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In late 2004, I made a major career change when I moved from Rhode Island’s Atlantic coast, where I was a marine research ecologist, to the shores of Lake Michigan, where I now work in the field of Great Lakes outreach. I work for an agency called Sea Grant, which uses research, education, and outreach to help people use coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes resources in ways that are sustainable for the environment and the economy. As an Ecosystem Specialist for the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant program, I primarily work with the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office in Chicago, developing outreach products related to EPA research programs in the Great Lakes on issues that include ecosystem monitoring, wetland habitat protection, contaminated sediment removal, and pollution prevention. Although I admit that I miss being able to scuba dive for work, my new position is also exiting because I am helping to protect and restore the Great Lakes- the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem! Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has an important mission: transferring scientific research results to into understandable products that can be used by policy makers, fisheries and wildlife managers, and citizens to protect the Great Lakes. I have also been able to participate in monitoring cruises in Lake Superior and Lake Michigan aboard EPA’s R/V Lake Guardian, the largest research vessel in the Great Lakes. I received my Ph.D. in marine science from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), College of William and Mary. I also have a M.S. in marine science from VIMS and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame. My most thrilling research experience was in November 2002, when I became an Aquanaut. I lived underwater for ten days in Aquarius, the world's only underwater research laboratory. Aquarius is located three miles off the coast of Key Largo in 60 feet of water, and is operated by NOAA and the National Undersea Research Center. I was a member of a SCUBA dive team from VIMS studying the effects of global warming on coral reef metabolism. I have also had the great opportunity to participate on exciting research cruises in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, the Barents Sea, and the Great Lakes.
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