Overview

On Thursday, May 18, 2023, The International SeaKeepers Society hosted the fourth and final Junior SeaKeepers Program webinar for Spring semester students. As we near the end of our Spring Program, we were thrilled to have Charles Groppe, M.S., Spatial Ecology Coordinator for the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves and former University of Miami RSMAS graduate student as a part of our scientist-led virtual lecture series.

As part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Charles’ main task is to collect, manage, and analyze data from research projects throughout the bay to inform management decisions. Charles has a Bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and a Master’s degree in Marine Biology and Ecology from the University of Miami. He has also conducted marine research in Australia and California, where he worked with a wide variety of species. His research in South Florida has involved driving and working aboard small boats, scuba diving in a variety of subtropical marine habitats, and deploying technological instruments to gather data for projects monitoring ecosystem health and resilience. With SeaKeepers, Charles’ work was focused on Biscayne Bay ecosystems like seagrass meadows and the impacts that human actions have had on them.

Outing Goal

By attending webinars led by past SeaKeepers research scientists, our Junior SeaKeepers have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the diversity of work that exists in the marine conservation realm. Additionally, students get direct access to accomplished professionals and are able to see the advancements in the field that are resultant of research happening directly alongside SeaKeepers through our DISCOVERY Yacht program. Charles was a wonderful speaker and his presentation was a great opportunity for students to hear about research conducted by a recent student locally in our own Biscayne Bay as they get closer to their post-secondary education journey.