Submitted by Brianna to the Women Mind the Water digital stories project, in conjunction with the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street storytelling website and traveling exhibition "Water/Ways."
This story was recorded at School for the Environment, UMASS Boston.
"I come from a coast. I come from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I grew up respecting the ocean. Living on the ocean. Having uncles and cousins that harvest from the ocean. And that has really shaped why I study the ocean today. As a child, I used to go out on sailboats and really started to get acquainted with all the little critters that live in the ocean. And, now as a student I count those critters. And when people ask what I do, I just say: 'I count things under water.'
I really enjoy doing that. I find this like connection with the ocean to be something that I really enjoy acquainting people with. I lived in the middle of America, in Colorado for a little while. I enjoyed working at a sushi restaurant there and talking to people about the ocean. I really love the look on people’s faces when I tell them stories about seeing whale sharks or diving the Great Barrier Reef or just really painting pictures for them of the personal experiences that I’ve had in the ocean and trying to engage that passion with people. My research now focuses on aquaculture.
I am working in the realm of kelp and shellfish and looking at whether you can farm those things together to create an economically viable industry. The reason I am researching that now, instead of the big sharks and whales or coral or things like that is because I think it really is an opportunity to give back to the community that raised me on Cape Cod. It’s given me an opportunity to interact with those people and really start to bridge gaps in knowledge within science and communication. "
