Very excited to hear from Rose Santana - @Scie.co, lab manager and a researcher at an Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology Lab at Florida International University as she stops by to talk sharks, science and bring awareness to chemical pollutants!
When I was younger, my grandfather was a fisherman and he would take me out on the boat with him every Sunday. I was always fascinated by the things he would catch and decided I wanted to study the ocean.
Right now, I study the effects of metal contaminants on predator-prey interactions. I haven't actually done any work with sharks yet, but I think it'd be pretty interesting to look at how apex predators such as sharks could be affected by toxins and pollutants, especially their behavior.
We all need the ocean. We all in some way or another dependent on it, there should never be a divide between everyone just trying to do their best to protect it. There are so many ways to get involved, whether through beach cleanups or citizen science events. Let's all lend a hand.
Q:) Imagine you woke up as a shark tomorrow- Which would you be and why?
That one is tough. I’m torn between a whale shark and an orca. Something about whale sharks just seems majestic to me. They’re the gentle giants of the sea and I love it. But orcas are just powerhouses. I can kind of relate to both.
Q:) What are the most important factors people should know before coming out to dive?
Respect the ocean. There is a reason people say never turn your back on it. Remember, you are in their home, not vice versa. Do not harass the animals you encounter. Simply observe them.
Q:) How did you get into aquatic toxicology? What keeps you coming back and/or what is so fulfilling about this field?
It was purely accidental. When I was a sophomore undergraduate I was taking a class and jokingly told the TA she should hire me because I had experience handling live fish ( I had aquariums at home). She took it seriously and asked me to stay after class for an interview and 30 minutes later, I was hired. I’ve stayed here for the last 3 years.
My research focuses on why the legal dose that is allowed to be in our ecosystems isn’t good enough and how it’s still causing harm. I think it’s pretty cool that research like this can be used to influence future policies.
It’s a super interesting field because of the fact that chemical pollutants don’t always show themselves physically like plastics, but they can pack a punch and do some real damage to the environment.
Q:) In your opinion, what makes a successful marine scientist? What would you tell/what advice or tips would you say to your past self?
In my opinion, what makes a successful marine scientist is the love of the ocean, but also understanding how the ocean affects people. Small island communities and remote indigenous communities are dependent on the ocean as a food source. Understanding how to best help the people DIRECTLY dependent is super important to me. As well as learning their traditional knowledge from them.
Some people think that you need to have a PhD to be a scientist, but I’ve seen people who didn’t have any formal ‘education’ know so much more about the ocean than many professors and/or graduate students at universities.
Q:) What’s your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment thus far?
This is tough, I have many moments and accomplishments I’m proud of. Obviously being the first in my family to graduate with a bachelor's degree is nice. It’s been a long time coming. But some of my proudest moments have been in my community, from hosting outreach events to minority students and teaching them about the ocean. To get a little kid to say “Cool! I want to study that” is pretty damn nice. And also going to the Arctic for a 21-Day expedition is pretty noteworthy. It was a completely surreal experience to be there, completely isolated from the rest of the world. The amount of work you can do with 24 hour sunlight in insane.
Q:) What’s an ultimate goal for your work- what do you (or other people) hope get out of it?
The ultimate goal for my work is to get people to care about things they cannot see. Chemical pollutants and kind of like a silent killer. From pesticides to pharmaceutical runoff. They can harm our ecosystems in such a drastic way and most people aren’t even aware of just how bad it can actually be. I hope to be able to raise some awareness about these issues and make people stop and think.