“This may look like brains but it is really strawberry.” You never know what you’re going to overhear at the Museum when scientists are visiting!
It was wonderful to host our Women and Girls in Science Celebration at the Museum again after several years of virtual events. On Feb. 13, 2022, we invited scientists from our collections and labs, as well as from other labs here at the University of Florida, to show their favorite research and talk about how they chose their career paths. Visitors had a great time learning about fossils, bugs, brains, DNA and more at science stations around the Museum.
We were able to offer a virtual panel discussion for those unable to attend in person. Guests watched on Zoom as well as on our big screen in the Museum. Hybrid events allow us to bring even more scientists in to visit virtually!
2022 Panelists
Gabby Salazar, author of “No Boundaries: 25 Women Explorers and Scientists Share Adventures, Inspiration, and Advice”
Jennifer Adler, conservation photographer and underwater photojournalist
Maria Beatriz de Souza Cortez, Ph.D. candidate in The Soltis Lab
Moderator:Dr. Megan Ennes, Assistant Curator of Museum Education in the Department of Natural History at the University of Florida
Gabby Salazar is the author of “No Boundaries: 25 Women Explorers and Scientists Share Adventures, Inspiration, and Advice”, which she created with her colleague Clare Fieseler. Gabby is a National Geographic Explorer, a nature and conservation photographer, and a social scientist. As Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, she has worked on environmental photography projects across the globe, spending months at a time living in tropical rainforests and on tropical islands. Salazar has an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London and is currently a doctoral student at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Science, where she studies environmental marketing.
Jennifer Adler is a conservation photographer and underwater photojournalist. Her work is informed by her scientific background, and she uses her imagery to communicate science and conservation. She has a degree in marine biology from Brown University and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary ecology from the University of Florida. She specializes in underwater photography and is a trained freediver and cave diver. An ongoing theme in her work is the connection between people and water in a changing climate. Her grant-funded and assignment work has taken her all over the world to document science and conservation for The Nature Conservancy, National Geographic, Huffington Post and the International Women’s Media Foundation.
Mallory Dimmitt is the inaugural CEO of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Coalition and former Vice President of Strategic Development for Lykes Bros. Inc., a fifth-generation family-owned agribusiness based in Florida. Previously, Mallory led The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado Plateau Initiative from Telluride, Colorado, assessing large-scale conservation opportunities in a four-state region of the West, and prior to that directed the Southwest Colorado Project for the Conservancy’s Colorado Chapter. She has served as a member of Telluride’s Town Council and has worked with local, regional, state, and federal agencies and organizations on natural resource issues. Mallory earned her B.S. in Natural Resources from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. She was awarded a Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship at Duke University’s Nicholas School of Environment, where she earned a Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) in Environmental Economics and Policy.
Maria Beatriz de Souza Cortez is a Ph.D. candidate in the Soltis Lab at the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Biology Department. Maria obtained her Master’s in plant biology from the State University of Campinas in Brazil. Her current research focuses on exploring patterns of plant diversity in the campos rupestres, a grassy and rocky area located on mountain tops of Brazil. She is also interested in bridging Western scientific knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge, especially where it relates to biocultural conservation efforts
Dr. Megan Ennes is the moderator for this discussion. She is the Assistant Curator of Museum Education in the Department of Natural History at the University of Florida. A former museum educator, her research focuses on the use of online learning in museums as well as how to support the professional development of museum educators. She also examines how museums can support the science interests and career aspirations of underrepresented groups through family programming and ecocivic engagement.
Girls Do Science
Be sure to check out some of our online resources from last year’s virtual event! We have some great hands-on science project videos, reading lists, and downloads like this fantastic activity book PDF.
In 2015, the United Nations selected Feb. 11 as ‘International Women and Girls in Science Day‘ in order to further achieve gender equality and encourage more female participation in science. We are proud to feature local women in science to highlight the work they do and the career paths that brought them here
Girls Do Science