From Carbondale to Coral Reefs: Bold Science, Big Impact

What do coral reefs, the Heartland and a student at Southern Illinois Univ. have in common? A groundbreaking journey to save our oceans. Dive deep with Ashlynn Shea, a zoology senior and coral conservation advocate, whose work in a landlocked lab is transforming the future of marine biology.

From studying coral microbiomes to dreaming of heat-resistant reefs, Ashlynn is tackling climate change one flow rate at a time. Learn how the Saluki Coral Farm is redefining aquaculture and why coral reefs—the "canaries of the ocean"—are essential for life on Earth.

Get ready to explore the depths of innovation making waves of change far from the shore." 🌊

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Chapters

• 0:06 Coral Reef Conservation and Research
• 16:08 Exploring Ocean Diving and Coral Conservation
• 21:46 Pursuing Dreams in Marine Science
• 33:14 Inspiring Stories of Environmental Dedication

Transcript

Pat
Welcome to Fill To Capacity, where heart grit and irreverent humor collide. A podcast for people too stubborn to quit and too creative not to make a difference.

Pat
Hi, I am Pat Benincasa and welcome to Fill To Capacity, today, Episode # 92: "From Carbondale to Coral Reefs: Bold Science, Big Impact.”

So today we're doing a deep dive, and I mean a deep dive with my guest Ashlynn Shea, a senior at Southern Illinois University- Carbondale. So when we talk about Southern Illinois University, we'll just say SIU. 

Ashlynn is a zoology major specializing in fisheries, aquaculture and aquatic sciences with a chemistry minor and a certification in cannabis production. 

Originally from Junction City, Kansas, Ashlynn is part of a group doing groundbreaking research in coral reef conservation. 

Now, I know listeners, you're probably wondering, in the middle of prairies and corn fields, you kind of don't expect to hear about coral reef conservation. Their work is transforming how we think about marine biology, aquaculture, and the future of our planet's reefs. 

So welcome Ashlynn. I am so excited to have you here!

Ashlynn
Hi. Thank you. I'm excited to be here.

Pat 
Okay, so listeners, before we begin, I wanna clear up any kind of confusion with a few things. 

One, coral is not a plant or rock, it is a marine animal, and coral is a powerhouse in marine ecosystems. And here's a few reasons why:

Coral builds reefs, the backbone of marine ecosystems. 

Coral provides habitat home to 25% of all marine life. 

Coral protects coastlines, shields against waves and erosion. 

Coral also supports fisheries provides food and jobs. 

Needless to say, it boosts tourism. It is a magnet for divers and snorkelers. 

It also regulates climate, helps balance carbon in the ocean and air and produces medicines, source of life-saving compounds. 

It preserves biodiversity and supports countless species. 

And finally, coral signals ocean health. It's the canary in the coal mine for our seas. 

So coral isn't just beautiful, it's essential for life on earth. Okay, Ashlyn, I think we're ready to go. So, Ashlyn, living in the Midwest, how did you develop such a deep passion for coral reef conservation?

Ashlynn 
So, it's very limited living in the Midwest, and I grew up as a military child. Like I was born in Texas, lived in Illinois for a bit, then I was raised in Kansas. So kind of moving around a lot. 

And ever since I was a kid, I've always just had such a deep passion for the ocean. I would watch movies, documentaries, but I had never had that reach. Like I was never near the ocean. First time I saw it, I was 16. So I think it was the fact that it was just, I longed for it and it was something that was so far away from me, which just made it more interesting also. I mean, it is just an interesting thing. It's massive. 

Only like 26% has been discovered. That's what blew my mind as a kid. I always was like, I wanna be the person who discovers more of the ocean or who, who makes like such a big impact and changes the world in a sense.

Pat 
Well that's wonderful. Coral reefs are often seen as far off ecosystems, what do you think is the biggest misconception people have about their relevance, the relevance of coral to everyday life? Especially people who don't live near coastal waters.

