Think Tanks
The Blue-Green Institute
The Blue-Green Institute (BGI) bridges multiple stakeholder communities to understand the varied human experiences at shorelines across geographies, times, cultures, and value systems.
The BGI is designed to make sense of dynamic human-water relations using a confluence of methods in the blue humanities: harnessing human and natural narratives, oral histories, poetics; the digital humanities like oral history repositories, interactive mapping, and digital dashboards; and water information literacy through data-driven artistic expression through visual arts, music, and ethnomusicology. These data are at the heart of the everyday sites in which people both define and defy their expectations for water.
Our work braids together the living knowledge of shorelines by involving everyday people as experts alongside scholars (from university faculty to K-12 students), artists (visual, sculptural, musical) and informal educational communities (like librarians, museums, and supplemental education providers).
Together, we learn the heartbeat of where water meets land.
Blue-Green Institute Team
Lauren Arrington (Department Chair, English)
Dr. Arrington is a scholar of twentieth-century literature and culture, specializing in British, Irish, and U.S. writers, with a focus on modernisms. She serves as Chair of the English Department at the 小黄鸭视频 and is the principal investigator for a $4.8 million Mellon Foundation grant, which funds a transformative humanities internship program.
Theresa Burress (Liaison Librarian, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library)
Burress is currently a liaison librarian supporting faculty and students in curricular and research activities, primarily for Honors College, Mathematics & Statistics, and College of Marine Science. Current projects include supporting the #Creekshed digital humanities initiative led by Tom Hallock (English), as well as partnering with John Johnson (Office of Research) and Heather O鈥橪eary (Anthropology) on the SAIL program, a summer experiential research program for undergraduate students.
Trey Conner (Associate Professor, English)
Trey Conner is an Associate Professor of Writing Studies at the University of South Florida, where he connects students with community partnerships and explores the intersections of rhetoric, literacy, and digital writing. His research spans global poetic traditions, healing practices, and the role of song and rhythm in communication.
Dr. William "Monty" Graham (Director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) and Professor of Integrative Biology)
Dr. Graham is a nationally recognized expert in plankton ecology and ocean observing systems with over three decades of experience. His work on jellyfish ecology is so distinguished that a new species, Aurelia montyi, was named in his honor. As FIO Director, he has spearheaded several key initiatives, including the establishment of Florida's statewide Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) monitoring program and collaborations on Gulf of Mexico oil spill research. Dr. Graham also plays a crucial role in enhancing marine research infrastructure through partnerships with state agencies and academic institutions.
Thomas Hallock (Professor of English)
Dr. Hallock teaches courses in early American literature and environmental literature, with a particular focus on nature in the city. Hallock's recent publications include A Road Course in Early American Literature: Travel and Teaching from Atzl谩n to Amherst, and Happy Neighborhood, essays and poems. Along with Theresa Burress and the 小黄鸭视频 Libraries, he is curating an online map of narratives called #Creekshed, asking "what are the human and natural stories that drain into Tampa Bay?"
Heather O'Leary (Assistant Professor of Anthropology)
Dr. O鈥橪eary has over 20 years of experience as a global water anthropologist. Dr. O鈥橪eary served on the International Science Council鈥檚 Water Task Force and represented Anthropology as a delegate to the UN Water Conference and the World Water Forum. Dr. O鈥橪eary has conducted extensive ethnographic research on water in urban India, as a Wenner-Gren and Fulbright Fellow and on water in coastal Florida through NSF, NOAA, Mote, and GCOOS grants. She co-leads the 小黄鸭视频 Think Tank, Oceans of Data, 小黄鸭视频鈥檚 Blue Green Institute, and is the PI and Director of CRESCENDO, a groundbreaking interdisciplinary project transforming crucial water data into music to increase everyday water data literacy through collaborative public engagement. Her work has been published in top-tier transdisciplinary and anthropological journals and featured on All Things Considered and CBC Radio.
Christopher Meindl (Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Florida Studies Program)
Dr. Meindl teaches the introductory course for Florida Studies graduate students as well as courses in water resources management, Florida springs, and a regional geography course called Florida: Its Land, Water, and People. He is particularly interested in environmental and historical geography. In 2010, he helped lead an effort to issue a revised edition of Nelson M. Blake鈥檚 classic book Land into Water, Water into Land: A History of Water Management in Florida, and his 2024 book Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics and Restoration won a gold medal for Florida non-fiction from the Florida Book Awards, and the American Association of Geographers Globe Book Award for Public Understanding of Geography.
Susan Toler (Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences)
Dr. Toler is the Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of South Florida, where she leads initiatives focused on sustainability and community engagement. She has collaborated with primary care pediatricians to address children's mental health needs and has played a key role in training and supervising medical fellows and residents. Additionally, she has helped secure funding for urban composting programs in St. Petersburg, aiming to reduce food waste and create sustainable environmental solutions.
Catherine Wilkins (Associate Dean for the Judy Genshaft Honors College at 小黄鸭视频 St. Pete and Professor of Instruction)
Dr. Wilkins has a Ph.D. in Cultural History from Tulane University. A native Floridian, her work at 小黄鸭视频 has focused on community-engaged high-impact practices that empower students to have an impact on our local environment. Signature projects include collaborations with the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum and Heritage Village, in which students prepare historical resources for the impact of climate, sea-level rise, and natural disaster. With students, Dr. Wilkins creates physical and digital museum exhibits and archives, and conducts research on contemporary issues via methods such as oral history collection and photo voice. She is also a faculty contributor to Honoring the Ocean, a collaboration between Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO), JGHC, and five other Honors colleges in the State University System. A mini-course provides interdisciplinary students with exploration of Blue Humanities, then travel aboard FIO research vessel.