Marine Biologist -- Crystal LouAllen Hightower
"Being a Marine Biologist, specifically a Fisheries Scientist, was my dream job when I was growing up in North Alabama. Almost 11 years in the field and 2 higher degrees later, I now understand that job includes being a fisherwoman, ROV driver, SCUBA diver, boat captain, ecologist, chemist, computer modeler, author, and lab manager. "
Advice from Crystal:
The best advice I can give to anyone interested in pursuing this career is to take EVERY single science course offered at their high school and as many in undergrad as possible, not just biology!!! A solid background in biology, ecology, chemistry, physics, and geology are necessary to understand all of the processes involved in in marine science!! I don't just study fishes, I also study the temperature, salinity, and chemical composition of the water they inhabit. It's also important to understand the geological and physical dynamics of the environment because all of these things have effects on fish behaviors! It's also really important to understand and study mathematics, you don't have to be naturally great at math, but you should be able to understand basic math, geometry, trig and especially statistics!! I've seen several students entering marine sciences as interns and grad students who have lived on the coast and have access to marine biology and conservation classes struggle more than those who lived inland just because they lack a greater base knowledge of science and math!!
I would suggest that anyone interested in marine sciences get some practical experience in and on the water by learning to operate boats, fishing, and SCUBA diving. These skills, when learned in freshwater, take less time to translate to learning how to work in marine environments than if one were to have to start at square one when they enter college or a professional career. My experiences on the Tennessee River and at Smith Lake fishing and operating boats definitely helped me when starting to work in the Mobile Bay and Gulf of Mexico!! Even if they just swim, kayak, or shore fish, having a knowledge and comfort level on and around the water is really important when learning to conduct science in these environments!
Crystal LouAllen Hightower
Fisheries Ecology Lab
University of South Alabama
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Dauphin Island, AL 36528
251-861-2141 x2384
[email protected]
Pharmacist -- Laura Thompson Johnson
Laura participated in a career fair at Lexington High School during the 2016-2017. She put together a packet of information to help students learn about careers in pharmacy. Click here to see that information.