Two Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology graduate students are leading projects developing innovative solutions for conserving seagrass species in Florida, with support from Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters and Assistant Professor of Biology and Genomics and Bioinformatics faculty cluster member Robert Fitak. Their projects are among eight selected for funding through the Seagrass Restoration Technology Development Initiative.

The initiative was created in 2023 by the Florida Legislature and governor through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium leading the effort. It aims to support restoration technologies and approaches that address seagrass loss and its widespread ecological and economic impacts on communities across Florida.

“Seagrasses around the globe, including in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, have been decimated in recent decades,â€� says Walters, who is also director of ±«°ä¹ó’s Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab (CEELAB). “The effects rippled through the ecosystem and are tragically evidenced by the large number of manatees that died of starvation when no seagrass was present.â€�

In partnership with Brevard Zoo, Florida Institute of Technology, ±«°ä¹ó’s Aquatic Biogeochemistry lab led by biology professor Lisa Chambers and under Walters’ guidance, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology student Luciana Banquero ’22 is examining how sediment quality, nutrient levels, and interspecies competition influence the success of shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) restoration.

“With colleagues at the Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Lausanne, this project is sequencing genomic DNA of seagrass-associated microbes, comparing how these communities differ between nursery-grown shoal grass and the natural population in the Indian River Lagoon,� Banquero says.

Banquero, who is in her second year on the project, says seagrass meadows provide essential habitat and food for countless marine species and are critical not just in Florida but wherever seagrass is found.

“By combining field trials and laboratory experiments, I aim to identify the conditions that promote seagrass establishment and long-term survival, improve restoration outcomes,  and better understand how planted seagrass interacts with other macroalgal communities,� Banquero says. “Additionally, my collaborators are contributing samples to Mote Marine Laboratory’s seagrass genetic library, which will be used to study seagrass resilience and diversity at the molecular level.�

Her research, inspired by recent algal bloom events in Florida, analyzes the sediment quality at shoal grass planting sites in Brevard County’s Indian River Lagoon and Banana River.

“Algal bloom events can trigger changes in these macroalgal communities, causing native seaweed (Caulerpa prolifera) to dominate the sediment floor and prevent seagrass growth,� Banquero says. “By studying sediment quality and the conditions in which seagrass is planted, we can better understand the complexity of coastal ecosystems and support successful plantings and conservation of these species.�

According to Banquero, researchers have long suspected a competitive dynamic between Caulerpa algae and shoal grass, suggesting that shoal grass tends to perform poorly when the alga is growing nearby. However, no large-scale empirical studies across multiple sites or controlled laboratory trials have been conducted to challenge those long-held assumptions that have guided conservation efforts. Her research aims to fill that gap.

Walters, who has studied the seaweed genus Caulerpa on and off for more than 20 years, notes that members of this genus can be highly invasive and produce noxious secondary chemicals.

“Interactions occur at many levels — from chemicals released by roots to damage from herbivorous fish or boats — and we need to consider all of these factors to get the full story,� Walters says. “This project will study those interactions and clarify whether Caulerpa is harmful and should be removed or avoided when planting seagrass for restoration.�

In collaboration with Fitak, Mote, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), St. John’s River Water Management District and Bethune-Cookman College, the team will identify heat resilience mechanisms at the molecular level and develop practical guidance for restoration in heat-prone environments.

“Our goal is to understand how rising seawater temperatures cause these plants to decline and identify adaptation mechanisms that can help make them more resilient,� Perscky says.

Her work tests whether exposing seagrass to heat stress in a controlled environment can help plants adapt and pass resilience on to future generations.

“We are using novel technologies, including molecular tools such as transcriptomics, which help identify biomarkers linked to stress memory,� she says. “As well as satellite data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined with on-site field data, to track seawater temperatures and detect marine heatwave trends that inform the experimental design.�

To test their hypothesis, Perscky’s team will conduct aquarium experiments that replicate ocean extremes at Mote’s state-of-the-art facility, where plants will be exposed to artificial marine heatwaves to prime them for survival, while open-source data models analyze decades of environmental trends to predict seagrass survival under future climate conditions.

“Thermal priming is not a new technique,� Perscky says. “It’s been used in crops like corn and in coral reefs. When plants and organisms face a second heat event, they remember the first exposure and adapt.�

Fitak, who specializes in genomics, compared the adaptation process to vaccination.

“You expose a young plant to a mini version of marine heat and its system remembers the trigger,� Fitak says. “As adult plants, they become more tolerant for when the real exposure occurs.�

If successful, the approach could be applied not only in Florida but to other seagrasses around the world.

“This knowledge could guide how seagrass is planted in nurseries across the state and beyond,� Perscky says. “In places like Mosquito Lagoon and Banana River, where water stays warmer because it’s regulated by wind rather than tide, seagrass planted there could be more tolerant.�

Walters adds more insight on this approach, which is currently undergoing testing on corals with success in some species in some locations.

“If we can restore areas with native, thermally primed seagrass, it should be more resilient to future heat events,� she says. “We are aiming to create ‘super seagrass,’ similar to efforts with ‘super corals’ that can tolerate higher temperatures than they currently do.�

Perscky and Banquero cited the importance of partnerships in making their work possible.

“Seagrass restoration is highly experimental and requires significant resources,� Banquero says. “Collaborating with scientists with different expertise and leveraging their long-term knowledge of Florida’s coastal ecosystems has enabled me to carry out my project.�

Fitak also noted the multidisciplinary nature of the projects.

