This is an exciting time for the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (CMES) at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) as seventeen students will receive a Master of Marine and Environmental Science (MMES) degree on Thursday, May 17, 2018. (Cover photo: Colin Howe)

The 2015 Masters of Marine & Environmental Studies cohort at the University of the Virgin Islands has received notice that their video “Spread the word, not Halophila” is one of only ten submissions to make it to the final round of the Ocean 180 Video Challenge.

Since Hurricanes Irma and Maria swept through the Caribbean in September 2017, marine researchers at the University of the Virgin Islands noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of green sea turtles in Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, and, a possible decrease in hawksbill sea turtles as well.  Both of these species are protected as their populations have been greatly impacted by over-harvesting of eggs and adults over the past centuries. What does this mean for local populations of these fascinating creatures?

Dr. Nastassia Jones is the Assistant Professor of Science Education at the University of the Virgin Islands and Managing Director of the Virgin Islands Institute of Stem Education Research and Practice funded by VI-EPSCoR. With few role models, and fewer resources, how did an African American girl from the south grow up to be a doctor, a scientist, and a college professor?