Ashlynn 
Oh yeah. A lot of people are mistaken, especially people who live inland. They believe that they have no impact on the coastlines, and that is everything but true. Even just this past year, 2024, there was massive storms like in the Midwest, like tornadoes. Like there was even a hurricane at one point that came up through like Illinois. I mean it hit Mexico, but there was an aftermath of the hurricane that came up through Illinois and Missouri. And studies show that as coral reefs begin to decline, that heavy storms become more prevalent in the Midwest, inland. And a lot of people, they don't realize how much an impact they have on our coastlines, even in the Midwest, it's drastic.

Pat 
Yeah, I had no idea. Now let's talk about your work for a moment. What is Saluki Coral Farm and what's the most exciting part of working in such a pioneering program?

Ashlynn
Saluki Coral Farm is kind of the start of a coral farm at a university. My university, we don't have a marine biology program. We have a class, but we have an aquaculture program. And so aquaculture is the study of raising fish in an indoor facility. That can be saltwater and freshwater. It's mainly freshwater where we're at. 

However, I work under a professor, Dr. Garvey, who has been a coral hobbyist for like 20 years. That's where the salt water part comes in. And yeah, he hired me on, he took a chance and now I, I take care of his corals along with more corals that we've gotten since then. It's just about raising them. 

Right now. I'm really big on creating awareness. Like I said earlier, there's no program. And I think that if there's enough light on this topic, then something big can come out of this, especially for the Midwest, because a lot of people think that it's out of reach.

Ashlynn 
It's something that can't be done. I don't believe that at all. I think that just means you have to work harder for what you want. And that's exactly what I'm trying to do. It's really fun. It's very rewarding. They're delicate little animals, very different than fish. Fish exhibit behaviors. Quarrels don't. So they could be really good one day and then like the next day you come in and they're just bleached off. And at that point you have to figure out, oh, like what happened overnight? You know, it's a very interesting job. I, I love it. 

Pat 
Now your research, I've been following articles written about you and the kinda work that you're doing. Your research focuses on how water flow impacts coral health. Can you explain why flow rates, I mean, why is that important and what does that mean for coral conservation?

Ashlynn 

I like to think of it as in the ocean. There's a lot of moving different pieces when it comes to like water chemistry and quality. And somehow it is just perfect. It's just right for all that animals that inhabit it unless something drastic happens and then like corals start bleaching off. And that could be global warming, climate change, temperature rise, stuff like that. Those perfect conditions are really hard to mimic in a lab setting because the ocean just does it naturally. But the flow rate, that is something that I can mimic in my lab with the resources that we have. So, I'm really interested in the health of corals, especially their microbiome, which is, is like everyone has a microbiome. We have a microbiome gut.

Pat
A microbiome is the collection of all microbes such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes naturally live on and inside all living organisms.

Ashlynn 
So fish, corals, all animals have a microbiome. It's their gut. So like their health, their overall health. Really digging into that, seeing like what bacteria is making these corals either thrive or die in varying flow conditions because flow has a direct impact to coral health. Some corals, they require really high flow. Some corals require medium, some corals require low. So when you place 'em in flow rates, that is not ideal for their health. That's where I wanna look at. Well, what bacteria is helping them either thrive or die in those conditions.

Pat
I'm curious, when you say flow, are there corals and parts of oceans that are in more agitated waters or in more calming waters? Is that what you're talking about with flow?

Ashlynn 
Yeah. So, it's like water turnover per minute. Yeah.

Pat 
Okay. That that clarifies it. Now you started to mention bleaching, and I wanna get into this. I have a two-part question for you. Okay. The “Great Bleaching,” and that's what they're calling it, the “Great Bleaching,” has left many reefs struggling to survive. What is the “Great Bleaching?” And my next question, what gives you hope that coral reefs can recover from this?

Ashlynn 
The Great Bleaching, it's kind of happening in a lot of places in our world that are experiencing varying fluctuations in temperatures in the summer, especially high temperatures like record temperatures that have not been seen in years, like surface water. I remember in Florida last year, like the surface temp in some parts of Florida was like a hundred degrees. And that's surface.

