Calendar
Monday
- 8:30
- Pick an orange or grapefruit from one of the trees in my yard to take to the office for a morning snack.
- 8:45
- Arrive at my office, turn on the computer, look out my window to see if there are any dolphins or manatees playing in the water, review my daily schedule return phone calls and email messages.
- 10:30
- Review my three graduate students' weekly progress reports, browse through upcoming funding, meeting and workshop announcements.
- 12:00
- Workout at the gym and grab a light lunch.
- 1:30
- Meet with lab group (1 MS and 2 PhD students) to discuss one scientific article related to our research, review data, and determine the next course of action for their research.
- 2:30
- Discuss collaborative research ideas/proposals/work with colleagues.
- 3:00
- Prepare a proposal or manuscript review, read new journal article(s) and/or work on a manuscript.
- 5:45
- Assign a research article for next week's group meeting and designate a discussion leader, shut down my computer, look outside the window for dolphins or manatees and prepare to leave the office.
- 6:20
- Arrive at my house, pick another piece of fruit, chat with my neighbors, go inside the house hang out with my husband, eat dinner, and read a book, watch television or a movie.
Ashanti discussing her research poster at a meeting of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) in Santa Fe, NM.
Tuesday
- 8:30
- Pick an orange or grapefruit from one of the trees in my yard.
- 8:45
- Arrive at my office, turn on the computer, check to see if there are any dolphins or manatees playing in the water, review my daily schedule, return phone calls and email messages.
- 10:30
- Work in the laboratory with my students.
- 12:00
- Workout at the gym and grab a light lunch.
- 1:30
- Meet with one of my graduate students to discuss weekly progress, research, coursework and whatever else the student would like to discuss.
- 2:30
- Work on research proposal or manuscript.
- 6:00
- Shut down my computer, check for dolphins or manatees and leave the office.
- 6:20
- Arrive at my house, pick another piece of fruit, chat with my neighbors, go inside the house hang out with my husband, eat dinner, and read a book or watch television.
- 10:00
- Call and talk with family members who live in Texas.
Ashanti and her graduate student Ursula Wilborn explain gamma analysis to Leslie Ibeanusi, a Spelman College undergraduate student.
Wednesday
- 8:30
- Pick an orange or grapefruit from one of the trees in my yard.
- 8:45
- Arrive at my office, turn on the computer, look out my window to see if there are any dolphins or manatees playing in the water, review my daily schedule, return phone calls and email messages.
- 10:30
- Work in the laboratory with my students and eat a piece of fruit.
- 12:00
- Have lunch with colleagues.
- 1:00
- Meet with one of my graduate students to discuss weekly progress, research, coursework and whatever else the student would like to discuss.
- 2:00
- Work on education and diversity related projects.
- 6:00
- Shut down my computer, look outside for dolphins or manatees and leave the office.
- 6:20
- Arrive at my house, pick another piece of fruit, chat with my neighbors, go inside the house hang out with my husband, eat dinner, go biking, and decide what my fun activity will be for the weekend.
Ashanti and her undergraduate assistant displaying sediment cores that they collected from a large box corer during a Gulf of Mexico cruise on the R/V GYRE.
Thursday
- 8:30
- Pick an orange or grapefruit from one of the trees in my yard.
- 8:45
- Arrive at my office, turn on the computer, check for any dolphins or manatees playing in the water, review my daily schedule, return phone calls and email messages.
- 10:30
- Work on a proposal or manuscript.
- 1:00
- Workout at the gym and grab a light lunch.
- 2:30
- Meet with one of my graduate students to discuss weekly progress, research, coursework and whatever else the student would like to discuss.
- 3:30
- Work on class lectures for next semester.
- 6:00
- Shut down my computer, look outside the window for dolphins or manatees, leave the office.
- 6:20
- Arrive at my house, pick another piece of fruit, chat with my neighbors, go inside the house hang out with my husband and eat dinner.
- 8:30
- Work on manuscript or proposal.
Ashanti and her husband Frank on vacation in Cancun holding a nurse shark.
Friday
- 8:30
- Pick an orange or grapefruit from one of the trees in my yard.
- 8:45
- Arrive at my office, turn on the computer, look for any dolphins or manatees playing in the water, review my daily schedule, return phone calls and email messages.