“This project is a great example of how science is done in an interdisciplinary way,� he says. “Carla is collaborating with researchers from Mote, FWC, and other agencies, along with Dr. Walters and me, because no one is an expert of everything.�

Beyond environmental impacts, student and community involvement is key to the success of these projects. Banquero has been planting seagrass in macroalgal beds in Brevard County, with local volunteers helping monitor the sites.

“It’s been rewarding to hear their perspectives on why protecting these ecosystems matters and to connect with people directly impacted by our work,� she says.

Similarly, Perscky says partnering with Mote has given students and volunteers hands-on opportunities in seagrass monitoring.

Both projects highlight the challenges facing coastal environments and provide tools to help conserve seagrass beds now and in the future with Fitak emphasizing the importance of community support.

“People love seeing healthy seagrass beds and the biodiversity they support, like manatees,� he says. “Communities want to support restoration, but failed plantings can be discouraging. Our goal is to make restoration effective and resilient so these vital ecosystems thrive.�

While the projects are focused in Florida, Walters points to the broader significance of the work.

“The outcomes of these projects will not only help improve the health of the Indian River Lagoon, but also build on current knowledge and provide practical methods for restoration practitioners to conserve and protect estuaries around the globe,� she says. “I deeply care about this lagoon, and all our efforts aim to improve restoration and resilience so it remains the magical place we know it is well into the future.�

Researchers’ Credentials 
Fitak is an assistant professor in ±«°ä¹ó’s Department of Biology in the College of Sciences. He received his doctorate in genetics from the University of Arizona and his bachelor’s in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University. Before joining Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2019, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Population Genetics in Vienna, Austria, and at Duke University. He is a member of ±«°ä¹ó’s Genomics and Bioinformatics research cluster.

Walters joined Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 1997 and was named Pegasus Professor in 2012. She is part of the coastal cluster and leads CEELAB. CEELAB’s work connects Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology students with firsthand experience, putting classroom learning into practice. Walters has received more than $19.7 million in grant funding, published more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and authored 11 children’s story books about marine conservation.

As mangrove populations are increasing due to successful restoration efforts and favorable weather, their strong comeback may pose unintended consequences for oysters, according to new research from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ graduate student Katherine Harris and Pegasus Professor Linda Walters published in the .

To protect Florida’s coastlines, the researchers hope their new findings can initiate efforts to strike a balance within coastal ecosystems so both oysters and mangroves can flourish without harming each other. Otherwise, the mangroves could eventually dominate oyster reefs.

“Mangroves are great at changing their surrounding habitat to benefit more mangroves coming in,� says Harris, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in integrative and conservation biology. “Mangroves will naturally acidify surrounding sediment, which may not be great for oysters. Oysters, since they are a shell-forming organism, are prone to dissolution in acidic conditions. So, as the acidity increases, the oyster shells might degrade, which would impact the overall reef viability and the ability of those reefs to provide beneficial services such as filtration, storm surge reduction and wave attenuation.�

The research team found that mangrove populations have nearly tripled in areas where oysters also live over the past 20-30 years, leading to a significant acidification of oyster reef sediment. This acidification causes oyster shell dissolution, with shells losing 8% of their mass over two years in mangrove-dominated areas compared to 1% in oyster reefs without mangroves. Some extreme cases even showed as much as a 40% loss of shell mass.

Walters, who is also part of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Coastal: National Center for Integrated Coastal Research faculty cluster, says that the mangroves’ encroachment on oyster reefs isn’t as much of an act of war as it is an advantageous opportunity for them.

“This is the primary question that we get: ‘Should we now be removing mangroves from oyster reefs, including restored oyster reefs?’ â€� she says. “It is important to share that the mangroves have done nothing wrong – they are simply being mangroves, trees that have hundreds of propagules that disperse in the water via currents.â€�

“It is important to share that the mangroves have done nothing wrong – they are simply being mangroves, trees that have hundreds of propagules that disperse in the water via currents.â€� — Pegasus Professor Linda Walters

So, what’s at stake if oyster reefs decline to critical numbers?

“Primarily, we’d lose water filtration capacity as well as some protection against storm surges and erosion,� Walters says. “Each oyster filters approximately 20 gallons of water per day. Oysters remove sediments and plankton to improve water clarity for species like seagrasses to get sufficient sunlight, and a decline in oyster reefs would cause food loss for birds, crabs and fish. Because oyster reefs also reduce the impact of waves on shorelines, a decline in reefs also may lead to coastal communities experiencing higher storm surges and more erosion.�

Ensuring that oyster reefs can safely navigate these changes and thrive along with mangroves is a crucial part of coastal restoration efforts, she says.

“We work on public lands, state and national parks, so our mission is to provide the science to the park resource managers to help them make decisions,� Walters says. “While both species benefit estuaries in numerous ways, tipping the balance so that mangroves dominate and have the potential to completely overtake oyster reefs is a very new concern.�

For the experiment, the research team did not use live oysters. They instead placed cleaned and emptied shells in mesh bags throughout areas with varying mangrove densities within Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon to study the effects of acidification on the shells.

The results inspired researchers to explore ways to help mangroves and oysters coexist more effectively and continue protecting coastal ecosystems.

While comparing sediment pH, researchers found a dramatic difference in acidity between habitats. When comparing an oyster reef without mangroves to an oyster reef with mangroves, they observed an 85% increase in acidity while comparing an oyster reef without mangroves to a fully mangrove dominated area, there was 142% increase in acidity.

