Conserving Sea Cows and Seagrass Meadows: Meet Manatee Master and Ph.D. Student Ana Arevalo Cardona

Growing up in the Andes Mountains, far from the ocean, Ana Arevalo Cardona, a new integrative biology Ph.D. student, has always been drawn to nature. Once she moved to Florida, she looked for opportunities that brought her closer to the shimmering sea. Arevalo Cardona began volunteering at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, and soon she took a more hands-on role in conservation with Sea Turtle Oversight Protection, a volunteer group that works to rescue disoriented hatchlings at night.  

“This volunteer work confirmed that I wanted to follow a career in science, specifically in conservation,” stated Arevalo Cardona. 

As an undergraduate biology student at Florida Atlantic, Arevalo Cardona thrived. She landed a WLW-ECOS funded internship with Friends of Manatee Lagoon. Located in West Palm Beach and situated along the Lake Worth Lagoon estuary, the nonprofit organization aims to raise awareness about manatees, environmental education opportunities for learners of all ages and conservation efforts that inform the community about the environmental challenges manatees encounter in Florida. 

“Manatee Lagoon frequently hires FAU students as part-time Manatee Masters, which allows us the flexibility to both work and support our education,” noted Arevalo Cardona. “The internship opened a lot of doors for me. I got to help with a seagrass nursery project, which connects directly with my interests and goals. I also worked on outreach events, and I saw how excited kids were about learning. That experience, along with the support from my team, made me want to stay and keep growing in this field.” 

Manatee Masters serve as the organization’s educational docents who guide visitors on walking tours of Manatee Lagoon’s exhibits and provide insights about “all things manatee” and the Lake Worth Lagoon ecosystem. Just prior to her graduation in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a certificate in environmental sciences, Arevalo Cardona accepted a part-time Manatee Master position. 

“I have found my passion in conservation, and through my volunteer work, I have learned that education is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect our native species and their habitat,” expressed Arevalo Cardona. “As a Manatee Master, I get to teach people about manatees, the threats they face and how we can all help protect their habitat. Manatees are an umbrella species, so protecting them also helps protect many other species in their ecosystem.” 

One unique fact about manatees is that they control how they float using their lungs. Manatees can inflate each lung separately to help them stay balanced in the water.  

“This becomes really important when a manatee gets hit by a boat and breaks a bone,” said Arevalo Cardona. “They can regrow the bone, but it often grows back heavier, which makes them float unevenly. To fix that, they adjust the amount of air in each lung to help even themselves out!” 

This August, Arevalo Cardona is returning to the Schmidt College of Science to begin a Ph.D. program in integrative biology with a focus on environmental science. Under the direction of faculty advisor Ashkaan Fahimipour, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Arevalo Cardona will study seagrass meadows and use modeling and computational tools to support seagrass restoration projects.