Pat
Wow.

Ashlynn 
So, imagine like you're a person getting in the water, you're trying to cool off and it's warm. And coral reefs, they live in shallower waters. That's why snorkeling is such a big thing. So that is not their ideal temperature at all. And that's what's leading to the bleaching problem and effects. And it's, it's really sad because people just think they're rocks, like you said earlier. And, and they're not. 

And a lot of people don't realize that there's a lot of work that needs to be done. And the biggest thing to me is if reefs go, we go, like if coral reefs are not here, like there is no life on earth at that point. Like it's, it's survival of the fittest. 'cause then they're not gonna be protecting the coastline. Storms are gonna come flooding in. It's just a drastic chain of events. And it's terrible to think of.

Ashlynn 
I'm a very hopeful person and I think that if people realize that this is as bad as it is and decide to make changes, then it can become better for the future. And there are already people out there doing that. I mean it's small groups of people, it's small efforts, but it's, it's large efforts at that point because they're changing the world one step at a time. And it's re restoration. It's coral conservation, it's growing them in labs. Like eventually I hope that out-planting of the corals that we have in my lab can be something that can be done, especially at a reef that is struggling and needs some corals. I think that would be amazing. But it all comes with time.

Pat 
Could you cultivate coral reefs to grow in warmer temperatures?

Ashlynn
Yeah, actually. So that's what I want to do. That's not something I can do right now because our resources are so limited. And like I said, we have no programs. There's no grants, we're not funded. But eventually I wanna go to grad school. And the reason why I'm starting to dig into the microbiome now is because eventually I want to try and do some research on making corals heat resistant. And I will be looking at their microbiomes then. Because there are corals that, like in the Indo-Pacific, they've evolved for thousands of years more than the corals, like in Florida. And they have genes inside. Like they can handle varying temperatures better than the corals in Florida. They can handle high heats. They have some kind of gene inside of them that allows 'em to do that. And I think it would be amazing to try and manipulate that gene or even insert it to other coral's, DNA and look at the effects of that and see if like their survival is better in the end.

Pat 
Yeah. So your work really requires a precise monitoring of water quality and environmental conditions. What's been the most challenging aha moment in understanding coral care?

Ashlynn 
I think the most challenging is that, 'cause I've had corals bleach on me before and whenever that happens I'm like, like, what is it? You know? But at that point, after it bleaches, it's kind of like, let it be. 'cause it can come back on its own. Once a coral bleaches, it is not fully dead, it can come back.

Pat 
Really?

Ashlynn 
Yeah. It’s like the first stages is like, it's like kind of white, yellow. That's when it bleaches out. And then if conditions are right, it takes time. But it can come back to healthy color. And if it's not, then it'll just be fully white. And that's when you know like it's dead. Yeah. Like the whole part of it's dead. So learning to just let it be was a big moment of like, okay, we'll see if it comes back. Like I had a coral, a hard coral in Acropora where a part of it was bleached, like just a small part for um, like a couple weeks. And I was like, is it gonna come back? Is it not? I just let it be and eventually like it was fine, it came back. Or I've had corals 'cause I have fragments like little small pieces of corals and like the underside of them, like the coral's healthy overall. But the side that's away from the flow on the bottom of the grate has, it's, it's bleached, but the coral's still healthy in that sense because it's not fully dead.

Pat 
What's so remarkable when you talk is that, uh, the notion of letting it be and stopping yourself from being reactive, like, oh, I've gotta do something. It's like your actions are very measured with a level of maturity that says, wait a minute, let's observe. Let's see what's gonna happen. Boy, I wish we could do that in life.

Ashlynn 
<laugh>. Yeah. <laugh>, you know.

Pat 
Okay. I'd like to switch gears a little bit. I understand that you're working towards becoming an SSI, which is Scuba Schools International, professional dive instructor while juggling research and volunteering. What happens, like when you dive into the ocean, what goes through your head when you're in that, that beautiful quiet, what happens?

