Stephanie Schwabe
Quick facts for kids
Stephanie Schwabe
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1957 Germany
|
| Alma mater | University of Queensland College of Charleston Mississippi State University University of Bristol |
| Occupation | geomicrobiologist, diver |
Stephanie Jutta Schwabe was born in Germany on January 1, 1957. She is a special kind of scientist called a geomicrobiologist. This means she studies tiny living things (microbes) and how they interact with the Earth. She is also a very skilled diver. She explores underwater caves, especially in the Bahamas.
Schwabe earned several degrees from different universities. She studied law at the University of Queensland in Australia. She also got advanced degrees from the College of Charleston and Mississippi State University in the U.S. Later, she earned her doctorate from the University of Bristol in England. Her doctorate research focused on caves in the Bahamas.
Today, Schwabe works as a professor at the University of Manchester. She is also a scientist at the University of Kentucky.
She is a member of the Royal Geographical Society in London. NASA recognized her for finding a unique life system. This special life is found only in the black freshwater holes in the Bahamas. She was also featured in a book called Women of Discovery. In 2004, she received the Women of Discovery Award for Courage.
Exploring Underwater Caves
Stephanie Schwabe started diving in caves in the mid-1980s or early 1990s. Since then, she has been on many scientific trips to the Bahamas. These trips helped her with her research for her advanced degrees. She has also been part of several film expeditions.
Discoveries in Blue Holes
In 2000, Schwabe explored the Black Hole of Andros, Bahamas. This is a famous underwater cave. In 2003, she discovered a new type of purple sulfur bacteria. She named this bacteria Allocromatium palmerii. She named it after her late husband, Rob Palmer, who was also a diver.
The Rob Palmer Blue Holes Foundation
Stephanie Schwabe started a group called the Rob Palmer Blue Holes Foundation. It is a nonprofit organization. The foundation works to explore and study blue holes in the Bahamas. Blue holes are underwater caves or sinkholes. The foundation also helps teach people about these amazing places. They work to protect the caves and blue holes in the Bahamas.
Her husband, Rob Palmer, was a famous British diver. He passed away in 1997 while diving in the Red Sea.
