Bethany Augliere
USA
Marine biologist and Science Communicator
Bethany Augliere is a marine biologist, science writer and photographer based in South Florida.
She earned a B.S. degree in Wildlife Science from Virginia Tech, an M.S. in Marine Biology from Florida Atlantic University and a graduate certificate from the UC Santa Cruz science communication program. Her work has brought her around the world and eye to eye with animals like tiger sharks, manta rays, leatherback sea turtles and elephant seals. She is broadly interested in ecology and movement patterns of marine mammals and other marine megafauna and conservation science. She currently holds an appointment as a Research Associate with the Wild Dolphin Project and is a contributing photographer to the Everyday Extinction project.
In 2009, Bethany began work as a graduate student and field assistant with the Wild Dolphin Project, led by marine mammal biologist Dr. Denise Herzing. She spent her summers living at sea in the Bahamas to study two resident communities of Atlantic spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. She freedove alongside these wild mammals to document their behavior and communication, and studied their home ranges and habitat use.
Habituated to human presence, these dolphins granted her access to the most intimate moments in their lives, such as observing calves learn to swim and hunt, watching mothers nurse their young and glimpsing males fight for the attention of coy females. Watching their relationships and struggles due to human activity ultimately led to her interest in storytelling and conservation photography. She strives to combine her scientific background and artistry to help people emotionally connect to wild subjects and experience the wonders of nature. Ultimately, she hopes her efforts in science communication increase ocean literacy, raise awareness for conservation issues and inspire a sense of stewardship and positive action toward the environment. Her writing and photography have been featured in popular media outlets, such as Hakai magazine, National Geographic and Oceanographic magazine. She also produced a children’s documentary about endangered gopher tortoises for Schoolyard Films, led by Emmy-award winning BBC filmmaker Tom Ftiz.