Ashlynn 
So I've never actually dove in the ocean yet. I have yet to do that. Um, okay. Yeah. It's definitely on my bucket list and it's something I desperately wanna do, but it'll come with time. I have dove in freshwater lakes and springs though because that's what's available around me.

Pat 
Yeah.

Ashlynn 
I don't know if you've ever heard of like “blue mind?”

Pat 
No. What is that?

Ashlynn 
Whenever you're underwater, like everything is blue. And I've heard of this saying from other scuba divers that, that they get this blue mind and it's just like, it's beyond peaceful. Like it's, it's serenity. Like you're at peace. It's very quiet. I think everyone should experience it in their life because the feeling is remarkable. It's like there's absolutely no fear for me at that point. 

Even if I was in the ocean, I would have no fear. I trust mother nature and the fish. And like, sharks don't scare me. I love sharks. Like, and if I'm diving in the ocean, like before you do that, you have to know like there's ways that you can, like if you're scared of sharks, like you can push 'em if you touch their nose. 'cause that's their, their most sensitive organ. 'cause they have like sensory signals, they become overstimulated and then they think that you are stronger than them. Like their eyes roll in the back of their head and then they, they swim off. So it's kind of like you have to be Yeah. It's pretty fascinating. Yeah. You have to be like the top man. You can't be scared. The moment that you show fear it's, it's game over. It's scary. Yeah. That's

Pat 
Fascinating. Yeah. Okay. I'd like to go in a different direction and just talk a moment about an international view. France with its overseas territories is the world's fourth largest coral reef nation hosting about 10% of global reefs and is very much engaged in protecting these ecosystems. In 1999, the French Coral Reef Initiative successfully brought together researchers, citizens, and policymakers. And this led to the protection of 16 coral species in the French Antilles. And it really demonstrated the power of collective action. 

On a global scale, new initiatives are taking shape, and at the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference, the Coral Reef Breakthrough was launched. This global initiative aims to protect 125,000 kilometers or 78,000 miles of coral reefs with $12 billion in funding by 2030. And it's focusing on four critical actions, uh, tackling the causes of w reef degradation, doubling the area of protected reefs, accelerating restoration efforts, and ensuring sustainable funding. 

So Ashlynn, that's what's happening internationally. Are there other similar large-scale collaborations happening in the us?

Ashlynn 
Unfortunately, I don't think so. I love that France is so, so big and has such a big heart for the coral reef ecosystems. I think that the US definitely has a problem with accepting that climate change is the fact.

Pat
Yeah.

Ashlynn 
So hence that's why I think that there is no big initiative here in the us. However, that doesn't mean to degrade that there are smaller initiatives just throughout the us like nonprofits, small businesses like Coral Reef Alliance, like Renewal Reef Bon Air. It's generally just areas that are along the coast, which makes sense because they have a direct impact to conserving those ecosystems. But I think that even inland, like we also have a direct impact even though we're, we're not right there and we can't like go out and say restore. There's still things that you can do to kind of limit the effects.

Pat 
Yeah. I love the fact that your spirit, that you're, you're not looking around saying, whoa, the US isn't doing enough this or that. You just go about your work in coral conservation. That's a lesson for all of us that when things seem so out of whack, that what we can do is pursue our work and develop it. So that really is a, a lovely way to approach what you do. 

I'm curious about your personal growth and your vision. You lead the Saluki Reefers student organization. Who are the saluki reefers and what's the most rewarding part of being involved with this group?

Ashlynn
Okay, so the Saluki Reefers, it's a student registered club, uh, that was kind of created just to create a community for students that are interested in marine biology or anything along those sorts. Like you don't have to be a zoology student, even if you have like an interest in the ocean, like come and join. You know, we're just trying to create a safe space for students that are interested in it. Grad students and undergrad students. I love the club. I take a lot of pride and passion in it. It's very rewarding because a lot of the work that we do, our meetings, I try to focus on giving students hands-on experience. 'cause that's not something we get much in the Midwest, but we do have that lab. So for example, like we'll do water quality workshops, coral propagation, which is a big hit. That's where you're actually like cutting the corals, putting 'em on plugs, putting them in the water.

