Steve Dent

Do you remember how it felt when someone asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Well, I knew early on that I wanted to be a marine biologist. Television specials by Captain Jacques Cousteau sparked in me a desire to explore the underwater world and learn more about the amazing life that lives there. I’m sure the people thought it was just a childhood dream that I would soon get over as I grew up. But I’ve never gotten over that dream, it just got stronger as I grew older and eventually I went off to college to become a marine biologist. I earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in biology from Bowling Green State University and my Master of Science from Texas A&M University. At both universities I focused on marine biology, taking many classroom courses and participating in field experiences that added to my knowledge of the marine environment. I have worked as a marine biologist for a number of state and federal agencies and private environmental firms. I have done field work in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys, Caribbean Sea, in the Pacific off California and Washington state and in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's North Slope. While an undergraduate I earned my first certification in scuba diving. As a graduate student I was fortunate to work under a major professor whose studies in the Gulf of Mexico provided me with the opportunity to make many research dives. I continued my scuba education, eventually earning my certification as an Instructor. My Doctor of Philosophy degree is in geology from the University of Cincinnati. There I studied the process of fossilization and how that process can reflect the biological and physical factors at play in an environment. My doctoral field work was done under the beautiful waters of the Florida Keys. I taught and did research at Northern Kentucky University from 1995 to 2000, first as a lecturer and then as an assistant professor of geology. I left NKU to move to Austin, Texas when my wife accepted a position in a private medical practice. While in Austin I taught a variety of high school science courses in the Austin Independent School District from 2000-2017; but enough about me. What can I help you with?