Meet The Experts
Dr. Matthew Schwartz is a professor at the University of West Florida who teaches college students about the Earth, water, and the environment. His classes include topics like geology, water systems, Earth science, geochemistry, and natural disasters.
Dr. Schwartz studies how water and living things interact in coastal and estuary environments. His research looks at things like harmful algal blooms (such as red tide), how groundwater flows into bays and oceans, and how scientists measure chemical and biological changes in water. Much of his work focuses on local waterways, including Pensacola Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, Santa Rosa Sound, and areas within the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Before coming to UWF in 2005, Dr. Schwartz earned a Ph.D. in oceanography and completed advanced research fellowships. His scientific findings have been shared in books and well-known science journals. By studying our local waters, Dr. Schwartz helps scientists and communities better understand and protect the environments right here on the Gulf Coast.
https://uwf.edu/hmcse/departments/earth-and-environmental-sciences/faculty/dr-matthew-schwa rtz.html
Jennifer Melcher works with the UWF Archaeology Institute, where she helps students and researchers use technology to study the past. She supports projects using databases, maps, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and graphics, and she also helps create 3D scans and 3D-printed models of real archaeological finds so people can learn from them in hands-on ways.
Jennifer also does fieldwork, using special tools to study what’s underground without digging. She teaches college classes in GIS for Anthropology, works closely with graduate students, and leads workshops that teach students how archaeologists collect and analyze data.
A big part of her recent work focuses on historic cemeteries in the Pensacola area, including St. Michael’s Cemetery, AME Zion & Magnolia Cemeteries, Miraflores Park, and the Escambia County Poor Farm. This work helps tell important stories about people and communities from the past—especially those whose histories are often overlooked.
Jennifer is especially interested in learning about Native American communities at the time Europeans first arrived and how different cultures shared ideas, tools, and traditions. She is also active in many archaeology organizations, where she collaborates with other scientists to protect and study history.
In short, Jennifer Melcher uses science, technology, and archaeology to help us better understand the people who lived here before us—and to make history accessible to students and the community today.
https://uwf.edu/cassh/community-outreach/archaeology-institute/faculty/jennifer-melcher.html