STEMExplore Virtual Career Connection with a Sea Turtle Specialist and Shark Biologist

Join EarthEcho International as we highlight relatable voices in STEM careers! With STEMExplore, we invite female professionals to share their STEM journey with a live audience during dynamic 45-minute virtual events.

The conversation will focus on women in STEM and the STEMExplore Mentor will share her personal journey and the positive influences that helped her to realize her professional capabilities.

During this 45-minute session, the participants will: 

- Learn about ocean conservation and marine science as a career in general;
- Observe the day to day tasks of a marine scientist, specifically working with sea turtles and sharks;
- Gain insight into a STEM career and learn the steps it takes to become a professional in this area;
- Ask interview questions of the STEMExplore expert.

Date: June 2, 2020 at 4:00 PM EASTERN

Topic/Career: Marine Science, Sea Turtle Biology and Ecology, Ocean Conservation

STEMExplore Mentor: Carlee Jackson, Sea Turtle Specialist and Shark Biologist, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and Nova Southeastern University

Carlee Jackson received her Bachelors of Science in Biology at Florida Atlantic University in 2016, where she was also a Division I NCAA swimmer.  She currently is a graduate student pursuing her Master’s in Marine Biology at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), where she is completing research for her thesis titled, “Examining the effects of provisioning tourism on nurse sharks in Caye Caulker, Belize.” She is also a Marine Turtle Specialist at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, conducting sea turtle nesting surveys along Boca Raton beaches, as well as assisting with medical procedures and husbandry in the sea turtle rehabilitation center.  

Her research involves extensive fieldwork on boats, in the water and on the beach. For her thesis, she spent two months on Caye Caulker Island collecting field data on nurse sharks through behavioral surveys and underwater camera set ups.  In the Conservation, Movement and Ecosystem Dynamics Lab (CMED) at NSU, she is a part of the shark tagging crew, tagging sharks off the coast of Broward County as part of Guy Harvey Research Institute.  As a marine turtle specialist, she conducts nesting beach surveys along the five miles of Boca Raton beach during sea turtle nesting season.  She identifies sea turtle nests and educates the public on the importance of the protection of sea turtles through public outreach events.

Originally from Detroit, MI, Carlee moved to South Florida during her undergraduate studies.  When she has some free time, she likes to go SCUBA diving or snorkeling at nearby reefs and wrecks.