Drew Harvell is a marine ecologist, confronting disease as a powerful force that has been restructuring marine ecosystems, from extremely climate-sensitive coral reef ecosystems to rocky intertidal shores to temperate seagrasses. Drew has published over 170 articles in journals such as Science, Nature, and Ecology, and is currently serving as a Science Envoy with the US State Department, focusing on Ocean Conservation. She has entered the world of popular writing as well.

Her years of research on marine invertebrates inspired her first book, A Sea of Glass. It delves into the theme of eroding biodiversity by comparing the rich breadth of species captured in the work of the Blaschka glass craftsmen over 150 years ago to what we see in the ocean now, affected by climate change and human impacts. A Sea of Glass won a National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature, a Rachel Carson Environmental Literature Award and was one of 2016’s best “Art Meets Science” books by Smithsonian Magazine and was featured by Discover, Scientific American, The Guardian, The New York Times and Nature. At Cornell University Drew is the Curator of the Blaschka Marine Invertebrate Collection, tending to many beautifully intricate glass pieces as can be seen here.

Drew’s second book, Ocean Outbreak, investigates four major marine disease epidemics, how the consequent changes reverberate through the interactions of the ocean organisms themselves and even come back to threaten our livelihood and health. It exposes many of the raging challenges facing our oceans now and into the future, making it a compelling and topical read.

To request a speaking engagement, contact Christie Hinrichs at christie@authosrunbound.com, or (541) 797-2217.

Curriculum Vitae | Cornell University Page | Google Scholar

How Starfish, Snails and Salmon Fight Pandemics

Could a better understanding of how the ocean and sea creatures fight disease outbreaks help humans prevent the next pandemic? @DrewHarvell thinks so. https://t.co/itCaUWQpZo
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) April 17, 2020

**Check out this interactive poster for the** **Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020**! Click on the image to see more.

Books: OCEAN OUTBREAK

Winner of the Prose Award and ESA Award!

Drew’s second book, Ocean Outbreak, investigates four major marine disease epidemics and her teams international underwater adventures to study them, how the consequent changes reverberate through the interactions of the ocean organisms themselves and even come back to threaten our livelihood and health. It exposes the raging challenges facing our oceans and proposes nature-based solutions, making it a compelling and topical read. It won the Prose Award for Biological Sciences, the Ecological Sustainability Award from The Ecological Society of America and is a top pick of Science Friday for Summer Science Reading!