The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
The Carl and Marcella Matthaei Ecological Scholarship Fund at the Whitney Laboratory provides support for University of Florida scientists-in-training to have access to the Matanzas River Basin, where we can engage in its biodiversity, ecology and conservation. The Matanzas River Basin is a dynamic regional ecosystem, and the Whitney Lab’s campus is strategically located with access to numerous and diverse habitats along the Florida coast. We thank those who have contributed to the Matthaei Ecological Scholarship Fund and would like to introduce you to the 2018 summer scholar.
Through a generous donation to the endowed fund, we were able to offer Emily Sharkey the opportunity to spend a portion of the summer working on focused projects in the Matanzas River Basin.
Emily is a rising junior at the University of Florida, studying for her bachelor’s degree in marine sciences with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. With Jose Nunez and Dr. Todd Osborne, she continued her work with the biodiversity of marine invertebrates in the Matanzas River Basin from the previous summer. It was great to have Emily back at Whitney Lab this summer.
Emily produced some additional educational materials, such as community guides and links to genomic data on iNaturalist as a way to bridge scientists and the public to understand more about the biodiversity of the Matanzas.
More information about Whitney’s Matanzas Biodiversity Initiative can be found at the below link.
MatBio: Matanzas Biodiversity Initiative