***Virtual Speaker***

Joshua Patterson is Associate Professor of restoration aquaculture at the University of Florida.  He has been faculty in the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program since 2014. Josh’s academic training started with a B.S. in Biology from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He then earned an M.S. in Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences from Kentucky State University in Frankfort, KY and a Ph.D. in Renewable Natural Resources from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.  Josh conducts research and outreach, mentors graduate students, and manages projects.  His lab focuses on using aquaculture as a tool to enhance or restore aquatic environments including coral reefs, nearshore hardbottom sponges, oyster reefs, and seagrass beds.  In a unique arrangement, Josh and his lab are housed at The Florida Aquarium’s Coral Conservation and Research Center on the eastern shore of Tampa Bay in Apollo Beach.  This talk will focus on Florida’s beautiful and important seagrass meadows, including discussion of impacts to these habitats and conservation/restoration strategies.