Ellen Prager, Ph.D., President of Earth2Ocean, Inc., in Key Biscayne, Fl., works as a consultant and freelance writer, and has contracts with the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, the President's U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, and StormCenter Communications, Inc.

Formerly Assistant Dean at Rosenstiel, Prager began her career in marine science as a safety diver and research assistant at an underwater habitat in St. Croix, USVI. She has participated in research expeditions to the Galapagos Islands; Papua New Guinea; and the deep waters of the Florida Reef tract.

Prager earned her BA from Wesleyan University, Connecticut, an MS from Rosenstiel, and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. Between 1992 and 1995, she taught oceanography to undergraduates, teachers, and senior citizens at Woods Hole, Ma., and in 1995 she became resident director of the National Undersea Research Center on Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas.

Prager in 1997 joined the U.S. Geological Survey, working on research on marine geology and coral reefs and public education. During 1998, she co-chaired the subcommittee on research, exploration, and education for the National Ocean Conference. In 1998, during a week in the underwater habitat Aquarius in the Florida Keys, Prager was interviewed on NBC's Today show, wrote dispatches online for MSNBC, and worked with the National Geographic Society.

She has written articles for scientific journals, public-oriented magazines, and several books including Furious Earth: The Science and Nature of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis and The Oceans, both published by McGraw-Hill.

In 2000, Prager was a host/researcher for the Jason Project and broadcast live five times a day while living underwater for two weeks in the Aquarius. She was then featured in an ABC News Special on Earth Day: Planet Earth 2000, and answered ocean-related questions on-camera for CNN, appeared on Miami's NBC's EcoWatch Coral Crisis special, and has been featured in several shows for the Discovery Channel. In 2002, Dr. Prager wrote a bi-weekly column for South Florida's NBC 6 and continues to appear as an expert on-camera. She is a frequent speaker at aquariums, national meetings, and schools and was recently retained by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy to help write its report to Congress and the President due in 2003.