Marine conservation biologist Julia K. Parrish / ScienceLives

 

As a scuba diver and a marine conservation biologist, Julia K. Parrish frequently dives into her work with wild abandon--literally. But as the executive director of a citizen science group that organizes volunteers to monitor beach-cast seabird carcasses, Parrish even more frequently keeps both feet firmly planted on the ground--or to be more specific: on the coastline. Parrish's Seattle-based citizen science group--the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)--is devoted to advancing the science of coastal ecology and contributing to natural resources management.