Research Program

Many of our projects are made possible by our collaboration with our partner, Field School (www.getintothefield.com), which offers hands-on courses for undergraduate and graduate students aboard their 55' live-aboard Research Vessel, the R/V Garvin. Field School donates data collected during courses, field supplies, and scientific staff time to these collaborative projects. The Foundation supports this work through the purchase of scientific equipment, staff time, and data analysis.

Protecting a Juvenile Hammerhead Nursery

There are no established nursery areas for great hammerheads (Sphyrna mokarran) on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Since 2019, the Field School team has captured, tagged and released 12 juvenile hammerheads in Biscayne Bay. This project highlights a story of hope and resilience, as these threatened animals are living and thriving in sight of downtown Miami, FL.

The Field School Foundation is raising funds to purchase acoustic tags and receivers critical for establishing the exact boundaries of the nursery in order to make management recommendations. Our Director, Dr. Julia Wester, is also facilitating the use of these findings for larger scale conservation efforts by organizing science cafes, workshops, public talks and exhibits in order to engage key stakeholder groups, from fishermen to conservationists to policy makers, on this issue. 

Our Blue Backyard:
​Critical Ecosystems of Biscayne Bay, Florida

Juvenile hammerheads are not the only animals that call Biscayne Bay home. This large-scale project supports research into the health of the bay using a variety of scientific methods and outreach initiatives. The Field School Foundation is helping to engage the residents of Miami in learning about who else calls Biscayne Bay home and how they can be part of the solution to conserve the Bay.

Imagining a future for Florida's environment

Florida is an incredible living laboratory for exploring how humans and nature can co-exist. This project, funded by the Pierce Family Foundation, is examining core drivers of environmental change in Florida--from agriculture to tourism to development--and determining critical areas of action for research and outreach. Led by our Executive Director, Dr. Wester, this project is utilizing a multi-method approach to determine the attitudes, values, and incentives of key stakeholder groups in order to find new ways to engage and motivate people to create a new vision of Florida's future.

South Florida Recreational Fisheries

The attitudes and values of recreational fishermen have changed dramatically in recent decades. Fisheries stakeholders are also critical conservation advocates. This project has engaged directly with fishermen and fisheries policy in the state to determine how values have changed, what knowledge base exists, and what outreach interventions would be most effective. Current ongoing studies as part of this project include an assessment of the policy changes around land-based shark fishing in Florida, and research into the attitudes, knowledge, and practices of land-based fishermen toward a resident population of juvenile manta rays. 

Empowering students in science

As part of these projects and the courses conducted by Field School, the Foundation is working to promote underrepresented students in science and to empower students to see themselves as capable of making a difference in science and conservation. This research area is focused on measuring and assessing that impact in order to make programmatic improvements and  recommendations to other organizations doing work in STEM education.

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