By Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing
Mark Rains, professor of geology in the USF School of Geosciences, was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the state鈥檚 chief science officer in early 2021. In one year, Rains has traveled over 30,000 miles around the state, using his expertise in hydrological sciences to speak with stakeholders about water resource challenges. Poor water quality and harmful algal blooms are the unintended consequences of land use and land cover change, according to Rains. The goal of his work in communities across the state is to understand how everyone uses our shared resources and then as a team, how we might rebuild some of the original water flow paths into our modern landscape.