FAMU's School of the Environment is bridging academia and industry with the Rattler Moji — a real-time, solar-powered water quality buoy supporting oyster farmers and undergraduate researchers in Crawfordville.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Florida A&M University's School of the Environment has deployed a solar-powered water quality monitoring buoy in Spring Creek, and it's already making a difference for both students and oyster farmers in Crawfordville.
The device, called the Rattler Moji, collects real-time environmental data including temperature, salinity, pH levels, and nitrogen — information that was previously difficult to obtain accurately in the field.
"Before, we used to use point sampling, you know, where you come and get the water and go back to the lab and go analyze for this parameter," said Dr. Benjamin Mwashote, Director of Research at FAMU's School of the Environment. "Now that kind of — that I know had issues because, you know, by the time you transport your samples all the way to the lab, you know, things have changed in that body. But now we are able to get this real-time, so we know that we are getting data, actual data from the ground."
Joel Blount, Jr., Director of Student Success at FAMU's School of the Environment, said the buoy has expanded what he can offer students in the field.
"Having the Rattler Moji makes my job a lot easier because I get a chance to come out here and expose students to different parameters and different opportunities within the community," Blount said.
For Chad Minter, Owner of S&M Oyster Company, the buoy provides practical information he can use to run his business and communicate with customers.
"So, it helps to know, like, what the salinity is out there and what the temperature is, and then it's nice to be able to go back and see what it is month by month," Minter said.
That salinity data has a direct connection to the quality and flavor of the oysters his company produces.
"Some chefs wanna know, like, how salty they are, so it's nice to know if the bay is like extra salty because of a lack of rain, or if a lot of rain happens, well, if it's gonna be not as salty, and just information we can relay to whoever needs to know," Minter said.
FAMU environmental student Rosemarie Rosales said the buoy represents a significant step forward for the university and for students at all levels.
"FAMU is like the only university that we know so far that has the Rattler Moji, or the buoy, right outside in Spring Creek, so that already in itself is such a big advancement," Rosales said.
Rosales added that the real-time access to data is opening doors for undergraduate researchers.
"For us to see real-time data — and he allows like first-year students, undergrad students, actually not even graduate master level students, but undergrad students to actually be exposed to real-time data and to be used towards like research projects," Rosales said. "The Rattler Moji, the buoy, is great for future research projects as it provides like real-time data for us, and so, as Dr. Benn mentioned, like, we can look this up on our phones."
Data from the buoy can also feed directly into FAMU's Nexus mobile lab, a self-contained unit equipped with AI compatibility and machine learning capabilities that allows students to analyze environmental data in the field.
"This is our mobile hub to go out and train students in the real world on environmental challenges that affect their communities," Blount said. "And so we're excited about this mobile laboratory and the capabilities that we have to go out and impact change in the community and make a meaningful impact on students' lives that are considering possibly helping the environment."
The Rattler Moji in Spring Creek is just the beginning. FAMU's School of the Environment plans to expand the buoy program across the area, with more Oyster Farms identified as the next location.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
