Author: Sam Trail
Date: November 25, 2024
The final installment - it's Part 3! Over the last few months, many of our scientists answered the prompt “I should have known I would be a marine biologist when…” For some, it was quite obvious early on, and for others, it took a bit more time. Read on for our third and final batch of interesting origin stories!
We challenge you to read the stories below and see if you can figure out who is who! At the end of the article, the scientists that took a trip down memory lane are revealed. We hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as we enjoyed writing them!
It was my first time trying to free dive while snorkeling, and I couldn't quite figure out how to clear my snorkel yet, so I constantly felt like I was drowning. I somehow managed to dive down far enough to grab onto the wheel of a sunken boat. As I got close enough to the boat, I realized how many small fish and tiny coral colonies were growing on it (not that I really knew about coral at the time). Despite me not even knowing how to free dive, I tried over and over again to keep looking at all the cool life growing on this sunken boat and had an absolute blast."
⏤ Doggedly Determined Diver
“I should have known I would be a marine biologist when I was about six years old. My parents retell stories of how fearless I was as a kid on our family trips to the Florida Keys. I would jump off the boat to chase after sea turtles, and I would swim after sharks to get a “good photo” of them on a disposable underwater camera (you can imagine that my photos turned out awesome – or at least I thought that when I was a kid). I have always loved the ocean, and I could not imagine a future or career without it.”
⏤ “Fin-tastic” Photographer
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“Growing up, my stepdad had a saltwater fish tank, so I was a fish connoisseur at a young age (if I do say so myself). Between the clownfish, triggerfish, sailfin tang, and the flame hawkish (just to name a few), I was mesmerized by their colors and shapes. When I was little, I was also lucky enough to go snorkeling in the Caribbean, and my mind was blown! You couldn’t get me out of the water (unless something touched me). Fast forward to high school, where I earned the nickname “Scuba G” for spending a month learning to scuba dive in the Caribbean. I was hooked for life.” ⏤ Scuba G |
“I used to kiss fish before releasing them back into the lake. When I was growing up in Minnesota my family liked to fish a lot, and I used to be sad when we would keep the fish to eat. But the ones that were too small and would be released back, I made sure to give them a kiss before sending them back home. <3”
⏤ Kisses for Fishes
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“My path to marine biology was winding, with pitstops as a mountainous middle school teacher and an enumerating entomologist. However, in hindsight, I should have known I would be a marine biologist when my favorite part of visiting my “snowbird” grandparents in Florida was walking down to the beach at sunrise to look for turtle tracks and visiting the nearby Marinelife Center of Juno Beach to see all the healing sea turtle patient. I even wrote my very first research paper about sea turtles (pictured) by interviewing volunteers at the Marinelife Center and citing Suzanne Tate picture books like Tammy Turtle. Although I think (hope!) my research and synthesis skills have improved, my ocean enthusiasm remains steadfast.” ⏤ Tammy Turtle |
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Doggedly Determined Diver Dr. Liberty Boyd I am a postdoctoral researcher through the FAU Jumpstart Fellowship. I am studying loggerhead sea turtle foraging and movement ecology in central and southeast Florida. I am also working on a project to measure harmful algal bloom toxin levels in wild loggerhead turtles in the Indian River Lagoon. |
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“Fin-tastic” Photographer Genevieve Sylvester I am pursuing a master’s degree in the Marine Science and Oceanography Program at FAU, where I am also a member of the FAU Elasmobranch Lab. My thesis will employ animal-borne data logger cameras to quantify the swimming kinematics and behavior of various shark species in the wild. |
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Scuba G
I am a Ph.D. candidate focused on identifying sex-specific markers in blood samples of sea turtles. I am interested in using this information to investigate population-level hatchling sex ratios in sea turtle species. |
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Kisses for Fishes Jada Brown I am a master’s student in biological sciences interested in studying marine ecological relationships! Specifically, I am working with Dr. Marguerite Koch to better understand the relationship between seagrass and clams in marine sediments. |
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Tammy Turtle Sam Trail I am a Ph.D. candidate studying how sea turtle swimming changes over time and differs between species. With a better understanding of the unique powerstroke, I hope to unravel the mysterious movement patterns of young turtles, deemed the ‘Lost Years.’ |
