Whiz Kid: Jeffrey Jacobs of Valrico To Attend Oceans Summit in Washington D.C.

Brandon High School junior Jeffrey Jacobs is a whiz at working with visitors and campers at the Florida Aquarium. He’s become very adept, too, at seizing opportunity when it presents itself.

Jacobs is one of three Hillsborough County public school students, and the only one in Greater Brandon, invited to represent Florida and the Florida Aquarium in Coastal America's Third National Student Summit on the Oceans and Coasts. It is scheduled for Feb. 14-17  in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

With his love of “marine science, marine wildlife and anything to do with the ocean,” Jacobs as a middle school student was a regular enrollee at the aquarium’s summer camp program. In 2009, he was asked to join the inaugural class of the Florida Aquarium’s Junior Educator program.

“I, and about 20 other volunteers, went through training and then over the summer we could come in once or twice a week and help educate guests about the Florida Aquarium or participate with campers at the Florida Aquarium," Jacobs said in an interview.

Then, “an even greater opportunity” presented itself when Jacobs in October was asked to help represent the Tampa aquarium in Washington D.C. for the summit. Its aim is “to teach high school students about the interconnectedness between the ocean, Great Lakes, inland seas and climate with a particular focus on climate change.” Also, to help prepare students “for future careers in ocean and climate science and policy.”

Joining Jacobs on the Tampa delegation are Samantha Johnston, a senior at Gaither High School; Michael Zsuff, a junior at Alonso High School; and Darby Frankfurth, a sophomore at Wharton High School. Working with the delegation: aquarium educators Lauren Tyler and Maryssa Hill.

According to an aquarium release, the four-member team’s project focuses on “creating a new program for the aquarium’s iconic Wetlands Gallery to educate guests on the importance of protecting the Floridian Aquifer, the underground freshwater system from which most Florida drinking water comes.”

As Jacobs described it in an interview: “Our particular topic is the conservation of the Florida aquifer. We picked that because the Florida aquifers are extremely important to everyone who lives in Florida. They supply roughly 97 percent of all of Florida’s fresh drinking water, and over-consumption of the Florida aquifer has led to many environmental problems, including sinkholes and the further depletion of natural water resources.”

The release notes that when the students return from Washington D.C., “they will complete their aquifer education program and train the second class of Aquarium Junior Educators to use the materials.”

As Jacobs put it: “The conservation of aquifers needs to be an important priority for all Floridians.”

As for his future goals, Jacobs said he would like to attend the University of Florida and is considering a career as a veterinarian.