Pre-symposium Workshops
Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Location: Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, Florida
Time: 8:15am to 4:45pm
Fee: $100 full day, $50 half day
Included: Lunch (full day only) plus morning and afternoons breaks
WORKSHOP 1: Aquatic Plant Identification – Half Day – Morning
WORKSHOP 2: Selection of Stormwater BMPs to Maximize Removal of Target Pollutants – Full Day
Workshop 3: R for Beginners – Half Day – Morning
WORKSHOP 4: Vibe Coding in R – Half Day – Afternoon
WORKSHOP 5: TBD – LVI workshop w/ Plant ID – Half Day – Afternoon
Workshop descriptions are below.
Workshop Descriptions
WORKSHOP 1: Aquatic Plant Identification – Half Day – Morning
Workshop Instructor: Lyn Gettys, Ph.D., University of Florida
Description: This workshop will introduce attendees to some of Florida’s native and introduced aquatic plants. Topics will include plant identification, telling apart lookalikes, management options for invasive plants, and propagation tips for native plants.
About the Instructor: Dr. Lyn Gettys (Gettys rhymes with lettuce!) is an Associate Professor of Agronomy (Aquatic and Wetland Plant Science) and has been based at the University of Florida IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center in Davie since 2012. She holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in plant breeding from North Carolina State University and a Ph.D. in plant genetics from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on the biology and ecology of native and introduced aquatic and wetland plants, management of invasive aquatic plants, and developing methods to improve the success rate of aquatic habitat enhancement and restoration projects. Her Extension efforts include providing leadership for the UF/IFAS Aquatic Weed Control Short Course, which attracts more than 500 attendees every year, and serving as a subject matter expert and speaker on aquatic plant biology and control for stakeholders throughout Florida.
WORKSHOP 2: Selection of Stormwater BMPs to Maximize Removal of Target Pollutants – Full Day
Workshop Instructor: Harvey H Harper, PhD, PE
Description: This workshop is designed to be an interactive forum for professionals responsible for selecting, reviewing, designing, and evaluating stormwater BMPs to remove target pollutants. The workshop will begin with a discussion of common constituents in stormwater runoff and optimum removal processes for each constituent. A detailed evaluation of common and innovative BMPs will be provided which includes the physical characteristics, removal processes and factors impacting pollutant removal, typical pollutants removed, methods to estimate BMP effectiveness, and most appropriate applications. BMP topics include infiltration BMPs, wet detention, dry detention, gross pollutant separators, street sweeping, floating wetlands, media filters, denitrification, stormwater treatment areas (STAs), alum treatment, LID, BMP selection summary and costs, BMPs in series, and common mistakes in BMP selection. The presentation will rely heavily on research projects which demonstrate BMP efficiency, factors impacting BMP effectiveness, improper BMP selection, design errors and recommendations, and maintenance concerns.
About the Instructor: Dr. Harvey H. Harper is currently President of Environmental Research & Design, Inc. and a former faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Harper has over 45 years of experience in water quality projects related to lakes and stormwater management and has conducted more than 50 sponsored research projects related to the effectiveness of common and innovative stormwater BMPs. He has conducted over 150 presentations, seminars, and workshops and has published over 125 articles and technical reports on water quality issues. Research conducted by Dr. Harper forms the basis for calculating runoff volumes, nutrient loading, and removal efficiencies used in pre vs. post loading analyses for the new Statewide Stormwater Rule. Harvey is a former officer, director, and current member of the Florida Lake Management Society and a former SE Director and current member of the North American Lake Management Society.
Workshop 3: R for Beginners – Half Day – Morning
Workshop Instructors: Dan Schmutz, M.S., GPI, Inc. & Alex Manos, Pinellas County
Description: This half day workshop will provide a gentle introduction to R. This free, open source system for statistical computation and graphics has become the de facto standard for ecologists with more than half of published scientific papers now using the software. R allows precise documentation of steps taken in data processing in order to provide reproducible results in alignment with the Open Science movement. Graphical user interfaces and integrated development environments now make R more user friendly for beginners (i.e., more point-and-click and less command line). Users have contributed over 23,000 packages to R, greatly extending its capabilities.
This class is ideal for complete beginners as well as users with some previous exposure to R that want to refresh concepts or learn best practices. Teaching methods will touch on both concepts and techniques, with an emphasis on implementation in R. Prior to the workshop, we will send instructions for installing the free programs R and RStudio and required packages. Please bring a laptop, as the workshop will emphasize a hands-on approach to learning.
About the Instructors: Dan Schmutz, M.S. is the Immediate Past President of the Florida Lake Management Society and the Chief Environmental Scientist for Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI), a 1,800-person multidisciplinary consulting firm. He has 30 years of experience developing and applying ecological and hydrological assessments, GIS, and data science techniques for addressing water resource questions. He earned a Master of Science degree in Zoology from the University of South Florida in 1997 and has been enjoying playing with data ever since.
Alex Manos is an Environmental Specialist with Pinellas County’s Division of Environmental Management specializing in water quality data analysis and visualization. He received his B.S. in Biology from Central Connecticut State University and his M.S. in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences from the University of Florida. Alex has experience leveraging open-source software to automate workflows, develop dashboards, and enhance data accessibility.
WORKSHOP 4: Vibe Coding in R – Half Day – Afternoon
Workshop Instructor: Dan Schmutz, M.S., GPI, Inc. & Alex Manos, Pinellas County
Description: This half day workshop introduces “Vibe Coding in R” as a practical, modern workflow for data analysts who want to work faster and more effectively. Rather than focusing on memorizing syntax, this workshop shows how to combine the statistical computing power of R and the development environment RStudio with large language model (LLM) tools and APIs to accelerate real-world analytical tasks.
Participants will learn how to responsibly integrate LLM APIs into R projects, including secure handling of API keys, data privacy considerations, and organizational security precautions. We will demonstrate agentic workflows with rapid prototyping and debugging in which AI assists with structured tasks such as data cleaning, exploratory analysis, report generation, visualization design, and even building small applications relevant to environmental monitoring and reporting.
This class is ideal for participants with at least basic familiarity with R who want to modernize their workflow and incorporate AI tools safely and effectively. Teaching will be hands-on, with examples relevant to environmental data and management. Prior to the workshop, we will send instructions for installing R, RStudio, and required packages, along with guidance for accessing selected LLM APIs. Please bring a laptop, as participants will practice implementing AI-assisted workflows throughout the session.
WORKSHOP 5: TBD – possibly an LVI-type workshop to complement the morning Plant ID – Half Day – Afternoon. Note: If you sign up for this workshop and we are unable to present it, you will be given the choice of transferring to another workshop or receiving a refund.
Workshop Instructor: Nia Wellendorf, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Description: