Goodbye and Thanks FIO Field Studies--Jess Schmidt

Our final week of marine field studies has come to an end at UWF. The time has flown by, and the experiences will always be remembered.

 For our final week, we were able to gain an understanding of how freshwater and estuarine rivers and creeks from forested to urban areas come together to affect our offshore waters. We took a fun trip to visit the EPA and got to see the different experiments they were working on. UWF also threw us all an amazing shrimp boil; the first I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing and tasting. I was thrilled we got to see turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) flowering during our time snorkeling. We finished our projects that we have been working on since week one and presented them at the UWF symposium. I was impressed by all of my fellow students work. I am extremely grateful for Dr. Judkins preparing us last week with our less formal presentations. All of our presenting skills were greatly improved just in time for the symposium.

I am so thankful to FIO for allowing this program to happen. I am also grateful to all of the professors and Barbara for sharing their knowledge and experience with us. I never expected to learn as much as I have or gain experience using so many different types of scientific equipment. This was the last course needed for my degree and I am so glad that I chose to be a part of it. It has tied together so many subjects for me. I have gained a better understanding of all my previous biology, chemistry and physics courses, and I even understand what calculus can be used for now. It has given me a broader understanding of the jobs I can get with my degree, and has allowed me to better understand my own personal strengths and weaknesses.

We began as Dr. Smith's "little ducklings" and have been fine tuned with the help of all the other professors and wonderful people we have met, into educated stewards of Florida's ecosystems and organisms. I only hope that this program can remain for many, many years into the future for other students to be able to experience. Our future needs more people educated in this manner; for the health of our waters, our lands, our critter friends and ultimately all of us.