After graduation from the Medical Technology program at Michigan State in 1978 I followed it up with a degree in Microbiology. In addition to funds from Uncle Sam through the G.I. Bill, part time jobs at the MSU Carcinogenesis Laboratory, and as a phlebotomist at the Osteopathic hospital in Lansing which provided money for beer and pizza.

After finishing studies, and relocating to Florida, I worked in clinical laboratories at Tampa’s University Community Hospital, and Community Hospital of New Port Richey. A Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of South Florida with a concentration in Environmental Health came later.

In 1984, a position with the Southwest Florida Water Management District became available and a new opportunity to manage an environmental monitoring laboratory began. With responsibilities for natural water resources in 16,000 square miles of the southwest region of Florida, the District laboratory investigates nutrient loading in surface water bodies and monitoring rivers and streams for environmental stress resulting from altered flows through drought or human development. The laboratory conducts approximately 60,000 tests a year for trace metals, major ions, and nutrients. An example of our most recent work can be found in an upcoming issue of Limnology and Oceanography on Estimating Goundwater Seepage and its associated transport of phosphorous to a hypereutrophic lake: A case study in Lake Persimmon, Florida, USA.