Seagrass Savanna

“I guess I never really did realize how acquainted I would be with different kinds of PVC and PVC fittings as a field ecologist…” So says Savanna Barry, a graduate student at the University of Florida whose studies have taken her in strange directions. In Seagrass Savanna we get to tag along in the field and in the lab as Savanna defies the perception that “marine biology should be more exciting than basically underwater botany.” And considering the vital ecosystem services that seagrasses perform—from filtering water and sequestering carbon to supporting the life cycle of over 80% of Florida’s commercially and recreationally important fish species—she’s got a fair point. The life of a PhD student is both rigorous and demanding, but Savanna’s dedication and resourcefulness are on full display in this brief profile of her work.