Live oysters may be able to protect against acidification and build their shell over time, but that may be a misappropriation of the animal’s limited energy, Harris says.

“Live oysters probably are going to be able to have some pushback against acidification,â€� she says. “However, it probably would negatively impact their health, because they’re no longer focusing on getting bigger.â€�

Harris suggests that future efforts might consider the balance between mangrove benefits and oyster reef viability, potentially altering restoration strategies to mitigate these impacts.

“It’s really important to understand that both of these habitat types are essential,â€� she says.

The university’s (CEELAB), helmed by Walters, partners with local educators to help mangroves grow from seedlings until they’re ready to be planted in areas marked for restoration. In the past academic year, Walters estimates that 1,700 mangroves were grown in 35 classrooms to support coastal restoration. Walters’ CEELAB has been studying oyster restoration efforts for about two decades, and these new findings add crucial context for future research.

“We do understand the importance of mangroves for shoreline protection and along these shorelines the mangroves grow landward of the oysters,� she says. “There is something novel about mangrove encroachment on oyster reef islands and this requires further study.�

Harris led the project in collaboration with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology undergraduate researcher Meghan Bradburn ’22 and with the guidance of Walters.

Researchers’ Credentials

Harris is a doctoral candidate in conservation biology at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, where she studies coastal ecosystem dynamics and effective methods of science communication. Her research explores habitat shifts and leverages visual storytelling through virtual reality to foster community engagement in restoration. Recognized for excellence in graduate teaching, mentoring and interdisciplinary research, Harris is passionate about bridging ecology, visual media and outreach to help coastal ecosystems.

Walters joined Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 1997 and was named Pegasus Professor in 2012. She is part of the coastal cluster and leads CEELAB. CEELAB’s work connects Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology students with firsthand experience, putting classroom learning into practice. Walters has received more than $19.7 million in grant funding, published more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and authored 11 children’s story books about marine conservation.

A new $1.1 million award to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ from NOAA Sea Grant as part of the Marine Debris Challenge Competition will fund joint research between ±«°ä¹ó’s CEELAB and Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory’s research on plastic-free restored habitats in coastal shorelines and oyster reefs. ±«°ä¹ó’s work, in partnership with Texas A&M, and University of Texas Marine Science Institute was selected as one of 11 projects across Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin. Combined, the team received $2.27 million dollars for the collaborative project.

“We were delighted to receive funding from NOAA’s Marine Debris Challenge Competition — a highly competitive process,� says Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters, who leads Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab (CEELAB). “Our take on this was to focus on coastal restoration. We are evaluating novel non-plastic materials used for oyster reef restoration to ensure that there aren’t negative impacts in surrounding marine habitats, including communities that live in the sediment or to larger animals, such as crabs, which call the oyster reefs home.�

Walters says that marine debris — which includes microplastics and nanoplastics — is affecting every habitat around the globe.

“Even though we cannot see them, marine invertebrates and vertebrates consume them, which can negatively impact the animal,� Walters says. “If these animals are then consumed by humans, the plastic enters our digestive tracts. Other microscopic plastic particles are light enough to enter the atmosphere and move with the wind. Recent research is documenting that these particles can end up trapped in our lungs.�

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is uniquely poised to conduct this research because of our substantial history of oyster reef restoration within Mosquito Lagoon and our local knowledge of the ecosystem, says Lisa Chambers, associate professor and principal investigator (PI) of the Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory, a co-PI on the NOAA Marine Debris award.

“This research is timely and important because the desire to stop using plastics in coastal restoration has opened a floodgate of new and novel restoration materials,� Chambers says. “This funding supports the continued study of alternative, non-plastic materials for use in coastal restoration. We need to know how materials affect the microbes and natural chemical cycles in the coastal ecosystem and long-terms impacts of restoration efforts.�

CEELAB focuses on a wide variety of problems impacting Florida’s coastal waters, in particular, the Indian River Lagoon system. The group, led by Walters and Melinda Donnelly, a research assistant professor in biology, has a long history of ecosystem restoration efforts that focus on restoration — including oysters, marsh grass, mangroves and seagrass.

As one of the longest running academically based coastal restoration programs in the U.S., CEELAB works with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty, graduate students, undergraduate researchers, postdoctoral fellows, field technicians, numerous community partners and volunteers to restore Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. Current partners include the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Coastal Conservation Association, Canaveral National Seashore, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The combined efforts of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and its partners highlight ever-changing best practices in ecosystem restoration and provide a ripe opportunity for research and innovation.

“It’s unique to have a long-term restoration project led by a university laboratory. We started community-based oyster reef restoration in 2007, living shoreline stabilization in 2012, and seagrass restoration in 2024,� Walters says. “We have created a ‘habitat mosaic’ where all these species work together to make the environment better. We are finding lots of areas have degraded, whether through storms or human impact. It’s important to find solutions that bring the natural environment back.�

NOAA also provides large, transformative awards to create communities of practice in coastal restoration and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ (co-PIs Walters and Donnelly) is receiving $1.2 million for restoration efforts as part of the NOAA funding of $9.4 million to the Indian River Lagoon’s National Estuary Program. NOAA is funding 32 projects nationwide.

“Restoration efforts require funding and are vital for our communities — we are grateful for the continued support of NOAA and the National Estuary Program for our coastal restoration work in Mosquito Lagoon,� Walters says.

CEELAB’s work connects Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology students with firsthand experience, putting classroom learning into practice.

