Hollie Putnam grew up in Silver Bay on the shores of Lake Superior. Her parents owned a commercial fishing business. In her youth, her family spent much time together fishing and hunting.

“I was always thinking about animals and nature,” she says, “And I loved doing things to interact with the outdoors.”

Although Hollie wasn’t quite sure where these interests would take her, at William Kelley High School, she came to realize she wanted a career that would allow her to be outdoors.

During high school, Hollie chose to shadow a job at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lab in Duluth. Five years later, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Superior with a bachelor’s degree in Aquatic Biology and Broad Field Science, she returned to the EPA to study the molecular affects of chemicals in Lake Superior.

A few months away from the presentation of her dissertation and the completion of her master’s degree, Hollie continued to examine the small but important changes taking place in aquatic habitats. Though she has moved away from the sparkling shores of Lake Superior to the colorful coral reefs of Taiwan, she is seeing the same destructive patterns.

At the heart of Hollie’s research is an international problem. “Humans think mostly about themselves,” she says. “Developing countries need to bring in tourists, other people want a nice view of the sea. Where do you draw the line between protecting ecosystems and allowing people their livelihoods?”

Hollie is conscious of these questions, but her focus is narrowed.

“Before you can answer the big questions, you need to answer the small questions,” she says.

The small and everyday changes of coral health is what Hollie’s studies are focused on. By daily charting coral bleaching — the death of coral structures — in the reefs, Hollie is contrasting changes of temperature and toxicity in the short term with the greater patterns of coral health.

Having worked in the small towns dependent on these coral reefs, Hollie has come in contact with the ethical issues of ecosystem decline. “As people and countries, we have an impact on how organisms respond. Our choices have an impact on the environment.”

Coral reefs seem far from the frigid waters of Lake Superior, but Hollie suggests that the destruction of coral reefs around the world will have an impact on us.

“Coral reefs are diverse ecosystems — more diverse than the rainforest,” she explains. “Hidden in them are many pharmaceutical options that could be lost with their destruction.”

As we learn more about humans’ impact on the planet, we look to research by scientists just like Hollie who first study the tiny patterns that can be linked to larger patterns.

“The challenge for science,” she says, “is realizing how you can relate the information you discover to the general public. Humans are having a bigger impact on climate than we thought. Young scientists are thinking about the future and asking how can we direct our research towards these issues? I have found that smaller countries have great respect for their resources. In America we take a lot of things for granted.”

A respect for nature is at the heart of Hollie’s scientific eye. She is a scientist formed through experience from childhood on.  These influences have produced a woman ready to have an intellectual and significant impact on our environment.