Guest Speaking
"I hope my stories of success, struggle, fulfillment, and curiosity connect with young people dreaming about their future careers and roles as stewards of this planet."
There's nothing like a good shark story to inspire questions, creativity, and excitement about the ocean! Since 2013 I have been bringing the ocean into classrooms using undersea video, SCUBA gear, Megalodon teeth, and dive stories from around the globe.
I am inspired by the curiosity and care students express for the marine environment. I want to serve as a strong role model for young females interested in science, marine research, and scientific diving. I never would have made it to where I am today if it were not for enthusiastic teachers, inspiring presentations, and the passionate role models in my life.
Plankton and Plastics
As part of the Virtual Lindblad-National Geographic Expeditions, I created a video and activity for kids to learn about plastics and plankton from the safety of their own homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Take a peek, and share this learning experience with a young explorer in your life!
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Video Credits:
Shaylyn Potter: microscope photos
Maya Santangelo: undersea footage
Emily Newton: all other footage and video editing
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SciREN
The Scientific Research and Education Network
SciREN is a graduate student-led network that connects educators and researchers.
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I had the incredible opportunity to create a lesson plan with my research colleague Alyssa Adler, that strove to share our experiences as scientific divers with K-12 students, and communicated key findings from Dr. Avery Paxton's research on shipwrecks and rocky reefs in North Carolina.
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I attended a SciREN event held at the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium in February 2014, where I shared the lesson plans we had created with local teachers. I asked for and received teacher feedback, while answering their questions and helping them adapt these materials to their personal classrooms.
The lesson plan features videos and photographs from our dives on artificial reefs and we challenge students to devise their own methods to answer scientific questions about the marine environment that is in their backyard.
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SciREN not only helped us to get the latest marine science research into the classroom, but it helped form connections and lead to me being invited to present in classrooms over the next year. I am so grateful for the curiosity and creativity of our teachers. Thank you SciREN and all of our amazing educators in eastern North Carolina!
Dive Into Onslow Bay
I created this video to show students what it was like to work as a scientific diver off the coast of Onslow Bay, North Carolina. This visual and others were supplied to teachers attending the SciRen event. The video augments a lesson plan I designed to help students create their own marine science questions and experiments.
Volunteer SCUBA diver
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at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
I enjoyed every minute I volunteered as a diver for the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. I frequently made kids laugh across the glass by giving high fives, floating upside down, and making fish faces. When I wasn't diving in the Living Shipwreck Exhibit, I educated guests at the intertidal touch tank about sea stars, snails, and horseshoe crabs. Guest were endlessly curious and I fell in love with sharing the marine world through in person interactions and conversations.
