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They understood the assignment 🎓🥳 Congratulations to the 2024 graduating class! #SWOOP UNF University Development and Alumni Engagement | UNF Alumni Association

Earth Day is quickly approaching, but we’ve decided our home planet deserves a little more respect than 24 hours, so we’re celebrating Earth Week as we showcase some UNF Alumni who spend their lives celebrating nature and protecting our habitat. Hunter Mathews, MS (’23) is an environmental scientist on the front line of helping restore the North Florida shorelines. He is a Jacksonville native and the son of Ospreys, University of North Florida - Coggin College of Business finance major Jeremy and UNF College of Education and Human Services elementary education alumna Sharon (’93). As a kid, he loved going to the beach and playing in the ocean, or fishing in the rivers and ponds around the city. Although he left home to earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental science at FSU, he joined the UNF Graduate School to complete his master’s in biology. He had spent time working with Dr. Kelly Smith of COAS at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) and believes those connections developed in the field help him pursue his passion at the UNF - College of Arts and Sciences. While working as a biology research assistant at UNF, he and the department worked to stabilize the shorelines and restore habitats at the Kingsley Plantation and the GTMNERR’s Wright’s Landing, which have seen increased deterioration over the years due to boat traffic and severe storms. Their goal is to ensure the shoreline is resilient to rising sea levels and climate change disasters, which will in turn protect wildlife and plants. Oysters are a critical component of the area’s ecosystem since they work as a water filtration system and help improve water quality, and the reefs help protect fish and provide food for native wildlife. Under the guidance of Dr. Smith, he served as lead author of a research study on Pervious Oyster Shell Habitats (POSH), which are structures composed of recycled oyster shells bound by a thin layer of cement shaped into a dome. The UNF Institute of Environmental Research and Education (IERE) helped fund Matthews’ study which shows evidence that compared to the industry standard “Oyster Balls,” the POSH collect a significantly higher oyster density. This project provides a promising option for oyster reef restoration in energetic estuarine systems, creating an environmentally friendly and effective solution that the entire community will benefit from.