the late 1970s when I took classes and worked as a research technician at the West Indies Laboratory in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Those were the halcyon days of studying reefs before the start of dramatic coral declines. But when I pursued my doctorate, I turned to cold water to study seaweed in Massachusetts and Greenland. After graduate school, I returned to the West Indies Laboratory to work as the science director for the Aquarius underwater laboratory, which was part of NOAA’s National Undersea Research Program.
I eventually became center director for NOAA’s National Undersea Research Center, located at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, but was fortunate to live and work in the Florida Keys, where Aquarius relocated after Hurricane Hugo. After 20 years, I decided to focus on my personal research programs in the Keys, so I moved to Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, Florida. For over 20 years, with expert colleagues, we designed new protocols for monitoring coral reefs in the Florida Keys. With my team, we measured benthic cover, coral demographics including juvenile colonies, octocoral abundance, species richness of corals, sponges, and octocorals, as well as urchin abundance. NOAA’s National Coral Reef Monitoring Program adopted our methods and continues to monitor reefs in Florida. Additional research programs included studies to document nutrient dynamics in the Florida Keys, including nearshore pollution and offshore upwelling caused by internal waves.
Throughout my career, I helped create and produce novel and entertaining science communication products. I was a founding member of the Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Campaign, which produced short films and public service announcements. I was the executive producer of the documentary film, Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and aired on Showtime TV for two years. I also launched the Death to Lionfish media campaign, which includes a Facebook Group (7000 strong) and a public service film that received widespread distribution, including local movie theaters in the Florida Keys.
I am a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I was the recording secretary for the International Coral Reef Society. I served as a board member of the Coral Restoration Foundation (where I chaired the Science Advisory Committee) and the Ocean Conservancy.