“Through this grant, we’re providing opportunities for many students to gain field experience — from planting mangroves to conducting innovative ecosystem research — that has the mutual benefit of restoring vital habitats in Florida,� Walters says. “A lot of the graduate students whose work is funded through awards like this go on to become our coastal restoration leaders at the state or federal level.�

More than 70,000 volunteers — including Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students, faculty, staff and community members — have contributed to the CEELAB’s coastal restoration work since 2007.

“We are all working together to restore a truly magical place — a place that’s home to birds, fish, mangrove islands, manatees, dolphins and everything that makes Florida special,� Walters says.

±«°ä¹ó’s REU site, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, connects promising STEM students with established faculty at REU sites, enhancing their in-class learning experience with research, workshops and events.

±«°ä¹ó’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Office of Research collaborate to support REU principal investigators and student participants. There are six cohorts covering distinct areas of research that are comprised of 11 principal investigators and dozens of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty mentors:

• Research Experience for Undergraduates in Computer Vision
• Advanced Technologies in Hypersonic, Propulsive, Energetic and Reusable Platforms
• Research in Materials for Energy Applications
  • and
• Engineering and Nanoscience of Materials and Device Applications in Biotechnology and Medicine
  • and the
• Conservation, Restoration and Communication
  • and Coastal Cluster
• Applied Computation Mathematics

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s CRCV, led by director Mubarak Shah, has run the nation’s longest continuous REU program for 37 years. The university has maintained five or six REU programs since 2022, and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-based nonprofit has been approved for next summer’s REU.

Students engage in a 10-to-12-week program and participate in workshops, labs and an individual research project that they may select from topics provided by corresponding mentors. Students then present their research to their cohort at the conclusion of the REU just before the start of the fall semester.

Launching Research and Accelerating Learning

Isabella Llamazares, a rising junior studying mechanical engineering at Florida International University, wanted to learn more about aerospace engineering but opportunities were limited at her school. She was accepted into the HYPER REU at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and was excited to supplement her learning.

“I always knew that I had to find other opportunities, and I knew that I wanted to come to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ either for undergraduate or graduate studies,â€� Llamazares says. “This REU will help me back at my university. Although we don’t have aerospace down there, I’m part of an aviation club, and I have this as knowledge that I can build upon.â€�

With an interest in fluid dynamics and propulsion, her project described timing detonations as part of the combustion process for rockets and how to ultimately make them safer.

“I came in just having very basic knowledge from my classes,� Llamazares says. “I didn’t have the average aerospace engineering experience, but it was that dedication and really wanting to continue in this field that got me here. This REU and this project have really helped solidify that I want to pursue something related to the fluids field.�

James Hippelhauser ’11 ’20MS ’23PhD, a HYPER REU mentor and postdoctoral researcher for astrodynamics and space robotics, was pleased with his students.

“I’m definitely satisfied with their progress,â€� he says. “Astrodynamics is a topic that they don’t really get to learn from a classroom standpoint. I know they learned a lot just from a concept standpoint, but also applying it.â€�

Hippelhauser was impressed with how well the students absorbed and applied complicated topics such as orbital mechanics.

“It kind of reminded me a lot when I first started research,� he says. “It can be a challenge. Orbital mechanics isn’t a common topic especially for undergrads. They learned as much as they could and as fast as they could.�

Hippelhauser encourages prospective REU students interested in hypersonics, space, propulsion and energy to explore something they may not know.

“Don’t limit yourself to a topic you’re comfortable with,â€� he says. “Try to go for a topic that you would not have considered.â€�

Emmelia Lichty, a junior mechanical engineering major at Oral Roberts University, was drawn to ±«°ä¹ó’s REU because she says she’s always loved space.

“My dad was an Air Force pilot and he flew fighter jets,â€� she says. “So, I got to see them up close and I’ve always been infatuated. I came here because everything aerospace is right here with NASA, the space coast, and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is so involved in aerospace research.â€�

Lichty worked under the mentorship of Florida Space Institute (FSI) Interim Director Julie Brisset to enhance a precision cooling loop for a space-based payload.

“Any fluctuations would affect the actual experiment itself,� Lichty says. “My cooling loop had to be very precise, within plus or minus point one degrees. I had to make the improvements and monitor hardware and code modifications to get the cooling loop to that precision, which I was able to do by the end of the summer.�

The ability to not just apply classroom knowledge but move beyond it was something she says was very appealing and rewarding.

“Getting hands-on experience with problem-solving is a really a big part of the REU,� Lichty says. “You also get a taste of research, and it helps you make those decisions about your career, like if you want to go to grad school or not.�

Brisset, who also is an associate scientist with FSI, agrees that exposure to research is crucial in understanding and navigating a STEM education.

“There are two components that need to work together, both in the classroom and in the research lab,� she says. “Sometimes it can be an abstract exercise working in a classroom, but if you have a real-life application, it can be easier to make a connection.�

It was rewarding seeing Lichty immerse herself fully in her research, Brissett says.

“I think it was very complete,� she says. “Emmie did mechanical work, fluid mechanics, some electronics and some coding. In the end, it was a very complete lab experience. The research was a success as she achieved the cooling precision.�

The competitive nature of REUs across the board has increased, as well as the quality of applicants, Brisset says.

“We have undergrads who go through this program who stay in STEM and routinely end up in grad school,� she says. “We have people who are mid-career that come to us and say they discovered their love for astronomy when they did the REU program.�

Getting Out and Shoring Up

Rowan Wyss, a senior biology student at Eckerd College, participated in ±«°ä¹ó’s Coastal Cluster REU, where he studied feral hog populations and their interactions with the environment and other animals at the Mosquito Lagoon.

