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. ​