USF researcher Heather O’Leary was part of a team that found that Florida’s 2017-2019 red tide bloom cost tourism-related businesses an estimated $2.7 billion. Although the findings were important, O’Leary realized they were difficult for non-experts to understand. She wondered if the data could be turned into music people could experience in a different way.
O’Leary tried a machine that converted the data into sound, but was unhappy with the results. “I was thinking how sound could make my spreadsheets come alive.” So she reached out to USF’s School of Music, which led to the creation of an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students creating music about the environment. The piece was performed by the USF Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble in 2024.
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