DUDC May Meeting: Dr. Kylie Smith Co-Founder of I.CARE

Down Under Divers Club (DUDC) is the largest and longest running independent scuba club on the East Coast, and supports all local dive shops. The DUDC has a monthly meeting at Dave & Busters in Cary, with topics on some aspect of diving, travel, safety or our water environment. You do not have to be a member to come!

For our May club meeting, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Kylie Smith, Vice President and co-founder of I.CARE (Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education). I.CARE brings together science, technology, and best practices for successful coral restoration with the passion for marine conservation.

Dedicated to restoring hope for Florida’s Coral Reef, I.CARE empowers the community to become part of the solution. Their mission is simple but powerful: bringing people together to help rebuild coral reefs and the vibrant ecosystems they support.

Dr. Smith has been studying the factors influencing coral transplant survival and reef fish behavior in the Florida Keys since 2012. Specifically, she studied the impacts of consecutive bleaching events, Hurricane Irma, and disease on coral transplants during her graduate work at Clemson University. Dr. Smith maintains partnerships with Mote Marine Lab, Keys Marine Lab, FWC, the Coral Restoration Foundation, Clemson University, Jacksonville University, Florida International University and other organizations to maximize the survival of both coral and herbivore transplants to restore ecological health to these reefs.

We’ll start gathering at 6:30 PM so you can eat, drink, and connect with fellow divers. We’ll kick off the meeting at 7:15 PM with announcements, then hear from our guest speaker. We hope to see you there in person! Can’t make it? You’re welcome to join us on Teams.

https://teams.live.com/meet/9349705353020?p=fRdLg6H2W4cQnccq3U