In 2020, I assumed the role of Director of Science & Education for the US-based Footprint Foundation, whose mission is to educate about the detrimental effects of plastic pollution and to inspire enough change to eliminate plastic from our environment.įiggener C, Bernardo J, Plotkin PT (2022). My mission is to strengthen grassroots sea turtle conservation efforts by developing and executing projects and training and empowering local conservationists and scientists, with a special emphasis on local women. I am also still actively involved in sea turtle research and conservation efforts with my two organisations Namaka Conservation Science, a scientific consultancy, and Costa Rican Alliance for Sea Turtle Conservation & Science (COASTS), a community-led non-profit in Costa Rica. I hold a PhD from Texas A&M University's Marine Biology ID Graduate Program, where I studied the trophic and movement ecology of sea turtles for my dissertation. A particular interest of mine is to highlight the threats our ocean and its inhabitants are facing, and the difference each and every one of us can make by changing daily habits. To foster awareness, I am using my study subjects as ocean ambassadors to connect people to our oceans.
I have worked with sea turtles and cetaceans in Central America for over 15 years, applying my research findings to the conservation of these charismatic animals. However, a viral video is not all I have accomplished :-)! Because of my advocacy work, I was named a Next Generation Leader by TIME Magazine in 2018 and was a finalist of the feature Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News, among other recognitions. My research and advocacy efforts have been featured in popular press articles, as well as different documentary productions, such as the BBC and National Geographic. The video is by now considered a pivotal moment in the anti-plastic movement and has provided me with an incredible platform for science communication and the conversation around the use of single-use plastics and other environmental issues affecting marine life. That video was a catalyst for the global anti-straw movement, leading to several straw bans by businesses such as Starbucks, Disney, and Alaska Airlines. My claim to fame and shining public moment is a viral video I filmed and uploaded in 2015 that documents the removal of a plastic straw from a sea turtle's nose by my research team.
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