Faculty play an integral role in shaping the UVI experience and community. In honour of the many ways in which our, often unsung, heroes make UVI our home away from home, we highlight one of the longtime backbones of the College of Science and Mathematics, the Queen of Coral, Dr. Sandra Romano, as she prepares to begin her new chapter – retirement.
“I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to be involved in a lot of different initiatives at UVI and work with a lot of different faculty, staff, and students. I’ve loved being in a small place where everyone knows each other and works together.”
– Dr. Sandra Romano
Who is Sandra Romano?
Dr. Romano has served as Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics since 2012. She began her career at the University of the Virgin Islands in 2000 as an Assistant Professor of Marine Biology, earning tenure in 2009. As a professor she has taught a variety of biology, marine biology, and general science education courses, working with students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her research on the molecular systematics of corals was funded by the National Science Foundation and published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals. She mentored both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a post-doc, on related projects in her lab. Some of her students went on to serve as teachers, others went on to earn Masters, PhDs and MDs.
At UVI Dr. Romano has served in a diversity of roles: Pre-Health Professions Advisor, the Coordinator for the NIH MBRS-RISE program on the St. Thomas Campus, the Director of the Masters in Marine and Environmental Science Program, the Chair of the Dept. of Biological Sciences, and Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Institute for STEM Education Research and Practice (VI-ISERP). In 2012, Dr. Romano was selected as one of forty national PULSE Leadership Fellows. The Partnership for Undergraduate Life Science Education (PULSE) is a collaborative effort developed and funded by NSF, NIH/NIGMS, and HHMI whose objective is to implement recommendations of the AAAS Vision and Change Report for transforming life sciences education at the Department level and above. She worked with other Leadership Fellows to develop a pilot certification program for life sciences education at the undergraduate level and this program continues today. As Executive Director of VI-ISERP she led the effort in the Virgin Islands in adopting best practices, based on discipline-based education research and integration of authentic research into the curriculum, in STEM education in Territorial schools as well as at the university level. Dr. Romano served as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Human Resource Development, Directorate of Education and Human Resources, from 2019 to 2022. During that time she worked with the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation programs. She is especially proud of being part of the team that developed the Racial Equity in STEM Education program in 2020 to support projects focused on advancing racial equity in STEM education and workforce development and led or co-developed by individuals and communities most impacted by the inequities caused by systemic racism.
Dr. Romano earned her B.A. in Aquatic Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and went on to earn her Masters and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. She was awarded a yearlong postdoctoral fellowship by the Smithsonian Institution at the National Museum of Natural History and the Laboratory for Molecular Systematics. She spent another four years as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory before joining the faculty at UVI.
“My dream is for CSM to continue to be able to grow in a space of its own that would inspire students to continue on in STEM, providing state of the art learning spaces for classes and research- to allow for more interaction between faculty, as well as faculty and students that leads to exciting experiences in STEM.“
– Dr. Sandra Romano
When did you discover your love for STEM?
I wasn’t always interested in STEM- I started college as a French major at a liberal arts school where in my first semester I took an Astronomy course to get that requirement over with! I wasn’t planning on doing any more science at all! But my fascination with coral reefs eventually led me to a love for STEM.
What about marine biology & coral reefs made you decide ‘this is what I want to do?’
I learned to snorkel in middle school and then I took a course in Marine Biology as a senior at The Good Hope School. Our teacher, Mr. Yoder, had taken courses at the West Indies Lab on St. Croix (this will tell you how old I am!) and he gave us a very thorough introduction to marine biology and coral reefs. That inspired me to learn to scuba dive which opened up a whole new world to me. I felt like an explorer, fascinated by the diversity of organisms on the coral reefs around St. Croix. In college, I took courses at the West Indies Lab myself and learned that I could make a career of studying coral reefs- that there were scientists who spent a lot of time underwater on coral reefs, trying to understand these beautiful, amazing, complex, diverse ecosystems – doing experiments on the reefs, collecting and analyzing data- and that sounded like a great life to me. I loved the idea of doing a lot of different things- spending time in the water, discussing questions with colleagues and strategies for addressing them, designing experiments, analyzing data, and sharing my knowledge with others. That started me on a path where I got to do what I dreamed of and then even more that I never imagined I’d do- like being a Dean! I’ve been able to do a lot of different kinds of science- from underwater fieldwork, to lab work, teaching a diversity of courses, developing programs, and exploring how to improve STEM education at the college level.
What do you love most about your time at UVI?
I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to be involved in a lot of different initiatives at UVI and work with a lot of different faculty, staff, and students. I’ve loved being in a small place where everyone knows each other and works together.
If you could liken yourself to one species of coral, which would it be and why?
That’s a tough choice to have to make! I would say Elkhorn coral- Acropora palmata. This was the first species that I got to know well- it has lots of branches and can take on many different forms. When I first started diving there were places with really large thickets of it – really large colonies – with so much going on in them- lots of other invertebrates and fish living in the thickets. In a similar way, I have a lot of ‘branches’ – diverse interests a bit all over the place…
You have studied at several institutions around the globe, what is one piece of wisdom you have acquired from each one along the way?
I can’t even say- I feel like I’ve absorbed so much from all the different places I’ve studied- they’ve become a part of me. At each one, I’ve learned about a different way to interact with and see the world. I’ve learned so many different ways of valuing the natural world.
Define Success
For me success is being able to take care of myself, and my family, and making a positive contribution in the world.
As you near the end of your tenure, what are your hopes for the College of Science & Mathematics and the wider University as a whole?
I’ve seen UVI grow a lot over the last 25 years, especially the College Science and Mathematics. I’m especially proud of how CSM has really supported students in having authentic research experiences and I hope that those kinds of opportunities continue to grow. My dream is for CSM to continue to be able to grow in a space of its own that would inspire students to continue on in STEM, providing state of the art learning spaces for classes and research- to allow for more interaction between faculty, as well as faculty and students that leads to exciting experiences in STEM.
Why does what you do matter?
I think higher education opens people to so many opportunities- to do good in the world- to achieve their goals, whatever they may be. So being part of a system that provides those opportunities for students has been very satisfying.
What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in marine biology?
The advice I have isn’t just for careers in marine biology- I think it’s important for people to find something to do that they’re excited about doing every morning when they wake up. And once you have some idea of what that might be, to take advantage of the interesting opportunities that come up because you never know where they might take you- to places you never even imagined.
Where can we follow your work?
I’m hoping to have time to update my LinkedIn profile once I retire!