He says found the research experience gratifying and hopes to continue quantifying where and how these animal populations forage.

“I was looking for an REU experience and was aware of its transformative nature — how it exposes you to grad school and different software or programs used for biology research,� Wyss says. “I got way more out of the REU than I thought. I built so many connections and I’m much more proficient in software and the tools of the trade.�

In the early stages of applying and even participating in the REU, it can be easy to feel the “imposter syndrome,� or feeling like you’ve lucked into a position you’re not qualified for despite being actually qualified, Wyss says.

“You’re surrounded with people extremely proficient in this field when you might have little to no research experience. But that’s just science. It’s never a competition. It’s people working together,â€� he says.

Otis Woolfolk, a junior studying biology/marine biology track at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, tested the resiliency and sustainability of novel non-plastic oyster bags filled with recycled shells to restore shorelines throughout Florida. Woolfolk’s research marks the first test of the new materials in warm water restoration conditions.

He learned about REUs after being encouraged to apply by his ecology professor, Melinda Donnelly, and through his volunteer work with ±«°ä¹ó’s Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab.

“I was asked about the ideas I had for my Ph.D., and I really want to work on microplastics and how they affect mangroves,� Wolfolk says. “So, this was close to that. Oyster bags generally use plastics, so I experimented with using more environmentally friendly materials made of potato starch or basalt that deteriorate within years.�

He found the process exciting and enjoyed delving into a component of marine biology and conservation that he may not have considered had he not participated in the REU.

“As a novice scientist, I learned a huge amount,â€� Wolfolk says. “It’s a time for you to get messy and make mistakes. You’re doing research, doing workshops and you’re learning how the science world works.â€�

During his poster presentation, Wolfolk says he felt a newfound confidence in his ability as a novice scientist when a freshman asked him how to get involved with research.

“My advice?� he says. “Volunteer as much as possible and don’t doubt yourself.�

Linda Walters, lead investigator for the Conservation, Restoration and Communication NSF REU site and Wolfolk’s REU mentor, says Wolfolk did an exemplary job in his research.

“It was very rewarding to watch this journey,� she says. “Otis had the opportunity to be on the ground-floor of our cutting-edge research in marine restoration this summer. He is gifted at asking good, thought-provoking questions and communicating his science.�

The program is very competitive and only 10 students were selected for the Coastal Cluster REU out of 377 applicants, says Walters, who also is a Pegasus Professor of biology. Those who participate in the REU usually continue their education through graduate school, she says.

“During the 10 weeks, the students go from a very limited research background to developing their research questions, collecting data, analyzing their data and presenting their projects to the larger community,� she says. “It is a lot of work for the mentors to keep everything on track for this accelerated timeline, but the students make it worthwhile. They become confident researchers in 10 weeks.�

Honing a Vision

±«°ä¹ó’s CRCV has hosted about 370 students since it was designated as an REU site 37 years ago and continues to guide undergraduates in the evolving field of computer vision, says Niels Lobo, associate professor of computer science and CRCV REU mentor.

“The nature of the REU has matured,� he says. “The field has evolved, and what students are doing now in their projects is vastly different than what people would have done 10 to 20 years ago.�

Lobo came to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ 31 years ago and was encouraged to assist with REUs within the first year. Lobo has seen the composition of student applicants and participates becoming more dynamic during his time at the university.

“What we’re seeing is that the student population applying for these research opportunities is exploding,â€� he says. “That means that the overall experience of the cohort is going to be a little bit richer because everybody gets exposed to something different.â€�

Computer vision is harnessing the power of technology to not just view things through a camera, but to understand them, Lobo says. Continually adapting to the constant evolution of the field while also considering computer vision’s ethical implications are two components he is teaching students.

“Every two or three years, the field discovers something new,� Lobo says. “In research, there are no study guides, so you need to go out and explore. That process of discovery is only accomplished through research.�

Claire Zhang, a junior studying applied mathematics-computer science at Brown University, was glad to have embarked on CRCV REU.

She previously conducted remote research, but she says the program at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ provided her with a more immersive and shared experience.

“It was really nice meeting this community and coming to work together,� Zhang says. “I imagined it being very independent, but I found that it was a lot more collaborative than I originally thought even though we all had our own independent projects.�

Her project involved creating segmentation masks for solar cells to show their degradation in a quantitative way rather than the qualitative way of identifying degradation by darkened glass regions of cells. Zhang created and used a model that outlines the materials and can characterize how degraded the cells are.

“I have almost no experience with material science,� she says. “This project connected material science to computer science, and it was a great introduction.�

Zhang gained not just expertise in a field she’s interested in, but also knowledge and momentum to continue her education and pursuit of a STEM career.

“For the past semester, I had been thinking about whether I should explore different concentrations,� she says. “This summer showed me that I can continue to explore other interests while remaining in this concentration, specifically, that I could apply computer science to these other interests.�

Students interested in more information about ±«°ä¹ó’s REU program should visit: .

The Aylesworth Scholarship was established in 1984 through a joint partnership between the Aylesworth Foundation for the Advancement of Marine Science, the Southeastern Fisheries Association and the Florida Sea Grant College Program. Aylesworth scholarships are named annually, with a few students selected among undergraduate and graduate student applicants across all Florida universities that conduct research in the marine sciences. Aylesworth Scholarship recipients study many subjects that impact the fishing, seafood and marine industries.

