UF student’s underwater cave photography teaches science through art

By Emily Mavrakis

Armed with a Nikon DSLR camera and a tripod, Jennifer Adler dives down into some of Florida’s best-known underwater caves.

Inside Blue Hole, Devil’s Eye and seven other caves, she photographed 360 degree views and stitched them together to create a 3D effect. With programs such as Google Cardboard and other virtual reality headsets, she shares interactive cave journeys with fifth grade Gainesville-area students to teach about Florida’s aquifers.

“There really is no specific program statewide to teach about them about the aquifers, Adler, 27, said. “It’s not really required thing that you need to teach, but it’s so important to our everyday lives.”

Adler, a UF doctorate student in interdisciplinary ecology, started her photography project, Walking on Water, after receiving $5,000 and $2,000 grants from National Geographic Young Explorers and NOAA Sea Grant.

She said she wants to encourage students to learn more about the nature surrounding them.

“Their views of water are really shaped by their experiences growing up, their world views,” Adler said. “And if they have the opportunity to jump into this Spring, I think that would really change how they view water in the future.”

Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Ichetucknee Springs annually, according to a study by Florida State University and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, but people floating atop the water often don’t see what lies far below, Adler said.

Students can also view click-through images of the caves and virtually swim around underwater. Arrows on the screen point the path through the cave and numbers to the side indicate the depth of the water.

“It gives kids the ability to click through themselves, rather than just putting a picture in front of them,” Adler said. “You can get the feeling that you’re at the bottom of this entrance to the cave.”

During the summer, Adler had the chance to bring some students out to the Springs to take their own photos and gain hands-on experience with their curriculum, which includes a unit about the water cycle.

“They were so, so happy,” she said.

Adler continued, “Kids are the future of our water, and they’re also going to shape what we do about it in the future, how we use it in the future.”