The Water School

2025 Theme: ResiliencEE  Join environmental education enthusiasts from across SWFL. The Environmental Education Alliance of Southwest Florida will be holding its annual conference on Saturday, November 1st from 8:30am-3:30pm in The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University. Register for the conference by completing this form by October 24th. Form Link: https://forms.gle/azDyGiATH2LQw7jr7    Expect an invigorating and educational experience including field experiences, networking opportunities, a keynote speaker, a light breakfast, and lunch! You may choose to attend one of the field experience breakouts for the event. Field experiences will take place from 9am-11am on the FGCU campus.    Campus Wet Walk Nature Bathing Experience Food Forest Tour Campus Bird Walk Outdoor Art Class   We will confirm your field experience session by October 29th. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you on November 1st!

With Dr. Locksley Knibbs Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. AB9 215 Status Check/ Semester Course Planning Graduation Check Plan toward Graduation Changing Major within The Water School or College of Arts & Sciences Adding or Changing Minor(s) Declaring or Changing Concentration Can’t make it on Tuesday? Drop-in advising is available Wednesday in Seidler Hall room 109 or scan the QR code to make an appointment.

Brought to you by The Water School Seminar Speaker Committee Harry Maisch, Stefan Carpenter, Dhruv Bhatt, and Vanaja Kankarla. Dr. Matt Ware is an ecologist investigating the interaction of coastal change and animal behavior, population dynamics, and conservation management using in situ, remote, and computational methods. The main goal of his work is to find better ways for us to balance the human use and continued function of coastal ecosystems. To do so, he has worked on a wide array of coastal conservation issues, ranging from coral reef restoration in the Florida Keys to sea turtle habitat suitability in North Carolina, often integrating students, citizen science NGOs, and state and federal management partners. Out in the field, he is an FAA-qualified drone pilot, PADI Master SCUBA Diver Trainer, DAN instructor, and avid photographer. Dr. Ware uses these skills in his outreach to the public with respect to critical conservation issues. In particular, his photographs have been published in outlets such as National Geographic, been on display at the British Natural History Museum, and been honored in the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. ​   Laura O’Connell is an Assistant Professor of Carbonate Sedimentology in the Marine and Earth Science Department at Florida Gulf Coast University. Like The Water School, she is interdisciplinary; she started her education as a double major in geology and marine science and a minor in biology at the University of Miami. She then went to graduate school at Queen’s University in Canada where she investigated ancient and modern rocks and sediments in Australia and their links to environmental and climatic changes. Her scientific research focuses on the intersections between marine biology, ecology, and geology to better understand marine seafloor communities and how they have changed through time. She also investigates sediment production by organisms, from the structures of reefs to the genesis of carbonate muds. Her research and field experiences have taken her around the world including to Australia, Alaska, and Panama and she is excited to continue her research and field teaching at FGCU. She has experience teaching at many college levels and loves getting students excited about geology and marine systems in the classroom and in the field. She looks forward to bringing her well-rounded expertise in teaching and research to students at FGCU and also in helping to grow the Environmental Geology program. When she was an undergraduate at the University of Miami, The Water School at FGCU was just getting started and Laura wanted to be a part of it. She was thrilled when this job was posted, and she started at her position at FGCU in spring of 2024. ​

Watch the documentary Rising: Surviving the Surge and discover SWFL resiliency efforts from a panel discussion taking place after the screening.    Rising: Surviving the Surge   A gripping exploration of Hurricane Ian, the 2022 storm that forever changed Southwest Florida.   As survivors tried to rise from the wreckage, the storms kept coming. With dramatic storm footage, powerful stories of resilience, and insights from scientists, first responders, and community leaders, "Rising" is a wake-up call to the new reality of storm surge.   The film reveals the science behind the destruction and the persistent threat of storm surge from the coast to the heart of the state. Rising offers a vital reminder for storm preparedness when it matters most.   Panel Moderator: Mike Kiniry, Host of WGCU's Gulf Coast Life Panelists: Dr. Jeannine Richards Dr. Shelton Weeks Dr. Johane Dikgang Dr. Tom Felke   Open to the public Reception from 5:00-5:30pm Film from 5:30-6:30pm Panel Discussion 6:30-7:30pm

With Dr. Locksley Knibbs Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. AB9 215 Status Check/ Semester Course Planning Graduation Check Plan toward Graduation Changing Major within The Water School or College of Arts & Sciences Adding or Changing Minor(s) Declaring or Changing Concentration Can’t make it on Tuesday? Drop-in advising is available Wednesday in Seidler Hall room 109 or scan the QR code to make an appointment.

Brought to you by The Water School Seminar Speaker Committee Harry Maisch, Stefan Carpenter, Dhruv Bhatt, and Vanaja Kankarla. Dr. Johane Dikgang is an Associate Professor of Environmental Economics at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), with appointments in the Department of Economics and Finance and The Water School. He also serves as a Research Associate at the University of Cape Town and is a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg. Dr. Dikgang specializes in Environmental Economics and Policy, focusing on water management, environmental valuation, climate change economics, and natural hazards and disaster economics. His research is published in leading journals including World Development, Ecological Economics, Food Policy, and Environment and Development Economics. With 20 years of academic experience, Dr. Dikgang has served as a peer reviewer for prestigious journals such as the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Environmental and Resource Economics, and the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He has supervised 23 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to completion, including 6 PhDs, 10 master’s degree recipients, and 7 postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Dikgang earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cape Town, with additional PhD-level courses completed at universities in Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, and Belgium. He also holds an MCom in Environmental Economics from Nelson Mandela University.

With Dr. Locksley Knibbs Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. AB9 215 Status Check/ Semester Course Planning Graduation Check Plan toward Graduation Changing Major within The Water School or College of Arts & Sciences Adding or Changing Minor(s) Declaring or Changing Concentration Can’t make it on Tuesday? Drop-in advising is available Wednesday in Seidler Hall room 109 or scan the QR code to make an appointment.

Test your ocean knowledge solo or with a team of up to six! The winning team takes home a $50 Waterlust gift card.

With Dr. Locksley Knibbs Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. AB9 215 Status Check/ Semester Course Planning Graduation Check Plan toward Graduation Changing Major within The Water School or College of Arts & Sciences Adding or Changing Minor(s) Declaring or Changing Concentration Can’t make it on Tuesday? Drop-in advising is available Wednesday in Seidler Hall room 109 or scan the QR code to make an appointment.