Live Q&A for Kids: Meet a Marine Biologist!

Send your questions for the marine biologist HERE! https://forms.gle/UXi3LzE1QNZiDQgD8

Shannon D. Whaley: Marine Biologist

"Are you interested in the career of marine biology?  My dream of becoming a marine biologist began when I was 12 years old.  I lived in an area over 1,000 miles away from any ocean, and the only marine biologist I knew about was Jacques Cousteau on PBS.  How I wish I could have connected with a real marine biologist back then!  Now I have been in the field of marine biology for 28 years.  I have a passion for helping the next generation of marine biologists to get into this amazing career.  I started out as an entrepreneur identifying the species of tiny benthic creatures to support myself while getting my master’s degree at Texas A&M University.  Since then, I’ve had lots of adventures doing marine biology research along the Gulf coast from near the Mexico border in Texas throughout Florida while working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Other adventures include searching the mountains in Oregon for rare mollusks, and living on a houseboat in the middle of the Everglades while sampling fish and crustaceans at all hours of the night.  I’ve supervised field crews, laboratories, and research programs.  For the last 20 years, I’ve focused on spatial marine ecology in my current position at Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida.  In this role, I have written proposals and scientific papers,  and led research projects totaling over $8,000,000 in federal grants.  My current passion is using maps to help conserve and manage marine animals and ecosystems.

I also help young people learn more about the career of marine biology through an online course to determine if marine biology is right for them.  I also love to coach clients by helping them achieve their dream of working in this fascinating field of marine biology using what I have learned over the past 28 years.

Check out my Marine Biology Volunteering Guide to help you take your first steps into the marine biology field:  https://bit.ly/3mDu05C

Click the links below to follow me on your favorite social media platform!

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCst5OTe_I-jqg-UYEKOH5zg

FaceBook business page

https://www.facebook.com/becomemarinebiologist/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/shannonmarinebiology/

Tiktok

http://tiktok.com/@shannonmarinebiologist