On Wednesday April 30, Deborah Kilbane, Senior Scientist and Program Director for CSA Ocean Sciences’ Ports & Coastal department, participated in the Palm Beach County STEM Ecosystem’s quarterly meeting, both as a panel guest—discussing ways of Harnessing Science for a Healthier Future—and as a host for the event’s Speedround Discussions.

The PBC STEM Ecosystem (PBC STEM) is an alliance of private, public, and nonprofit sectors made up of individuals and entities that collaborate closely to expand and promote STEM education throughout Palm Beach County.

As part of the PBC STEM’s efforts to integrate STEM initiatives within the local community, the steering committee organizes a quarterly meeting at locations throughout the region. The principal purpose of these meetings is to convene STEM educators and advocates in Palm Beach County to have meaningful discussions about STEM careers and outreach plans in Palm Beach County.

The thematic focus of April’s meeting was marine environmental science and conservation careers and was hosted by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. 

As part of the 30-minute panel discussion, Ms. Kilbane was joined by several esteemed colleagues, namely Heather Barron, DVM, Chief Science Officer & Veterinarian at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center; Justin Perrault, Ph.D., Vice President of Research at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center; and Edwin Rajeev, Ph.D., Project Engineer at Cummins Cederberg.

“I was honored to join Drs. Barron, Perrault, and Rajeev in discussions about the importance of hands-on learning to excite the next generations, engaging communities in environmental projects and stewardship, and the one earth concept of interconnectedness” said Ms. Kilbane.

Ms. Kilbane then took up her duties as a Roundtable host to foster further discussion about actions each of us can take to have a positive impact on the environment and on future generations.

Other Roundtable hosts included Gina Chiello Senior Director, at Cummins Cederberg; Jena McNeal, Environmental Manager at PBC Environmental Resources Management; Shana Phelan, Owner at Pura Vida Divers; and Joe Schimek, Mechanical Engineering Manager at Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems.