Our environment is currently falling apart. That is something I assume the majority can agree on. Temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions, and sea levels are all rising drastically; and what is being done about it? Of course, marine and environmental scientists are working their hardest to slow down these drastic increases in any way they can, but when was the last time you heard about the poor state of the environment on the news? When was the last time you heard someone make the pledge to live sustainably? These are things I wish to push as a woman in STEM. By pursuing a career in marine sciences, I hope to work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in order to assist in educating the public on prominent environmental issues and giving small tasks or changes that the average person can do in their everyday life. It has become clear over the many conversations I have had with others regarding the environment that the main mindset is, "I'm just one person. Why does what I do matter?". What makes what one does matter is the effect it has on those around them. People have been watching and looking for simpler ways to finish tasks for hundreds of years, and this idea of convenience over quality has overtaken the lives of the general public. People would rather repeatedly buy something for its convenience than buy something once and reuse it. A prime example is plastic water bottles. According to National Geographic, society made the change from glass water bottles to plastic ones in the 1970s due to plastic being a much cheaper alternative to glass. Now, millions of these plastic water bottles are sold every minute. These single-use plastic bottles are most commonly tossed in the trash, where they go on to plague soils and waterways, ultimately harming our ecosystems. A simple fix to this would be for every household to invest in a water purification system within their tap, or purchase an external water filter like a Brita or Pur. This would substantially decrease plastic waste, so why aren't people doing it? Why do people continue to purchase these plastic bottles and discard them when it not only harms the environment but also costs them far more in the long run? If people were better educated and more informed on the economic advantages of sustainability, they may be more likely to change over to reusable products. Why? Because it benefits them. People often try to educate and persuade the public by offering them a sad story and hoping they change their ways. While this may be a good solution for some, when it comes to convincing people to change long-term habits you must show what's in it for them. You have to appeal to people's sense of greed. By educating people about what sustainability does not only for the environment but also for them, I hope to encourage people to move to a more sustainable lifestyle. I am already reaching a small audience through social media, and I truly believe that I could reach many more in the future. Change starts with individuals, and that's us. So although my goals may not be as scientific and as groundbreaking as some others, I do truly believe that if I could change the way people think about their products and encourage sustainability on a much wider scale, then I could also change the future for the environment.

Have you ever wanted to explore the ocean, but don't have the resources to do so? The iBubble is the world's first underwater camera drone, which could change ocean photography drastically. The first prototype of this fully autonomous drone was made in 2015 by Kevin Delfour and Xavier Spengler. This is easily my favorite tech invention, considering how revolutionary it can be for ocean photography and videography. Very few people have the opportunity to experience the beauty of the ocean up close, but with more advanced ocean photography, people will be able to view the ocean more effectively without experiencing it first-hand. iBubble can travel more than 200ft from the diver, which makes it possible to photograph parts of the ocean divers wouldn't be able to explore such as tight underwater caverns, or even heavily populated feeding grounds that would otherwise be dangerous for divers to be in. This would allow researchers to better examine marine wildlife, without putting themselves in a dangerous position. The iBubble also provides a 360-degree panoramic view, which allows for better viewing, as well as improving the efficiency of ocean photography. The iBubble also simplifies ocean photography, making it a more efficient and more accessible task. Typically, ocean photography would require heavy equipment attached to the diver with cables. iBubble on the other hand rids the diver of those pesky cables and allows them to move more freely. It also reduces the risk of entanglement when traveling through reefs or tight crevices. When I begin my own research, I would like to study the effects of boating on shark behaviors. With detached, autonomous underwater cameras, such as the iBubble, I would be able to have a 360-degree panoramic view of the sharks and be able to study their behaviors as the boat passes. This would allow me to analyze how the sharks react to the boat without having to be in close proximity with the sharks. This allows for a safer research process, as well as having a better view than I would have when taking a standard photograph. With the information gained from the photos and/or videos taken with the underwater camera drone, I could then determine which sharks have a heavily negative reaction to the boats. From there, I could then map out areas in which boaters should steer clear from. No one likes to deal with aggravated sharks, and human disruption causes sharks excess and unnecessary stress. The iBubble is my favorite technological invention of the last 10 years. It provides divers and researchers with more efficient and safer ways to collect photos and footage crucial to their research. As I enter my own research, I hope to use autonomous underwater cameras, such as the iBubble, when conducting my own research. I feel inventions such as these are extremely important when conducting research. As technology becomes safer and more effective, research quality increases, which opens the door to the path of new discoveries. When it comes to marine research and exploration, inventions such as the iBubble help us pave the way to those new discoveries.