As the executive director of Sea to Shore Alliance, James 'Buddy' Powell has encouraged students to pursue their passion for research, conservation, and education. As S2S grows, so do the opportunities for student involvement. Therefore, we are creating a chapter specifically targeted at students interested in aquatic species and the goals of the alliance. The Sea to Shore Alliance Student Chapter aims to provide resources/venues for students to pursue further career training, international collaborations and contacts, funding opportunities, and to increase awareness of global conservation issues. The chapter will provide research updates on students from around the world currently collaborating with Sea to Shore.

Students from the University of Florida-College of Veterinary Medicine have been involved in Buddy's research for years, many of which have joined him for the manatee health assessments in Belize. Ambitious students have sought out funding sources and even provided personal resources to support their travel, sample collection, and analysis. Beyond research, students have also become actively involved with the local Belizean communities as well as assisting in the training of manatee health assessment techniques to those joining the project; both from Belize as well as visiting researchers, biologist, and students from around the globe.

Currently, we are in the process of creating a student section on the Sea to Shore website. Here you will be able to view pictures of students in the field, learn more about their research projects, access funding and research related resources, and communicate with other students. For more information please contact Jennifer McGee (McGeeJ@vetmed.ufl.edu).