I’m Olivia! I’m a high school senior from Bellevue, Washington, who learned to love the ocean despite severe eczema that made seawater unbearable. After publishing research on bioluminescent bacteria and pollution, I realized science alone doesn’t create change—community does.
Beyond marine science, I’m a soprano in my school’s chamber choir, captain of the tennis team, and secretary/recruitment lead at Bothell Youth Court. I founded the Newport Card Club because sometimes the best communities form over a deck of cards and conversation.
I’m interested in the spaces where science meets storytelling, where data intersects with human behavior, and where individual actions accumulate into collective change.
Current Projects:
What’s Next: After graduation, I hope to study biology/environmental science and continue exploring how we translate scientific knowledge into community action. Oceancare Alliance will continue: my best high school friends, especially those at the marine science club can keep the social media momentum going, while I’ll keep the back office, not-so-sexy work going: grant-writing and, well, annual filings.
In this paper, my team and I examined the impact of ocean pollution on marine organisms, with a focus on A. fischeri. Highlighting how pollutants affect bioluminescence and its ecological roles, there is considerable potential in how this science can be applied. A paper is just the start; what matters now is how we share this information to drive change. Check out the paper and send me feedback!
My Vision: Educating elementary and middle school age children. Through exposure, entertainment and other media, we can scale our efforts to reach them.
Ultimately, I hope for a future where technology and community action converge to protect our oceans. I envision a network of autonomous underwater drones monitoring coral reef health, massive floating platforms serving as research hubs and plastic collection points, and global sensor arrays providing real-time data to scientists and policymakers. We’ll need more youths like myself excited on this topic to make a difference.
The goal is simple: a future where our oceans are not just surviving, but thriving.
Science truly comes alive when you can feel it, touch it, and measure it for yourself. That’s why I’ve been so inspired by the work of Salish Sea Sciences, a
There’s a certain kind of magic that happens when you get a group of middle schoolers excited about science. It’s a chaotic, brilliant energy that I had the privilege of
Even though I don’t live in the tropics and am not physically able to dive, I can still stare at coral reefs all day long. Reefs are the vibrant, bustling
Ocean conservation can feel like a massive challenge, but what if I told you that you have a powerful research tool in your pocket? Welcome to the world of “citizen
When I was analyzing the data from my research on bioluminescent bacteria, I spent hours staring at my computer screen, using software to measure the pixel intensity of our petri
On the 21st, we had the chance to participate in an elementary school science fair, where we set up a booth alongside other STEM clubs from Newport and neighboring schools.
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