STEMTalks: Questions for an Aquaculture Biologist

The AAAS STEMTalks is an interview series aiming to inspire youth by connecting them to real-life scientists and showcasing the incredible diversity of STEM careers.

Our STEMTalks series, including video and written interviews, can be found here.

GET TO KNOW IMANI

Occupation: Faculty Research Assistant
Institution: Minorities in Aquaculture & University of Maryland
Focus: Aquaculture

Imani Black was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and comes from a long family line of watermen (crabber/oystermen) dating back over 200 years. She attended Old Dominion University (ODU), studying to be a Marine Biologist while also being a Division I student-athlete in lacrosse. Imani received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from ODU in 2016 and after graduation was selected to participate in the Oyster Aquaculture Training program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Aquaculture Genetics & Breeding Technology Center. Currently, she works at the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point Laboratory as a Faculty Research Assistant.

In 2019, Imani focused her efforts towards getting more minorities into aquaculture, which led her to develop an educational/outreach non-profit program called “Minorities In Aquaculture” (MIA).

1. What do you do for work?

Right now, I am a Faculty Research Assistant (FRA) for the Shellfish Aquaculture Innovation Lab (SAIL) at the University of Maryland’s Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, MD. As a FRA, I assist with shellfish research and experiments on recirculating systems. In the fall, I will be a full-time Master’s student in the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences Program at Horn Point as well. I am also the Founder and President of a nonprofit organization called Minorities In Aquaculture, which educates and promotes women of color to build careers in the aquaculture industry.

2. When did you first become interested in aquaculture?

I’ve been interested in the environment since I was seven years old. Ironically, I went to a science camp at Horn Point Lab in 2003 and learned all about restoration and conservation in the Chesapeake Bay. Ever since then, I’ve known I wanted to do something involving restoration but just didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. When I attended ODU, I thought I wanted to do tropical biology. I loved everything I got to learn and experience going down that track. Ultimately, it wasn’t until I had an oyster restoration internship with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia team that I finally realized that oysters and the Chesapeake Bay were what I was really passionate about.

3. What is your favorite part of being an aquaculture biologist?

As my career has evolved and changed, I think the favorite parts of my job have changed based on what I get to experience. When I first started in aquaculture my favorite part was the physical aspects of the job, such as working outside all day and how the work was physically demanding. This was natural to me because I had just spent four years playing lacrosse for ODU. Additionally, I really thrive in a fast-paced work environment, so the experiences I had at the time were exactly why my love for aquaculture continued.

Now that I’m more in the research and outreach phase of my career, I miss the physical side, but now I really appreciate the people I’ve met and the connections made. I’ve had opportunities that I never would have expected to have; I’m just so grateful that life truly falls into place exactly the way it’s supposed to. My organization, MIA, means so much to me. Even though I never expected the vision I had for it to be what it is now, I’m overwhelmed by how much that experience has changed my life and that makes me even more excited to do all the things I have planned for the future. The support I’ve gotten in this new change of my career has been amazing. I’m continuously thankful for all the people who have supported me as I’ve been trying to find my way through everything that has happened over the last year. I think a really beautiful thing about aquaculture and marine science, in general, is that it’s not one size fits all. There are so many disciplines and layers to the industry so you can experience an array of different things.

4. What is a typical day like for you?

Honestly, I don’t think I can put “typical” and “my schedule” in the same sentence. It is very unpredictable, to say the least. There will be days where I have five or six meetings a day with various people for MIA while also trying to help with an experiment at the lab or do homework for class, then I’ll go to lacrosse coaching for a few hours, and then wrap up my night trying to get more work done. Other days, there could be one or two meetings and the rest of the day I have more flexibility to just work. With all the things I have going on and am involved with, I take it day-by-day and be as productive as I can with the time that I have.

5. Do you have any advice for young people interested in science, or STEM fields, today?

I’ve been asked this answer frequently, and I continuously say, science, marine science, and aquaculture are not one size fits all. What one person or a group of people do in these fields is not necessarily what you have to do. The great thing about these industries is that there are so many things to experience and just try out. If you don’t know exactly what you want to do, you have the opportunity to figure it out. In my experience, things got a little easier once I realized what I was truly passionate about. If you are willing to put more energy into work that you are truly connected to, your work will reflect that. When I took the time to really understand what I loved and why, the vision for my life and career became so much clearer. My biggest piece of advice would be to find out what you truly love to do and then go full force into that. Your passion has the power to take you to opportunities beyond your wildest dreams if you let it!

6. We celebrate some of the many peoples throughout history who have inspired us. Is there someone who has inspired you or is still inspiring you?

Absolutely. The people around me have been so inspiring to me. I’m so grateful for the people in my life now because they are some of the most hardworking, intelligent and wise people. How they carry themselves and what they’re doing in their lives forces me to step up to the plate in mine. I think that’s the biggest treasure you can have and as I said before, life always turns out exactly how it’s supposed to, so I appreciate and cherish the time I get to have with those people because I never want to take the opportunities, lesson, love, and wisdom that we receive and give one another for granted because that energy really is powerful. Along with that, as I’ve been on this journey of engaging with minorities in science spaces, I’ve been really inspired by the African Americans on the Chesapeake who came before me. Learning about what they went through, their lives, their success and bravery, push me to continue their legacy and make sure that no one ever forgets them and their contribution to our seafood industry.

The Sunday Supper Committee of Queen Anne's County shares the presentation and Q&A portion of their April 2021 online discussion featuring Imani Black!

Hear More of Imani’s Story:

Unsure of what aquaculture is? Imani provides a great description and additional resources for the Minorities in Aquaculture (MIA) website: https://www.mianpo.org/what-is-aquaculture.
Hear more about Imani’s career path from The Fish Site, which is a knowledge-sharing platform with premium news, analysis, and resources for the aquaculture industries.
MIA aims to create a more diverse industry and to educate groups underrepresented in aquaculture on the benefits and sustainability that the field offers, not only to the Chesapeake Bay but waters around the world. If you are a woman of color who is currently pursuing or aspires to pursue a career in aquaculture, MIA invites you to become a member. Joining the network will not only encourage you but provide great opportunities to learn about aquaculture and help restore our local and global seafood industries by diversifying the aquaculture industry. For more information visit www.mianpo.org!
While African Americans have a long and rich history in the evolution of Chesapeake Bay’s seafood industry, most of their stories, hardships, and accomplishments were scarcely recorded by White society. Rona Kobell describes how diversity is growing in aquaculture in the recent Chesapeake Quarterly: Black on the Bay, Then and Now.
For decades, Black people have cultivated the waters around us, but their stories are rarely told. Imani started asking why there is a lack of non-White women in her career field and she's made it her mission to bring them back into aquaculture. Hear her perspective as a Black woman and the history of Black watermen on the Chesapeake Bay.
Imani has worked for oyster companies in both Virginia and Maryland, including as an Oyster Aquaculture Specialist at Wards Oyster Company and contributing to the success of the first privately owned hatchery in Maryland as a lead Hatchery Technician and Assistant Manager.
As a member of the women's lacrosse team at ODU from 2013-2016, Imani played in 48 games and made 11 starts. She finished her career with 31 ground balls, 15 caused turnovers, and six draw controls. The 2016 team won the ASUN Championship and played in the NCAA Tournament too!