We aim to elevate women’s voices,
research and experiences in marine science.
These are stories from our community that connect and inspire us.
Marine Plastics in Scotland – An Interview with Lola Paradinas
Lola Paradinas is a passionate PhD researcher working at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), based in Oban on the west coast of Scotland. She grew up on a sailing boat for the first ten years of her life circumnavigating the globe. Being in constant contact with the sea, she learnt to appreciate, respect and protect the marine environment.
Throwing it All Away: How United States Preemption Laws Undermine Plastic Pollution Progress
Plastic Pollution is one of the biggest problems facing the marine environment today. Plastic waste can often be found as litter along the side of the road or places where people gather like the beach. Even when disposed of properly, some plastic, like carryout bags and straws can be transported by the wind and often ends up in the nearest body of water. As we look to reducing single-use plastic consumption, it’s important to look at some of the policies in place.
Kelly Forsythe: A Collection of Personal Experiences by Black Women in Marine Science
Growing up on an island that was only 26 miles long and 2 miles wide you couldn’t escape the sea if you tried. The sea and trips to the beach were a regular occurrence for me throughout my childhood, but it really wasn’t until 6th form (year 12) that I decided to get serious about a career in marine biology.
Some Need Straws
At the age of 12, I was on vacation and asked to assist in an emergency wild sea turtle nest removal mission. That day was the a catalyst of my career and my life to protecting nature as a field biologist. I left my home during the pandemic and travelled across the US to work under the National Park Service as a Kemp’s Ridley Biotech. So yeah, I love sea turtles. But I can’t be fully on board with the straw ban.
Karla Martins: A Collection of Personal Experiences by Black Women in Marine Science
Karla Martins Is a Fisheries engineer from Brazil. As a PhD candidate, she is a Black woman in a space traditionally occupied by white men. Karla has a thought provoking and positive attitude to the changes that are being made to dismantle and reconstruct racial attitudes towards education.
From Coastlines to Coral
Like many of the extraordinary women featured on this site, I fell in love with the ocean early on and fell hard. Declaring myself a future marine biologist by the time I was about 9 years old, I spent summers exploring the barnacle-ridden rocky tidal pools at Wingaersheek Beach in my home state of Massachusetts or catch-and-releasing crabs and invertebrates that were unfortunate enough to pass by my grandparents’ dock in Chesapeake Bay. I was happiest when I was saltiest, and that hasn’t changed.