Ashlynn 
I did one of those this past fall and everyone loved it. I'll try and do a fun day this spring where we can go out to Mermet Springs. It's a dive shop I dive at, um, and do like a snorkeling day, something like that. There's a lot of professional development experiences too because it's such a large field. Like if you are thinking about internships or gonna grad school, like it is a large field and there's lots of opportunities out there, but it's really, really hard to find like the opportunities that are best for you. So like I create a spreadsheet of like all the internships, like if people are interested in applying, send it out to them. Because last year when I started looking at internships, it was hard for me to find them. I just try to make it easier for students that have a little bit of interest in it to start their journey. 

Pat 
Whoa, wait a minute, I gotta ask you this. So you took it upon yourself because you had personal difficulty finding what these grad programs for marine biology. So you made a spreadsheet and shared it with others?

Ashlynn 
Yeah.

Pat 
Okay. I gotta ask Ashlynn, what makes you tick?

Ashlynn
<laugh>? What do you mean?

Pat 
Well, are you a natural leader? I mean, have you always been kind of a take charge person or

Ashlynn
Kind of Yeah. I, I think it's definitely that military background. It's funny story actually. Whenever I was in high school, I was in ROTC for four years.

Pat
ROTC stands for Reserve Officers Training Corps. Students who commit to military service can earn scholarships, monthly stipends, and other incentives to support their college education back to Ashland.

Ashlynn 
And so the path that I'm on now is not the path that I had planned. So I was very like head on straight planning my life after graduation. And basically it worked. I worked really hard to get a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship. I was very committed to, uh, devoting my life to the military. But then after I, I got accepted. But then after that they go through like the medical processing and stuff and uh, they debunked me because I had hip surgery whenever I was 14. And I tried to appeal it like three times with my surgeon and they kept on saying no. And this was two weeks before I was supposed to move into school. And with that scholarship, you could choose any school in the US that had a Navy program, private or republic. So I chose a school in Florida that had the naval base right there. It was a private school and I had marine biology program. I was like, this is my life right here to a “T” was like, this is everything I want. But then I, I didn't get it and they were like, oh, well you can still go but you have to pay for it. And I was like, I was like, no way. I can't do that. No.

Ashlynn 
That was a really hard, hard moment in my life. I learned that everything happens for a reason. I'm grateful that I went through that. I went to community college on a whim, and I swam on the swim team. That was kind of the whole reason I went, was to continue being an athlete and getting my science degree. And I had the best time. Like, if that did not happen to me, I would not have gotten to be where I'm at today. Yeah.

Ashlynn
And I'm grateful for that.

Pat 

As a young scientist and you're deeply involved with advocating for coral reefs, what is your vision for the future of marine conservation and aquaculture? What do you see this country doing?

Ashlynn 
I would hope to see a community coming together. Because when you think about it in retrospect, like you said earlier, the France thing, it wasn't just scientists, it was policymakers. Like everyone coming together, making an effort. That is what I would hope to see. Do I see that happening? I don't really know. I think it always starts with the scientists first and then things start to get really bad and people start to realize, okay, yeah. Like we should have been listening to them 20 years ago. Yeah. 'cause I believe in science, science is is facts until proven. Yeah. So I see the future, it's kind of, um, kind of a rough future for marine conservation, but nothing good comes easy.  I mean, I've had a lot of people tell me like, jobs within that category like are gonna go down as climate change becomes more prevalent. And I'm like, but I'm not gonna let that stop me. Like this is something I've always wanted to do. Like I legitimately devote my life to this. Like it is my deepest passion. I would never give up on it. So I see some greatness coming out of it in terms of conservation, but it's hard to tell. It all depends on the way the climate keeps on changing. Yeah. If it's gonna fluctuate, it's gonna get better because it's hard to tell. No one can tell. Yeah. 'cause we've passed that point almost of no return. 

Pat
I love how when you speak pursuing this for you is not a career. It's a calling. 

