Graduate Student Projects

In the 2023-2024 academic year, the Johnson Center for Marine Conservation piloted a graduate student funding opportunity in collaboration with the Department of Art and Art History to support University of Miami graduate students in engaged scholarship and/or science communication projects that enhance the impact of art and/or science in marine conservation. We funded three innovative proposals:

Cards

Constructing the North Atlantic right whale through film

The North Atlantic right whale is considered Critically Endangered with fewer than 350 individuals remaining. Led by PhD candidate Marcus Reamer, this project examines how documentary films influence the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions non-expert publics have about this critically endangered species and efforts to save it. Marcus will engage the public directly in a conversation about his research through film screenings followed by an expert panel discussion about ongoing policy and conservation efforts focused on the right whale

IMAGINING A RADICALLY JUST FUTURE FOR PHILANTHROPY IN MARINE CONSERVATION

JJ Blackwatters, PhD candidate in the Environmental Science and Policy Program the University of Miami, is spearheading a project to explore - through words, artwork, and music - what a radically just and transformative philanthropy would look like in marine conservation. This project involves a collaboration with Dr. Lauren Jacobson, a professional musician and professor emeritus of clarinet at the University of Northern Colorado. Blackwatters hopes that this work will spark transformative conversations that encourage donors and activists alike to imagine new ways of doing philanthropy.

Children's Book on Shark Symbioses

PhD candidate Emily Yeagar and MFA student Alian Martinez Rives have partnered on an exciting project that combines their skillsets: an illustrated children's book about Emily’s research on shark symbioses. The media often depicts sharks as aggressive and hostile animals, leading to a narrative of fear within the general public. This children's book seeks to break these shark stereotypes and educate readers about the ecological importance of having sharks in our oceans. They will distribute their books to schools and libraries throughout south Florida and host three book reading events.

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