Banquero’s pathway to pursue marine science began in childhood.

“Science and biology were always my best subjects in school and my family encouraged my curiosity about plants and animals,â€� Banquero says. “Later, I felt drawn to conduct research that would contribute to protection of the places I’d enjoyed as a child and had the opportunity to explore in my biology studies at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.â€�

In Fall 2019 during her studies at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, she began to participate in field work, data entry, and other support for , or CEELAB.

“I literally and figuratively got my feet wet,� Banquero says.

CEELAB provides opportunities for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students studying biology in the College of Sciences to work in the field, building hands-on experience. This summer, 15 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students are working on coastal restoration and monitoring in the Indian River Lagoon, as well as conservation projects focused on microplastics or coastal acidification.

Pegasus Professor Linda Walters runs the CEELAB, working alongside the students and supporting independent research projects, matching their interests with the needs of the local ecosystem.

“It becomes real at 6:30 a.m. when students are moving biodegradable restoration materials to damaged, intertidal oyster reefs while standing in mud in the middle of a hot, Florida summer,” Walters says. “This is how coastal restoration happens and where students put their passion for marine biology to work.â€�

Banquero’s experience through CEELAB was profound, providing her with opportunities to see nature and wildlife — including sea turtles and manatees — firsthand, as well as observe the human impacts on coastal environments.

Her work in CEELAB stood out to Walters, who continues to see promise in Banquero’s thesis work toward her master’s in biology at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

“She is a determined person and has wonderful insight and tenacity that will serve her well as a scientist,� Walters says. “Luciana is a very worthy recipient of the Aylesworth Scholarship and has a bright future in marine science.�

“The experience I have had as a student at the College of Sciences has been lifechanging,” Banquero says . “I’m doing things that have surprised me and found a path forward. I’m grateful to the biology department for helping to open doors for me in the field of conservation.â€�

As a first-generation college student, Banquero hopes to inspire more students to pursue careers in marine science and for the public to become more engaged in ecosystem restoration efforts.

“I hope more people pay greater attention to the value of coastal marine resources and see the value in conserving, restoring and protecting them,� Banquero says.

The achievement came in the form of $100,000 to Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters and integrative coastal biology doctoral student Katherine Harris ’18 through Disney’s unique conservation funding proposal model. Only organizations with at least five years of previous funding were eligible for the grant this year, Walters says.

This Disney award will enable Walters, Harris and lab members to explore mangrove encroachment on oyster reefs, the longevity of biodegradable materials used for coastal restoration and the prospect of virtual reality as a medium to engage community members who don’t have access to seeing restored habitats on their own.

CEELAB was one of 25 nonprofit organizations selected by the Disney Conservation Fund for their work protecting biodiversity. Selected programs from a global pool of applicants demonstrated “significant impact to date and inspiring future plans,� according to Disney.

Proposals are focused on three pillars of impact: conservation, restoration and community engagement/education. CEELAB also met the criteria that selected organizations pursue “new, exciting, and yet untested� ideas in conservation.

Walters says the momentum hasn’t slowed heading into the future. The achievement came to fruition this summer through Walters’ second time operating a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site. The REU is a competitive award from the U.S. National Science Foundation to connect undergraduate students who are underrepresented in STEM with an immersive first research experience. Associate Professor Kate Mansfield is the co-principal investigator on the REU site award.

The title of this REU was Conservation, Restoration and Communication, and there were 10 faculty mentors representing many disciplines of biology and engineering. Visiting students came from as far as Hawaii and as close as Florida’s Valencia College. Research topics for these students in the summer ranged from seagrass genetics to eDNA of red tide to amphibian diseases to pollinator ecology in an urban setting.

Participants in the REU included Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ undergraduate student Angie Tasayco and Goldsboro Elementary School teacher Mary Lynn Hess.

Walters received supplemental funding for Hess to train alongside the students and faculty mentors with the goal of providing Hess’ future students with a more in-depth understanding of the research process and inspire interest in STEM careers.

While CEELAB has tackled these types of issues for 25 years now, there will never be a shortage of work to be done.

“There are so many conservation questions that need to be addressed,� Walters says. “So even as we study the most urgent current conservation issues to be ready for future crises, we also need to be training the next generation of conservation researchers and the generation after that through our local educators.�

The Academy, which is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, honors one Floridian each year based on the nominee’s contributions to the advancement of science and outstanding efforts to share that knowledge with the public. Walters joins a small club of 52 recipients.

The academy is recognizing what Volusia County has known since 2011, when officials there declared Nov. 6 as Dr. Linda Walters Day. The resolution noted Walters’ passion for teaching students, engaging in hands-on learning experiences and “her influence beyond the academic setting.�

“Not many people have the kind of impact that Linda does,â€� says Timothy Hawthorne, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ GIS professor who has collaborated with Walters since 2016. “She so deserves this.â€�

The duo worked with other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ researchers on a National Science Foundation project looking at what makes natural systems and human interaction projects a success.

“She is a tireless advocate for science with broader impact. Her work extends beyond the walls of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and goes well beyond the impressive collection of scientific publications she and her lab have contributed over the years. But at the end of the day what I think of most when I think about her impact on science is her deep commitment to supporting and inspiring the next generation of science.â€�

A Life Dedicated to the Water

For the past several decades, Walters has investigated a variety of problems impacting Florida’s coastal waterways, from runoff to microplastics, which impacts everything from tourism to the fishing industry. Much of her work has focused on the Indian River Lagoon system in East Central Florida. Along the way she has run citizen-science projects to look at lagoon water quality and has received assistance from more than 55,000 volunteers for oyster reef restoration and living shoreline stabilization efforts. ³§³ó±ð’s also educated thousands of students who are now biologists throughout the world.