Ashlynn 
Yeah. 

Pat 
The other thing is you were talking about, uh, we don't know what's gonna happen. There's always the wild cards. I've lived long enough to know there are these things that come out of the blue that you think, whoa, I didn't even see that coming. For example, the Japanese have developed a biodegradable plastic for bottles that will degrade in salt water. And when I think the amount of, of trash and plastics in the ocean and seas, things like this biodegradable plastic, I think it's a, a game changer.

Ashlynn 
Yeah. That's awesome.

Pat 
I appreciate the fact that you are very, very hopeful, but you also seem to exhibit a pragmatism, you know, what's going on in the world.

Ashlynn 
Yeah. I I try to be a realist. 

Pat 
Well, as a scientist you must be. I imagine one of the things when you were talking, you had your heart set on this Navy scholarship and for, you know, health reasons, they turned you down three times. Then you go to a community college, you swim and then you, you transferred to SIU and that opened up unexpected doors for you. 

What would you say to students who feel like the dreams they've had, like they don't have the money to pursue it or things have happened to stop them cold or their dreams feel out of reach because where they're from, it could be a variety of, of situations that seem to stop them. How do you turn a no way into a why not? What would you say to them?

Ashlynn 
I would say to never give up because I've felt like that my entire life keep on persevering because someone will tell you this can't be done. But that's not true. Like, they don't know. You can't let them dictate your life. You're the only one who can really dictate your own life. I also think that I have been set on proving people wrong my entire life. And I am gonna continue to do that. Especially like in the Midwest. Here I am trying to create a program like I'm gonna keep on trying. Yeah.

Pat
Follow your heart. Yes. I always think it's interesting when I've heard people say, well you can't do it. It's not been done, you just said it, it has not been done yet. They forget the yet part. That is so true. And it's an idea waiting for the right people to come and do it basically.

Ashlynn
Yep.

 Pat
And you sound like one of those people that if they tell you, this can't be done in coral research, you can't blah, blah, blah. It seems like your mind is already problem solving.

Ashlynn
Yeah. It just gives me a reason to start doing it. 

Pat
So, looking at the future, may I ask, what are you looking for graduate school? Do you have your heart set on a place? Is it too soon to say?

Ashlynn
I'm trying to keep my options very open. Okay. Uh, because it, it really all dies down to programs available, which there's a lot because coral restoration is becoming a big thing now. And like finances, like I would never go to grad school without going there on a ga like an assistantship, which basically pays for, uh, a portion of your school, uh, graduate assistantship. Uh, you could either do like research teaching or both. And that is you're devoting your time to that school like a lot of your time and they're paying you to go there or they're paying for your school. 

I'm really interested in like the Carolinas, North Carolina, South Carolina, that place I've always been, the first time I actually saw the beach, was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I've always been drawn to that area. And there's great programs at like Coastal Carolina or UNC Wilmington.

Ashlynn
I'm more focused on like east coast, west Coast. There's not a lot of like coral opportunities. It's more older waters. Yeah. There's some in Texas too. There's obviously a lot in Florida and I think, uh, Florida would be a great temporary option, but I would not see myself living there for too long just because I am a big believer that Florida's gonna be underwater like in the next 20 years. 'cause it's just slowly sinking the amount of floods and everything that happens every year. So yeah. And then like, there's obviously international schools too, so I still have a year now to kind of figure that out. So now it's kind of the time where I start looking deep into it. Yeah. I'm really, really set on the East Coast.

Pat
Yeah. Well good luck with that, Ashlynn. As we wind down, your passion and dedication are not only inspiring, but a powerful reminder that saving our planet starts with bold ideas and hard work no matter where you come from or wherever you're located. I mean, you've made that very clear. And I wanna thank you for joining us today and sharing your journey. It is really, really intriguing. Thank you so much.

Ashlynn
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my story. I appreciate it.

Pat
Oh, my pleasure. Hey listeners, thanks for tuning in and if you enjoyed this episode, tell someone who might need a little inspiration and hit that subscribe button. Thank you. Bye.