Casey Ramey

Environmental Science & Studies (Environmental Studies)

Casey has complemented her high achievements in the classroom with on-campus work and leadership during her four years at Stetson. She worked as a building manager at the Hollis Center and was also a student host and tour guide at the Gillespie Museum. Her work at the Gillespie nurtured her passion for the use of art for environmental education and interpretation, which she also pursued as part of her senior research project. Casey focused on the manatee mass mortality events in Florida of the last two years and the need for education to enhance conservation of this endangered species. For this project, she worked as an intern at Blue Spring State Park where she interacted with more than 2,000 visitors to give them hands-on experiences with manatee bones and with radio trackers to help visitors feel more connected to the animals and to the scientists who study manatees. To integrate her artistic skills with science, she also [re]assembled and mounted the bones from a manatee flipper for a demonstration piece that shows that manatee flippers have the same bones as human arms and hands. Casey sees herself as an environmental artist and educator, and she intends to pursue a Master’s degree that will further prepare her for a career in this area.