Meet Katherine M. Colon Lozada: 2026 Seed Fund Recipient!
- Aug 10
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 13
We’re excited to announce the latest recipient of our Seed Fund, a student scholarship program dedicated to empowering Puerto Rican students in island science. This year, we selected a deserving graduate student exploring the "ridges to reefs" concept in her research. Join us as we learn more about Katherine M. Colon Lozada and her important research made possible through the Seed Fund!
What is your name, where are you from, and how did you develop a connection to the ocean?
My name is Katherine M. Colón Lozada, a graduate student in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. I am originally from Aibonito, but about ten years ago I traded the cool mountain breeze for the coast when I moved to Humacao.
Looking back, I don’t think there was ever a single moment when I fell in love with nature; it was always part of my life. I grew up surrounded by chickens, dogs, geese, birds, goats, fruit trees, you name it. More importantly, I grew up with parents who weren’t afraid to let me get dirty, explore, and experience the outdoors. I also remember going to the beach with my dad, racing to the buoys with him, and using him as a platform to jump into the water. It taught me to be comfortable in the water, to respect the ocean rather than fear it, and ultimately love it.
As I got older, those beach days evolved into kayaking and paddle boarding almost every weekend, snorkeling, hiking, and exploring different parts of Puerto Rico. The more I explored, the more curious I became. I wanted to understand why every ecosystem was so different and how such a small island could hold so much biodiversity. That curiosity eventually became my passion. Today, it drives the research I do and my desire to understand and study Puerto Rico’s coastal ecosystems.
What is your research about, and what specific question are you trying to answer?
The Caribbean is currently facing two major ecological challenges. On one hand, we’re receiving unprecedented amounts of Sargassum that wash onto our shores, affecting coastal ecosystems, tourism, fisheries, and local communities. These large accumulations are driven by a combination of factors, including nutrient runoff from rivers and agriculture, deforestation, changes in ocean circulation, Sahara dust that supplies nutrients to the ocean, and rising sea surface temperatures associated with
climate change.
On the other hand, seagrasses are under pressure from many stressors, including declining water quality, urbanization, sargassum strandings, and being outcompeted by the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea. My research brings these two challenges together by repurposing excess Sargassum into a potential restoration tool for seagrasses. Specifically, I'm converting Sargassum into biochar, a carbon-rich material that works like a soil amendment, and testing whether it can improve the sediment where seagrasses grow, helping us evaluate whether it could become part of future restoration efforts.
Walk us through your methodology; how would you explain it to a friend or family member outside the sciences?
I like to think of myself as a gardener, but instead of growing tomatoes or flowers, I’m taking care of seagrasses. Imagine you have two tomato plants. They both receive the same amount of sunlight and water, but you add compost to only one of them to see if it grows better. That’s essentially what I’m doing, except my treatment is made from Sargassum, and instead of tomatoes, I’m testing it with seagrasses.
First, we collect Sargassum that washes onto our beaches and convert it into biochar. You can think of biochar as something that works like a fertilizer because it’s added to the sediment to help create better growing conditions for plants. Biochar has been shown to improve soils on land, so my question is: can it also improve marine sediments where seagrasses grow?
To test that, we recreate the seagrass ecosystem in small containers called mesocosms. Some contain sand mixed with biochar (experimental group), while others contain only sand (control group). Everything else is kept the same, so the only real difference is the presence of the biochar. Over the next several weeks, we watch how the seagrasses respond. We measure how much they grow, monitor the water conditions they live in, and compare the plants growing with biochar to those growing without it.
At the end of the experiment, we’ll also analyze the plants at the molecular level using RNA. Think of RNA as a snapshot of what the plant is doing internally. Even before we can see visible changes, RNA can tell us which genes the plant is turning on or off and whether it’s responding positively or negatively to the biochar.
How long will this project take, from start to finish?
The experimental phase of this project is expected to last about two months, from setting up the mesocosms to collecting the final measurements. After that, I expect to spend another one or two months analyzing the data, interpreting the results, and communicating the findings.
If the findings are promising, I hope this will become the foundation for a longer-term research project. The next step would be to expand the research by incorporating additional analyses, such as sediment chemistry, microbial communities, nutrient cycling, and molecular responses, to better understand how Sargassum-derived biochar impacts marine ecosystems.
What's the goal of this research, and what would success look like?
The goal is to find a sustainable use for the enormous amounts of Sargassum arriving in the Caribbean while improving our understanding of seagrass restoration. If we can transform a regional environmental challenge into a tool that helps restore an ecosystem under threat, that’s a win for marine life, coastal communities, and the resilience of our Island.
Even if the biochar doesn’t perform as expected, the project will still be a success because we’ll better understand how biochar impacts marine ecosystems. Those findings will tell us what needs to be improved and what additional questions we need to explore. They will also guide improvements to the material itself, changes in application methods, or entirely new research directions. This knowledge is also important because it helps guide future restoration strategies and ensures that any solution we propose is science-based.
How does your work fit into our mission of promoting holistic island science, the idea that Puerto Rico's ecosystems are all connected, not separated by land, sea, or discipline?
