Michael Savarese

Michael Savarese is a Professor of Marine Science and Environmental Studies within the Department of Marine & Ecological Sciences and the Coastal Watershed Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University. He has been a faculty member there since the University's opening in the fall of 1997, and has served along the way as founding Director of University Graduate Studies, the Director of the Whitaker Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education, and Department Chair. Prior to arriving at FGCU, he was a faculty member within the Department of Geological Sciences at Indiana University, Bloomington. He received in Ph.D. in Geology in 1989 at the University of California, Davis; an M.S. in Geology in 1984 from the University of Rochester; and a B.S. in Biology and Geology in 1981, also from the University of Rochester. Mike’s teaching and research interests concern the history of environmental change in coastal settings, particularly in response to human development, climate change, and sea-level rise. His research has helped foster environmental management and restoration efforts in Southwest Florida. Most recently, Mike has been extending his research and educational activities to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, where he is investigating similar phenomena and aiding the Bahamian government in their long-range planning.