Patience recently took the Coral Ecology and Conservation course at Unity College with Professor Dominique McCowan.
"I am currently earning my Master’s in Marine Science in the Coral Reef Biodiversity and Conservation track. I recently took the Coral Ecology and Conservation course with Dr. McCowan. It is obvious how passionate and knowledgeable Dr. McCowan is about corals. She was always happy to answer any questions I had. I think the big takeaways I took from this course are how important it is to look back at the ecological history of corals, how to analyze data, and how to present data.
Through the course we learned about coral morphology, coral taxonomy, paleoecology, and disturbances that threaten coral reefs. We worked on a specific region in the world where coral reefs are found and created a status report of that region's coral reefs. We investigated threats to the coral reefs through analyzing data from a database as well as collecting data from scientific journal articles. We also investigated management efforts to combat those threats and offered recommendations to improve management efforts. I investigated the Western Indian Ocean region’s coral reefs where I analyzed threats such as macroalgae, pollution, and tropical storms. It was a challenging but rewarding experience.
Through the immersive experience of writing a status report, I was able to utilize the knowledge I learned about corals throughout the course. I hope to use what I learned about scientific writing and corals in my future endeavors."
Original source can be found here
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