My work fits into Isla Mar's mission of promoting holistic island science because it brings together two environmental challenges that are often treated separately and asks whether one can help solve the other.
First, it’s important to recognize that Sargassum itself isn’t the problem. Pelagic Sargassum is a natural and valuable ecosystem, providing habitat for many marine species. The concern is the unprecedented amount that’s been reaching our shores over the past decade.
Most of us have experienced the Sargassum influxes firsthand. We’ve seen beaches covered in seaweed, canceled beach days, the smell of decomposing Sargassum, businesses struggling, and fishermen dealing with changing coastal conditions. These blooms affect not only our environment, but also our economy, public health, and the livelihoods of many coastal communities.
At the same time, another environmental crisis is happening, and we’re losing our native seagrass meadows. Many people don’t realize how important they are, but many of the things we value depend on them. The fish, lobster, and queen conch that many of us enjoy begin part of their lives in seagrass meadows. Green turtles and manatees depend on them for food. Seagrasses also improve water quality, stabilize sediments, protect our shorelines, store carbon, and even help nearby coral reefs by trapping sediments before they reach the reef.
My research sits at the intersection of these two challenges. Instead of treating excess Sargassum as waste, I’m asking whether it can be transformed into a resource that helps restore an ecosystem under threat.
To me, that’s what holistic island science is all about. It recognizes that Puerto Rico’s beaches, seagrasses, coral reefs, fisheries, local businesses, and communities aren’t separate; they’re all part of the same living system. What happens offshore eventually reaches our coasts, our economy, our dinner tables, and our everyday lives. For us to have resilient communities, we also need resilient ecosystems.
What long-term impact do you hope this research has, beyond the life of the project itself?
I hope this research is the beginning of a new restoration strategy for seagrass ecosystems. If Sargassum-derived biochar proves to be safe and beneficial, I’d love to see it incorporated into real restoration projects across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
To responsibly move toward that goal, we need a much more comprehensive understanding of how this material impacts marine environments. I’d like to continue expanding this research by studying not only plant response, but also sediment chemistry, microbial communities, sediment properties, and the molecular responses of seagrasses to biochar exposure.
The more we understand how Sargassum-derived biochar interacts with these ecosystems, the better we can evaluate whether it’s a safe, effective, and sustainable tool for restoration. Even if the answer is that it isn’t, that knowledge will still help guide future restoration efforts and management decisions.
Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve in your broader career in science?
My goal is to become an ecologist and build my career here in Puerto Rico, working to understand, protect, and restore our coastal ecosystems. To get there, I want to keep learning new techniques, collaborate with scientists across disciplines, and continue growing as a researcher capable of tackling complex environmental challenges.
Beyond becoming a better scientist, I want my work to have a real impact on the people who live here. I want to help protect ecosystems that support our communities while making science more accessible and inclusive. Too often, research stays within universities or institutions, but I believe the best science is shared with the people it serves.
If my work can help protect Puerto Rico’s natural resources while inspiring others to value, understand, and care for them, then I’ll know I’ve fulfilled my goal and made a meaningful contribution.
What can everyday people do to get involved or support conservation efforts like yours in Puerto Rico?
I think conservation starts with understanding that many environmental problems begin with our everyday actions. While no single person can stop the massive Sargassum blooms, we can all help reduce some of the factors that contribute to them. For example, using fertilizers responsibly, supporting better wastewater management, and reducing pollution help limit the nutrients that eventually reach our coastal waters. Those nutrients, together with climate change and natural processes like Sahara dust, contribute to the unusually large Sargassum blooms we’ve been seeing.
At the same time, we can all help protect seagrass meadows. For example, if you’re out on the water, avoid anchoring your boat in seagrass beds because anchors can leave scars that take years to recover. Whenever possible, use designated mooring buoys or anchor in sandy areas instead. Healthy seagrass meadows are more resilient, while disturbed areas can become more vulnerable to invasive species like Halophila stipulacea, which outcompetes our native seagrasses and affects important habitat and food resources for animals like green turtles and manatees.
But conservation isn’t only about avoiding harm; it’s also about building a connection with nature. Spend time outside. Visit our natural areas. Go snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, or simply ask questions about the wildlife around you. It’s much easier to protect something once you’ve built a connection with it.
Today, social media can also be a powerful conservation tool. By following scientists, environmental organizations, educators, or nature photographers, people can learn about Puerto Rico’s incredible biodiversity, discover volunteer opportunities, and stay informed about community events, restoration projects, or research like this one. It also gives us a platform to raise awareness about ecosystems and communities under threat, speak up against environmental negligence, and encourage others to become part of the solution.
From there, it’s all about taking the next step. Volunteer with local organizations, help monitor nesting sea turtles, or even reach out to researchers and universities if you’re interested in gaining hands-on experience. Many people don’t realize that scientists are often looking for volunteers or students who are eager to learn. You can also make a difference through your everyday choices by reducing waste, consuming more responsibly, and supporting organizations working to protect our natural resources.
Many people don’t realize how important [our native seagrass species] are, but many of the things we value depend on them.
Katherine's Seed Fund project is supported by Isla Mar through the donations received by selling our merchandise, as well as generous donors in our community. Follow along here and on our social media to watch for more updates on her project!
