Sue Ebanks
Sue Ebanks
Dr. Sue Ebanks is a marine scientist currently working as a Professor at Savannah State University, where she teaches topics on the marine and environmental sciences. She is also the Co-Executive Director of The Oscar Chaplin III Foundation for Education and Athletics, Inc. This organization honors the legacy of Oscar Chaplin III through personal and professional development. She is most blessed to be a Christian, wife, mother, daughter, sister, mentor, and mentee.
"Each person's contribution is unique and so to find a particular box for something unique seems impossible – nay, ridiculous" - Sue Ebanks, 2024.
Geiger, S. M., Curran, M.C., & Ebanks, S. C., 2024. Message in a (Plastic) Bottle. Current: The Journal of Marine Education, 39(1): 23–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/cjme.98
Gilligan, M. & Ebanks, S., 2016. The Ocean Science Social Diversity Challenge, Oceanography, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2016.12
Wilson, J. M., Moreira-Silva, J., Delgado, I., Ebanks, S., et al., 2012. Mechanisms of transepithelial ammonia excretion and luminal alkalinization in the gut of an intestinal air-breathing fish, Misgurnus angulliacaudatus, Journal of Experimental Biology, 216(4). https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.074401
Ebanks, S., O’Donnell, M., J., & Grosell, M., 2010. Characterization of mechanisms for Ca2+ and HCO3-/CO32- acquisition for shell formation in embryos of the freshwater common pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis, Journal of Experimental Biology, 213(23). https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.045088
Ebanks, S. & Grosell, M., 2008. Building a house when supplies are minimal: Ca2+ and HCO3- acquisition in freshwater by embryos of the common pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 150(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.218
Ebanks, S. & Grosell, M., 2008. Fluid and osmolyte recovery in the common pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis following full-body withdrawal, Journal of Experimental Biology, 211(3). https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.010132
Dr. Sue Ebanks grew up exploring Georgia’s rivers, creeks, marshes, and beaches. During her childhood, her father took her and her brothers shrimping, crabbing, hunting, and fishing, instilling an early love in all environments. While casting nets with her father, she witnessed bioluminescence for the first time, learning about the environment that she recalls because of her early experiences. Her love for such landscapes prompted her and her friend to start a marine biology club at their high school, Herschel V. Jenkins, in Savannah, GA, so they could further learn about and explore the environment. She attended Savanah State University for her BS in Environmental Science and BS in Marine Science with a minor in Chemistry. She holds an MS in Marine Sciences also from Savanah State University, where she studied shrimp parasitology with Dr. Mary Carla Curran, and a PhD in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami, where she studied the ecophysiology and toxicology of freshwater pulmonate snails.
During her PhD studies, Dr. Ebanks worked as a graduate research assistant, studying the environmental physiology of freshwater pulmonate snails under Dr. Martin Grosell (2005-2010). After graduating, she taught marine science courses to STEM and non-STEM majors at Savannah State University (2010-2011). Then she was promoted to Visiting Assistant Professor in 2011, Assistant Professor on the tenure track in 2012, and tenured Associate Professor in 2017. Dr. Ebanks was promoted to her current position as Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University in 2022. In her current role, she continues to teach marine and environmental science courses to both science majors and non-science majors, conduct research with undergraduate and graduate students, and interact and mentor pre-K-gray learners from formal and informal angles concerning the environment. Dr. Ebanks also represents Savannah State University for the work of the National Association of Marine Laboratories, HBCU Geosciences Working Group, Sustainable Futures Academy, Ogeechee Riverkeeper, and Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. She previously served as President of the Southern Association of Marine Laboratories (2022-2023). Most recently, in 2022, Dr. Ebanks, her parents, and her brother started The Oscar Chaplin, III Foundation for Education and Athletics, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization in honor of her brother, Oscar ("Diamond"). She is Co-Executive Director with their brother, Jim A. Chaplin, Sr.. The organization works to honor the legacy of Mr. Oscar Chaplin III by helping people maximize their potential through spiritual, mental, and physical growth.
Dr. Ebanks cited seeing some of the undergraduate students she taught and advised earn doctorates or master's degrees or working at environmental organizations as a career highlight, as she recalls their first time in her classroom learning the subject. Furthermore, throughout her career, she has learned to say no and not feel bad about it, which is still challenging but critical to personal and professional development. She highlights that the list of things to be done will never be clear but that it is something that she, and many others, must be willing to accept.
Several vital figures and mentors have been in Dr. Ebanks' professional and personal life. She highlights that she has had different mentors, as "no one kind of mentor checks all the boxes" (2024). She cites her father as her first mentor and role model, as he found the time to take her out to the water and teach her life skills, such as changing the oil in a car, all while working two jobs. Further, Dr. Ebanks states that she has sought out specific mentors who could help her in particular ways, from research and teaching to community and faith. In addition, Dr. Ebanks has had the opportunity to mentor undergraduate and graduate students. While she was a graduate student, she worked with several undergraduate students as a near-peer mentor. However, Dr. Ebanks highlights that some of these mentor/mentee relationships weren't formalized. Instead, they came naturally and took a more informal structure but were equally enriching. In her current role at Savannah State University, Dr. Ebanks serves on several advising committees, teaches courses, and works with graduate students, providing valuable insights for both parties.
As Dr. Ebanks' work frequently covers diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), she often "finds that in that process we try to make these little boxes that must be checked" but that "in the effort to have a box to check, people lose their original identity" (2024). She reminds young professionals that you should be yourself above all else because each person's contribution is unique and doesn't fit into a box. She reflects on her career, stating that it "was the most liberating thing ever" to decide not to conform to any one sector, and it has made her comfortable functioning at all levels of society (2024).
Dr. Sue Ebanks. (2021). Ogeechee Riverkeeper. Retrieved May 3, 2024 from https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/dr-sue-ebanks/
(JEDSI) Survey and interviews conducted by Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative staff. 2022-2024. Yale University-School of the Environment. New Haven, Connecticut.
Sue (Sue A. Chaplin) Ebanks. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved May 3, 2024 from https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-ebanks-b4b78263/
Sue (Sue A. Chaplin) Ebanks [Photo]. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved May 3, 2024 from https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-ebanks-b4b78263/
Sue (Sue A. Chaplin) Ebanks [Photo]. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved May 3, 2024 from https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-ebanks-b4b78263/