³§³ó±ð’s penned nine children’s books and staged hands-on learning opportunities to help even the youngest among us understand the huma impact on marine environments. Walters has even raised her son in the field, taking him along on countless mangrove planting and oyster restoration events during the years that have contributed to her research studies and his own. Josh is now pursing his doctorate in chemical oceanography at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“I nominated Linda because I’ve seen the clear commitment she has to her students, to involving the public in research and conservation, and to fostering the careers of women in science,â€� said Holly Sweat, a marine ecologist at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce.

Sweat met Walters about 12 years ago while she was in graduate school at the Florida Institute of Technology. They worked with many of the same people through their shared commitment to research on the Indian River Lagoon. And this past year, Sweat began collaborating with Walters on a study to characterize microbes on microplastics in the lagoon with funding from the EPA.

“I was completely caught off-guard by this honor and I am very grateful to Dr. Sweat for the nomination and to the Academy to selecting me as the 2021 recipient,â€� Walters says. “I have spent my career at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ trying to balance research with community engagement, while ensuring my undergraduate and graduate students at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ have high impact experiences that gets them to their dream jobs and to personal lives post-graduation that make them happy and fulfilled. I thank everyone who has been part of this journey so far.â€�

Frequently in the News

Walters joined Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 1997 and was named a Pegasus Professor in 2012. ³§³ó±ð’s received more than $14 million in grant funding and published more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles. She is frequently featured in the news for her research, most recently in the Orlando Sentinel for mangrove takeovers of oyster reefs due to warming winters. In 2011,

Toyota and Field & Stream magazine selected her as one of its 10 national “Heroes of Conservation.�  The Walt Disney Company named Walters and her oyster restoration colleagues as Disney International Heroes of Conservation Heroes in 2013.  She has additionally received two national awards for excellence in teaching – from the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation and the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology.

Other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ recipients of the academy award are optics Professor Peter Delfyett honored in 2014 and former chemistry Professor Christian A. Clausen, honored in 2003 and who passed away in 2018.

These and hundreds of other invasive plant species are taking over Florida’s beautiful natural environment, and in the process crowding out native species and reducing many animal habitats. That topic is the latest in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology Professor Linda Walters’ series of books, which are distributed free for young readers to understand and help take care of the world around us.

Silent Takeover! Invasive Plants in Florida is Walters’ ninth book written with colleagues, students and family members, and this 28-page volume is a warning about the unwanted plants growing in waterways, forests, fields and even our backyards.

“It is very important that this book is read by the next generation,� says co-author Katherine Harris ’18, who received her bachelor’s degree in biology as a Burnett Honors Scholar and was involved with the university’s Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab. “Today’s kids are so used to hearing about all the environmental problems that their generation will have to deal with, to the point that kids feel it is impossible to make a difference. I hope this book gives kids the opportunity to be informed and to feel that they can have a positive impact on the environment.�

This book’s team also included Samantha Yuan ’08 ’14MS, who holds Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and is the research and outreach manager of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s invasive plant management section, and Owen Fasolas, a Winter Park artist and designer.

Young readers can find out about some of the most harmful invasive plants, the problems they cause to the natural ecosystems and how “to help keep Florida native and wild.�

In Silent Takeover!, young readers can find out about some of the most harmful invasive plants, the problems they cause to the natural ecosystems and how “to help keep Florida native and wild.�

Walters, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Pegasus Professor, says her series of biology books has been funded by grants and has mirrored her research agenda over the past decade. The books have been on topics such as protecting oyster reefs, invasive species from home aquariums dumped into waterways, sea-level rise, shoreline stabilization, and endangered birds. Funding has come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Sea Grant, and the Florida Department of Environmental ProtectionFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Why is Walters interested in pushing these topics for her books?

“Honestly, how can you not be interested in these things,� she asks, adding that without natural habitats “our lives would be much poorer in terms of every measure of quality of life you can think of…We humans have trashed them, so it is also up to us to understand and restore them with great urgency now.�

This edition’s distribution will push her total books in print to nearly 80,000 copies given out at schools, events and by requests through the years. Some agencies, such as the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, purchase copies for their outreach events.

“I have no interest in making money off our books,� Walters says. “The goal is to distribute the various conservation messages far and wide.�

Walters says that even in our high-tech generation, children like to read a book that they’re interested in. “You can hold it, read and reread it with someone you care about, and enjoy the art,� she says.

She also loves to hear anecdotes about the books from parents, such as when they say their children “want one of our stories read to them night after night after nightâ€� or that “their kids take the lessons totally to heart and won’t let them speed in their speedboats when near oysters or inappropriately care for their aquarium plants and pets.â€�

As for what we can do to counteract invasive species, Harris said perhaps the best thing people can do is to stay informed on the subject.

“Many invasive plants are allowed to spread because people unknowingly plant them in gardens or throw out unwanted aquarium plants and houseplants,� she says. “People can contribute to keeping Florida’s native plants and animals thriving by making a conscious effort to stay informed and plant only native species.�

Educators and others who would like a printed copy of “Silent Takeover! Invasive Plants in Florida� can contact Linda Walters at Linda.Walters@ucf.edu. Digital copies of all of Walters’ books are available in the university’s STARS archives at .

In the geospatial technology training workshop for Florida teachers, 14 teachers were shown customizable lesson plans that use GIS, mapping and drone technologies. Tim Hawthorne, GIS assistant professor in the department of sociology, along with Linda Walters, biology professor, and a team of students developed the lesson plans to meet Florida teaching standards. A bonus: It was free for the teachers.

“We provide these services for free to stimulate an interest in GIS and science,� Hawthorne said. The goal is more students will consider GIS – an in-demand skillset – as a career option.

The lesson plans use Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-created mobile applications that compile data and show students ways GIS is used in real-world applications.

For instance, a lesson plan has students map out areas of their campus they feel connected to the most. Their data compiled then shows areas with the highest emotional connectivity, which can, in turn, be used to guide where greater trash clean-up efforts on campus should go, Walters said.

The hope is that by showing students how GIS can impact their own school grounds, students can better understand how it is used in larger real-world scenarios. For instance, GIS is used by Hawthorne and a team of students to map areas of high-emotional connectivity on Florida’s coast. The data is then used by Walters and her team to help guide coastal-restoration efforts.

Workshop participants also were shown a lesson plan that incorporates a drone. Using an inexpensive cardboard model of a coast, the drone was flown over the model and captured pictures. The model was then hit by a simulated natural disaster, and the drone flew over again to capture images of the damage. Drones are used in this same way to help scientists study eroding coast lines, assess damage after natural disasters and more.

“Drones are becoming more affordable, which allows us the opportunity to use them with students and as a tool for science,� Hawthorne said.

Teachers were excited about the prospect of drones in their lesson plans because it offers an exciting, hands-on learning experience for their students.

Candice Brown, a chemistry and environmental-management teacher at Everglades High School, said a drone could add value to one of her existing lesson plans. In this lesson, students make a model of a city, then using a fan, Brown applies high-speed winds to see which model is the strongest. Students could fly a drone over the model to capture images of pre-and-post-damage and use those images to estimate the cost of damage.

“These are important tools to show kids at a young age career options out there,� Brown said. “Public planning, disaster relief, environmental management – it could be invaluable to show how drones apply to these careers that kids may not know about.�

Teachers were sent home from the workshop with their own drone and copies of the lesson plans that were introduced to them. Plus, Hawthorne, Walters and a team of students have offered their time in the fall semester to go to the teachers’ schools to help facilitate the lesson plans.

The workshop and resources are supported by a National Science Foundation grant that Walters, Hawthorne and co-principal investigators Fernando Rivera, Lisa Chambers and Kelly Kibler – all Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty – earned last year.

The team intends to host more workshops at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ for teachers next semester, said Hawthorne, who added the first workshop in Research Park this week had a long wait list.

In all, providing teachers with more resources and helping cultivate the next generation of scientists is “a win-win,� Walters said.

“My last two years of my job, I was so unhappy,� Connor said.  “I was kind of relieved when I was laid off. I knew I needed to find something that would make me happy to go to work again.�

It was 2011 and her son and daughter were taking classes at Seminole State College. After a little soul searching she decided to go back to school and joined them. Being back in a classroom reminded her how much she liked school so she kept with it, transferring to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2014 through the DirectConnect program. Connor is one of the more than 41,000 students who have used the program to access Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

By 2015 she had earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary environmental studies and decided to enroll in ±«°ä¹ó’s professional science master’s degree program in conservation biology, which is open to students with bachelor’s degrees.

Today, she is taking master degree level conservation biology classes and recently won a national student poster competition at the 2016 Annual Water Resources Conference.

“I’ve always loved the outdoors,� Connor said. “When I realized that I could do this for a living, it felt amazing.�

She found many ecological-volunteer opportunities at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. Prompted by the Service Learning component in Professor Peter Jacques’ Sustainability class, she began volunteering at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Arboretum, which led to her internship and independent study supervised by the Arboretum’s assistant director, Jennifer Elliot. But it was the time spent volunteering with biology professor Linda Walters and her restoration work in Mosquito Lagoon that solidified Connor’s decision to change careers.

The connection with Walters, who leads oyster restoration and living-shoreline stabilization projects at Canaveral National Seashore, also led to Connor’s own research.

Under Biology Instructor Melinda Donnelly, Ph.D., and Walters’ supervision, Connor began researching the impact of sediment type on the root structure of red mangroves at restoration sites in the Canaveral National Seashore. Connor found both leaf growth and root structure are impacted by sediment type, but that red mangroves grow despite the type of sediment that they live in.

Walters said that Connor’s mangrove research was so thorough that it will be included in a longer manuscript about the living shoreline program alongside Walters’ and Donnelly’s own work.

“Suzanne undertook a really important question,â€� Walters said. “She is a hard worker and it is very gratifying to see her be successful at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.â€�

Connor’s research earned her the top award for the student poster competition at the 2016 AWRA national conference and her hard work led to a part-time job in Walter’s lab as a field tech and research assistant. When she’s not taking evening classes or home with her family, Connor is in that lab or doing field work with Walters.

Connor said she knows she’s usually the oldest “kid� in the classroom, but that it hasn’t been an obstacle.

“I’ve always felt welcomed,� she said.

That’s good because Connor expects to continue to be part of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ community until Spring 2018 when she hopes to graduate. After that she hopes for a job in shoreline restoration.

“I hope to have a job making our coastlines more resilient, and improving water quality,� she said.