Heal the Bay – Coastal Cleanup Day

Coastal Cleanup Day, the world’s largest volunteer day to protect our environment organized by Heal the Bay is coming up on September 21, 2019. I had the pleasure to participate in the Coastal Cleanup Day 2018 in L.A. County as a volunteer and it was so much fun and rewarding. The event brought together 13,464 people who removed over 29.8 … Read More

Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, CA

I visited Echo Park Lake for the first time last week. The lake was originally built in the 1860s as a reservoir for drinking water. In the past, the lake was significantly affected by pollution. In 2011, it started being restored through the two-year Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation Project as a result of the collaboration between the City of Los … Read More

Visit to Aquarium of the Pacific

I had a lot of fun celebrating my birthday at the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, CA, on February 15. As a marine life lover, I could not have been more excited to see and learn about hundreds of amazing species (over 11,000 animals) in Southern California’s largest Aquarium for the first time. The Aquarium has three main … Read More

Visit to Museum of Tomorrow in Brazil

One of the fun places I visited during my time there was the Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) – a science museum designed by neofuturistic architect Santiago Calatrava – and built next to the Guanabara Bay at Pier Maua. The museum was part of the city’s port area renewal for the 2016 Summer Olympics and was the first museum in … Read More

Beach Days in Rio de Janeiro

I was happily able to spend the 2018 holiday season with my family and friends in my favorite place on Earth – my hometown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As if being home was not amazing enough, it was summertime! December-January are beautiful months in the hot summer of Rio de Janeiro when the average high temperature is about 38°C (100°F). As a … Read More

Biofuel From The Oceans

Depletion of petroleum derived fuel and environmental concerns about traditional means of energy production have accelerated the use of biofuel as an alternative source in recent years. Climate change and energy security are the two major driving forces for global biofuel development. Off the southern California coast, a team of researchers has been working on what they hope will become … Read More

Day Trip To Santa Barbara

After my first and busy semester as a Master’s student at USC, my family came to visit me and we decided to make a day trip to Santa Barbara for the first time. The city is located about 95 miles (90 minutes) north of Los Angeles along a curving coastline and is situated in a valley resulting in an interesting … Read More

Day 5: USC Spring Break in Catalina Island

After an amazing day in Parsons Landing, it was almost time to go back to the mainland. Many of us woke up early on Day 5 to enjoy the last couple of hours at the beach. I have craved the smell of the sea breeze and the sound of the crashing waves that I grew up with in my hometown, so I … Read More

Day 4: USC Spring Break in Catalina Island

We started our morning off packing the WMSC vans for the camping trip to Parsons Landing, a beach camping site located on the north side of Catalina Island and seven miles west of Two Harbors, a rustic village sitting on a narrow strip of land that separates the leeward Isthmus Cove from Catalina Harbor on the windward side of the … Read More

Day 3 – part II: USC Spring Break in Catalina Island

Before and during each activity we participated in Catalina Island, we were reminded that every reasonable precaution should be taken to insure safety, and how the safety of human life should be put first. On our third day, some of us spent a couple of hours in the afternoon at the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, located on the campus of … Read More