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Dr. Michael Middlebrooks is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Tampa. He received his B.S. in biology from Florida State University and his Ph.D. in Integrative biology from the University of South Florida. He remained at the University of South Florida to conduct postdoctoral research before joining the faculty at the University of Tampa. Michael was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award from the University of Tampa as well as the University’s Outstanding Student Research Supervisor Award from the College of Natural and Health Sciences there. In this interview, he shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:09)
Scuba diving is Michael’s favorite thing in the world to do, and he’s able to explore the underwater world and look for cool animals both for work and in his free time. In addition, he enjoys listening to live music and reading.
The Scientific Side (4:22)
Michael’s research focuses on various species of sea slugs, particularly a group called the Sacaglossan sea slugs. Some of them have developed the ability to use chloroplasts from the algae they eat to become photosynthetic themselves. Michael studies how being a photosynthetic animal can change their ecology and their interactions with other organisms. He also does some work on seagrass restoration and how this affects plant-animal interactions.
A Dose of Motivation (7:05)
“There’s no slavery as such, except to tradition, but tradition wields a heavy lash. I mean, maybe democracy isn’t perfect, but at least we don’t let ourselves be outvoted by the dead.” – Terry Pratchett
What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:27)
When he was a kid, Michael loved spending time outside exploring and observing the natural world. His dad is an avid scuba diver, and Michael got scuba-certified when he was fifteen years old. Being underwater and seeing so many amazing marine animals while diving was awe-inspiring. However, when he started making his career plans as a high school student, Michael wasn’t thinking about science. He was involved in the school newspaper and decided that he wanted to major in journalism in college. As Michael learned more about careers in journalism, he decided to pivot to biology. Over the years that followed, his passion for underwater invertebrates emerged, and Michael continued to pursue opportunities that he found interesting and exciting. As a graduate student, Michael discovered that he really enjoyed teaching, and his career now combines teaching and research.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (17:55)
During graduate school, Michael conducted a behavioral experiment with sea slugs that took about three months to set up and prepare. Then there was one critical day after that three month period where he had to collect all the data. After three months of work, the big day arrived, and everything failed. He planned to use an oxygen probe to determine photosynthetic rates in the sea slugs he was studying. However, the mucus the slugs produced interfered with the measurements using the oxygen probe. He decided to try again, and after three more months of work, the same thing happened on the measurement day. At this point, having done six months of work with nothing to show for it, Michael knew he needed a better plan. He identified a new technique that could be used to measure photosynthesis, and after three more months of preparations, this new approach was successful. Persistence paid off in the end in this project, and it was rewarding to go through the problem-solving and troubleshooting that ultimately led to the success of the study.
More recently, Michael worked with an undergraduate student on an exciting summer project that involved a particular sea slug that is normally really common. That summer, they couldn’t find a single one when they were out in the field for collections. This was really frustrating, and they soon realized that they had to change the study to use a different sea slug. It ended up working out great, and they were able to publish a paper with the student as the first author.
A Shining Success! (21:24)
COVID-19 made it really difficult for Michael and many other scientists to do research and work with students. During the pandemic, Michael brought together a group of students to meet with him over Zoom and discuss scientific papers. Out of these group discussions, a new project developed that involved a year-long study of a particular population of sea slugs. Once the lockdown ended, they started doing field sampling and working in the lab again. This was a large project, and the students put in many hours in the lab and at the microscope looking for the tiny sea slugs of interest. But it was a really fun study, they learned so much, and a lot of students participated. This was one good thing that came out of a very difficult time. They published a paper about the study, and at the end of last year, they had a year-end party to celebrate the paper, the students who were graduating, and all of the other good things that happened that year. One of the highlights at the party was a cake that a student made and decorated to look like a sea slug.
Book Recommendations (2:58)
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker, and the Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman
Most Treasured Travel (24:12)
Michael loves traveling, and he’s gone scuba diving in many amazing places, both for his research and in his own personal travels. One of the most exciting trips he did for science was a field collection in the Dry Tortugas at the western end of the Florida Keys. The trip was particularly memorable because they ended up having to take a sea plane out to do their collections, rather than traveling by boat. Outside of science, Michael loves visiting The Coral Triangle. This marine region is near Indonesia and the Philippines, and the biodiversity of marine life is remarkable. The last time he went to the Philippines, Michael got to see some very rare sea slugs, and it was so exciting to see them in the wild.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (27:05)
A fun tradition in Michael’s lab is making sea slug memes. Basically, they take popular memes and change them into memes about sea slugs. Many of these memes have been printed out and now decorate the lab. This was a great way to stay connected and bond with the group during COVID because they could text each other the funny slug memes they made.
Advice For Us All (30:17)
Embrace perseverance. Don’t give up when things aren’t going the way you expect. Doing science is a skill set, and your skills will grow and develop over time. Observation and patience go a long way when you are working in natural systems. When obstacles arise, think about how you can do things differently to solve a problem or learn something new. Also, spend more time outside. Nature can be an excellent source of inspiration for new experiments, and being outside is really enjoyable.
Guest Bio
Michael is an invertebrate zoologist and an advocate for the tiny wonders of the animal kingdom. He is an avid scuba diver and passionate about underwater exploration. His enthusiasm for sharing the world of micro-fauna is evident in his talks about the small but spectacular snails, shrimp, and sea slugs that make up a just a fraction of the underwater animal kingdom. As an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Tampa, he teaches hands-on courses in Invertebrate Zoology, Global Sustainability, and Coral Reefs. His classes feature photographs of marine invertebrates that he has taken during his adventures in underwater exploration around the world.
In Michael’s academic research, he uncovers the intricate relationships that colorful “lettuce” sea slugs have with the food they eat. Specifically, he focuses on the behaviors of photosynthetic or “solar powered” sea slugs which can steal chloroplasts from the algae they eat and store them inside of their own cells to make energy. Michael also conducts research on seagrass restoration and examines the animal communities that live in, and depend on, seagrass beds.