I am a full professor of biology at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla and a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner by the Society for Ecological Restoration. I have a B.S. in General Biology from the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus, anM.S. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in Marine Biology (Environment) from the Duke University Marine Laboratory.  I also direct Vida Marina, the Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration of the University of Puerto Rico. We are currently working on the ecological restoration of dunes and mangroves along the north coast of Puerto Rico. Our center also works on the conservation of sea turtles on the north western and western coasts of Puerto Rico. We also focus on creating a future generation of ecological restoration practitioners through direct participation of our undergraduate students in real life ecological restoration projects. We also have a student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration in our campus through which we are aligning our B.S. in biology curriculum to the Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner in Training Program so our students can obtain this credential while they work on their degree. I am very committed to ecological restoration of coastal ecosystems as well as the conservation of the organisms that inhabit these ecosystems. I find joy in bringing people back to nature and helping them realize we need to be humble and respectful with other species because they have the same right as we do to inhabit this wonderful planet.