- 10:30
- Collect additional background articles for future research activities and/or proposals, work on manuscript and/or proposals.
- 1:00
- Workout at the gym.
- 2:15
- Work with my students in the laboratory.
- 3:30
- Attend the College of Marine Science seminar.
- 4:30
- Chat with the seminar speaker, students and colleagues.
- 5:00
- Work on education projects, diversity-related initiatives and/or international or university service-related activities.
- 6:30
- Shut down my computer, look outside the window for dolphins or manatees, leave the office and begin my weekend activities.
Ashanti with her husband and friends preparing to go white water rafting on the Ocoee River in Tennessee.
Ashanti Pyrtle
- Assistant Professor, Aquatic Science
- University of South Florida
More about Ashanti
- Profile
Ashanti's profile. - Interview
Read an interview with Ashanti. - Background
Get more info on Ashanti's background. - Picture Gallery
See images of Ashanti at work. - Learn More
Learn more about Ashanti's field - Ashanti's Calendar
See Ashanti's typical work week. - Related Links
Other sites related to Ashanti's career.
More Remarkable Careers
- Margaret Leinen
- Assistant Director for Geosciences
As a scientist, Margaret Leinen studied sediments that have accumulated on the ocean floor. Now as the Assistant Director of Geosciences at the National Science Foundation, she oversees programs in Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean, and Environmental Sciences. She is also working on initiatives to bring more women and minorities into these fields.
- Wen-lu Zhu
- Associate Scientist, Geology and Geophysics
Wen-lu Zhu studies the properties of rocks found deep in the ocean crust by recreating those conditions in the laboratory.
- Melanie Holland
- Faculty Research Associate, Microbial Ecology
Melanie Holland studies the microbes that thrive in scalding temperatures surrounding hydrothermal vents. These amazing organisms not only reveal important information about the vent communities, they may also provide insights into the origin of life on Earth and the possible existence of life on other planets.
- Rose Dufour
- Ship Scheduler and Clearance Officer, Ship Operations and Marine Technical Support
Rose Dufour and her job-share partner Elizabeth Brenner create the schedules for four research ships. The challenge is to keep the scientists, funding agencies, and foreign governments happy.
- Jo Griffith
- Principal Illustrator, Scientific and Oceanographic Data
Technical illustrator Jo Griffith hasn’t picked up a pen in over five years. Instead she uses a variety of computer programs to create graphs, maps, and illustrations for researchers.
- Kathryn Gillis
- Professor, Earth and Ocean Sciences
Kathryn Gillis dives to rifts in the seafloor that are as deep as six kilometers to learn about the processes taking place within the ocean crust.
- Lauren Mullineaux
- Senior Scientist, Marine Biology
Lauren Mullineaux’s research group studies a side of benthic organisms (animals that live on the seafloor) that until recently has received little attention.
- Claudia Benitez-Nelson
- Assistant Professor, Chemical Oceanography
Claudia Benitez-Nelson uses radioactive isotopes to study the complex world of nutrient cycling in the oceans.
- Kathryn Kelly
- Professor (Affiliate), Physical Oceanography
Kathryn Kelly studies how changing ocean currents affect the climate. And she does all of her research from the comfort of her office.
- Dawn Wright
- Associate Scientist, Geography/Marine Geology
Master Lego-constructor and former bicycle-racer Dawn Wright has immersed herself in two disciplines. As a geologist, she is studying the cracks that form in the seafloor along the mid-ocean ridge. As a geographer, she is developing software that oceanographers are using to interpret seafloor data.
- Amy Bower
- Associate Scientist, Physical Oceanography
Amy studies the interactions between ocean currents and climate. These interactions are very complex.
- Debby Ramsey
- Third Engineer, Marine Crew
As Third Engineer onboard the Research Vessel Thomas G. Thompson, Debby Ramsey helps keep all of the equipment that has moving parts running smoothly.
- Maya Tolstoy
- Research Scientist, Geophysics
Marine seismologist Maya Tolstoy helps find active volcanoes on the seafloor by listening for their eruptions.
- Emily Klein
- Professor of Geology, Geochemistry
Emily collects rocks from the deep seafloor. The chemicals that make up the rocks provide clues to how the oceanic crust is built.