My name is Kate Milne, and I am currently working for a year as an international fellow with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. I am a student at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and have had the incredible opportunity to complete this fellowship, based at the UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Island, as part of my degree. Gaining this experience as an undergraduate is invaluable, and I have loved every minute of it.
As part of the fellowship, I get to participate in such a wide range of activities. While the role primarily focuses on marine education, I also have animal husbandry duties, and I was able to serve on the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit planning committee.
One of my latest ventures is working on my personal project, which entails working with the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography’s ZERO-C Lab on a zooplankton training course. The ZERO-C lab has created “Zooniverse,” a fantastic community science project, which allows anyone to sort through zooplankton image data and contribute to real research. As our technology advances, data collection isn’t the challenge but sorting through hundreds of thousands of images is!
I am developing a training platform to introduce zooplankton and how to identify common species off the Southeast coast. I feel passionately about making science more accessible and am so grateful to get to take on this project.
Milne walks through a salt marsh environment with other educators.
Coming from Ireland, the coast of Georgia has been a completely different environment – from the plants and animals to the weather, my life changed entirely when I moved here. The thought of traveling to another country and teaching about habitats and animals that were new to me was nerve-wracking. I definitely had moments of self-doubt, but the second I arrived, all of that disappeared.
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s team at the UGA Aquarium have been warm, welcoming and always happy to help. It has been such a lovely work environment to be a part of. After a few weeks of training, I was ready to get stuck into all I could.
I am not the type of person who can do a job where every day is the same. I need excitement and variety, and this role has given me exactly that. No two days are alike, and I mean that in the best way possible.
One of my favorite activities has been leading our Sea Star program for k-4 classes. This two-hour program helps younger students learn about ocean life through a range of interactive activities. Getting young students excited about the ocean and sparking their curiosity has been an amazing feeling. It is a privilege to share my knowledge and watch so many minds become curious and eager to learn about our coasts.
I strongly believe that spreading awareness about coastal resources within local communities is one of the best ways to improve coastal resilience and protect these habitats. Being part of multiple school and public programs, and teaching students of all ages, has been so much fun. It has helped me discover what I want to pursue in my career.
Now that I am more than halfway through my fellowship, Georgia truly feels like home. The once unfamiliar habitats and weather have become part of my everyday life. This role has allowed me to grow so much, both professionally and personally, through the experiences and challenges I have had. While there is still much more to learn and explore in my remaining time, I know the lessons and memories I have made so far will stay with me long after I leave.
Milne aboard the R/V Savannah.