Lisa Seff

The one time Lisa went missing as a child, her parents knew to call the Coast Guard and not the police. She was fine, just having an extended sail around Martha's Vineyard Sound! Spending summers on Cape Cod allowed Lisa to immerse herself in the natural environment around her, all while pursuing her favorite activities: sailing, windsurfing and scuba diving. She studied Environmental Biology with a focus on marine science at the Southampton Campus of Long Island University. Following college she joined a research team from the Australian Queensland Parkas and Wildlife Service to the Great Barrier Reef with a position studying sea turtles. Upon returning home to Cape Cod she began an environmental career with several government agencies, including the Cape Cod Commission where she served as a biologist and planner. After her children grew into toddlers, and her floating home was hit by a tornado, she moved off of the 45' wooden sailboat that had been home for 7 years, and decided that a career change was in order. Completing her Master’s degree in Education with certifications in Biology, Earth Science, General Science and Elementary Education, allowed her to combine her passion for teaching children with her research and scientific interests. Since then she has taught science at Springs School located in East Hampton New York, where she also lives with her husband Gary and their children Mata and Noah. Lisa is very excited to have her school and community join her in Barrow, Alaska along with Dr. Carin Ashjian from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, on this PolarTREC Arctic research experience.