Welcome to Ocean Simplified

Hi and welcome to your new favorite corner of the internet. Grab a coffee, tea, or snack of choice, and let’s dive into real ocean science, one paper at a time. I'm Heather, your writer and new internet dive buddy. Together, we're going to dive into some of the coolest new ocean science with confusion clarified, biological processes explained, and impacts made clearly.

Allow me to introduce myself more thoroughly.

Originally from Georgia, USA, I've always loved the ocean. So in 2022, I set off on a journey to study marine life at the University of Miami and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Marine Affairs from the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Marine Affairs is a degree that combines marine biology and environmental policy. Outside of school, I enjoy scuba diving, photography (above and underwater), fitness, and anime. I spent a majority of my undergraduate time reading scientific papers and volunteering with conservation groups. Some of the conservation groups I've been with include:

• Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme

• Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

• Okefenokee Protection Alliance

• Florida Manta Project

• Reef Renewal Bonaire

• Caribbean Islands Manta Conservation Program

• Women Divers Hall of Fame

These experiences have taught me that our planet needs more help than I expected. I'm now studying at the University of Miami School of Law in hopes of finding more ways I can help protect Earth. Our planet belongs to more than just us.

I'm now going into my second year of law school. During the first year, I found myself reading endless amounts of caselaw and losing touch with my science side. I've always enjoyed reading scientific papers too, and then it hit me. I had two problems.

1. I wanted to read more scientific papers

2. Scientific papers are really hard for most people to understand

   
   

Scientific papers were hard for me too at first, but after years of practice and professors explaining what things mean, you start to get a general understanding of the scientific method, statistics, and results. Speaking of the scientific method, click the button below to read my breakdown of how to read a scientific paper including a deep dive into the scientific method.

HOW TO READ A SCIENTIFIC PAPER

The good news is: I have one solution to both of my problems. I could read one scientific paper a week (solution to problem 1) and write an article about it's findings and importance that's easy to understand (solution to problem 2). And that's how I created Ocean Simplified. So anyway, I'm really glad you're here!

BTW: all of these posts will be written entirely by me. NO AI!

One other thing:

I realize that science can be so difficult because complex terms are not defined and these terms pile up quick, leaving the non-scientific trained mind on google for 45 minutes to make it through 2 paragraphs. I'll be using some of these terms in my articles, but if I think it needs to be explained, I'll have my assistant do that.

Allow me to introduce my assistant, Splash.

Keep a lookout for Splash in the margins. She'll explain any complex vocabulary to keep the flow of the article running smoothly.

That's all I have for you now! Thanks for being here and I'm excited to embark on this journey together. Hopefully we'll both learn something.

Also, if there's any topics or specific animals you want to learn more about, drop it down below and I'll cover a paper on it!

CLICK HERE TO SUGGEST A TOPIC OR SEA ANIMAL