Marine biologist and composer Dr. Heather Spence drops a microphone into the ocean and invites you to tune in to your own life. Backed by neuroscience and twenty years of underwater listening, she explores how the hidden soundscape around you can shift your attention, your emotions, and even your decisions. Heather reveals her simple tools to train your ears and shape your surroundings. Heather’s unique blending of science and music has led her to be featured on National Geographic and funded by the National Academy of Sciences. She learns about coral reefs by listening to them and incorporates her research recordings into music that inspires deeper connections with our ocean planet.Dr. Heather Spence is a marine biologist, musician, and composer based in Arlington, VA. Her research, featured by National Geographic and funded by the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on listening. With an MS in Marine Biology and a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience, she pioneered the use of underwater recordings to monitor coral reefs in the Mexican Caribbean. She composes music that interprets field recordings by jamming with them and teaches this process in the online course Nature Music on Studio.com. She co-founded the Ocean Memory Project and Ocean World of Sound, initiatives that integrate across disciplines for community-based coastal conservation.This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx