NSU Horizons Fall 2011

student profile Lauren Waters , a graduate student in Nova Southeastern University’s Oceano- graphic Center and Florida’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Fellow, had never seen the ocean while growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a city of botanical gardens, golf courses, and rivers. But she heard its siren call. At 14, she told her parents she wanted to be a marine biologist. “My parents made a deal with me,” said Waters, 31. “They said, ‘You buy the mask, fins, and snorkel, and we will pay for scuba lessons.’ ” It snowed the day she was certified in scuba diving in a rock quarry. Later, her dad was certified in an Indiana lake so he could be her dive buddy. Soon after, father and daughter went on their first ocean dive in Boynton Beach, Florida. And she was hooked. Waters returned to Florida to major in marine science at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, where her internships included work on the physiology of crustaceans and volun- teering at the Marine Mammal Necropsy Lab, assisting with postmortem examinations of animals. She has worked in the genetics department at Florida’s Wildlife Research Institute on Florida’s Gulf Coast and spent four years studying environmental restoration at Fort Desoto in Tampa Bay. Waters chose NSU for her master’s degree in marine biology and marine coastal zone policy because she was im- pressed with the National Coral Reef Institute at NSU’s OC. “NSU will help me succeed in today’s competitive marine biology field,” Waters said. “The courses keep pace with current issues.” She is looking forward to working in the OC’s new Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Science Research Facility, which is expected to open in summer 2012. “[NSU’s] new facility broadens the scope of research,” she said. “Important sponge and fisheries work is currently under way. NSU is poised to be at the forefront of not only reef, but ocean research in our nation.” Waters takes classes at NSU and, as part of her fellowship, works 40 hours a week as the maritime industry and coastal construction impact coordinator for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. She will coordinate reviews of various projects, investigating the impacts of coastal construction on southeast Florida reefs for the next two years. “She is an excellent addition to the Coral Reef Conser- vation Program,” said Dave Gilliam, Ph.D., assistant professor at the OC. Being a Coral Fellow puts Waters in a prestigious group. Competition was tough for the Florida fellowship, said Joanna Walczak, assistant manager of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. Of 50 applicants, only 5 were interviewed. Seven fellows are in the United States, one for each territory or state that has reefs. “She has a bright future in this industry,” said Walczak, M.S. in Marine Biology from NSU. “She has an incredibly strong work ethic and a positive approach to everything.” Waters, who likes a balance of field and desk work, hasn’t decided whether she will concentrate her master’s degree in marine biology or coastal zone management—or both. One thing she does know for sure: “I will get to work in great places where flip flops are standard,” she said. n For more information on the Coral Fellow, visit http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/fellowship. OC Grad Student Makes Waves By Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub 18 horizons Lauren Waters is one of seven Coral Fellows.