Contact:
Biography:
Abby is an Education Specialist at Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration on Summerland Key, FL. She has a research background studying the impacts of environmental stressors on the Florida stone crab fishery. In addition, Abby has always had a passion for communicating her research interests through marine science education. Before starting at Mote, Abby worked on educational lessons that mimic her Florida stone crab research experiments in a classroom setting. These curricula allow students to investigate her research questions and discover scientific findings in a similar way to her own experiments. Currently, Abby works with local schools and students who visit the Florida Keys to educate them about Florida’s Coral Reef Tract and Mote’s coral reef research and restoration efforts. Abby is thrilled to be part of Mote’s Education team and with her work at Mote she will continue to work in an effort to bridge the gap between marine science topics and community understanding through science education.
Education:
Bachelors in Science in Marine Biology and Environmental Studies, Florida Southern College, 2022
Additional Publications
Gravinese, P. M., Smith, A. L., Stewart, S. M., & Paradis, J. (2023). Do pH-variable habitats provide refuge for stone crabs from coastal acifification? Oceanography, 36(1), 59–66. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2023.105
Jarrett, Morgan L., Smith, Abigail L., Langford, Gabriel J., Gravinese, Philip M. (2024). Lower seawater pH reduces the foraging activity of the Florida stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say, 1818) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Menippidae), Journal of Crustacean Biology, 44(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruae024