Heidi 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.”

     In high school Putnam did not leave these interests behind. Among her many activities were Riverwatch and Environthon. Although she did not know where these interests would take her, she knew she wanted to find a career that would allow her to be outdoors and she positively knew “that I wanted to enjoy what I was doing.”

     While still in high school she did a job shadow at the Environmental Protection Agency 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, Putnam is continuing to examine the small but important changes taking place in aquatic habitats. Though she has moved away from the sparkling shores of Gitchie Gumee to the colorful coral reefs of Taiwan, she is seeing the same destructive patterns.

     This is a major question of our age. What are the boundaries between human progress and the environment? Putnam 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 Putnam’s studies are focused on. By daily charting coral bleaching — the death of coral structures — in the reefs, Putnam 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, Putnam 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 and the life of a Minnesotan but Putnam 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. Recent research has shown a loss of reef sin the Caribbean and Pacific, which serve as a buffering system to protect us from hurricanes. In the last 50-100 years there has been widespread coral loss. Further destruction, and the devastating effects are things that our generation will deal with.”     

     “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?”

     Putnam believes she has not yet developed a clear voice in her science. By working in waters around the world, she is achieving a real understanding of the issues of her work and experiencing a variety of cultures and perspectives.

     “Travel to Belize and Taiwan have helped me to understand the distinct differences in regulations and their impacts on society,” she explain. “In developing nations people are fishing in the coral reefs but there is no money to regulate this. There is not even money for these people to feed their families. How we consider legislation in Florida and Belize are drastically different.”

     There are some ecosystems that she believes are now on the edge of survival as a result of human impact. Though the destruction of ecosystems is a world-wide problem, Putnam has noticed a difference in how various people view their environment.

     “I have found that smaller countries have great respect for their resources and whole community. In America we take a lot of things for granted. There is excess everywhere — from the grocery store to the effects on our environment.”

     This observation in itself is a small question that explains a critical larger issue. A respect for nature is at the heart of Putnam’s watchful and scientific eye. She is most certainly a product of her environment-- a scientist formed through experience. A childhood surrounded by water and a love of nature combined with a college life informed and challenged by scientific thinking. The tiny daily influences have produced a woman aware and ready to have an intellectual impact on our world’s environment.