Plant City resident Anthony Halcyon is a UF Online graduate who’s gone on to become an environmental scientist, world traveler, and member of The Explorers Club. Now he’s also being honored by the UF Alumni Association as a member of the 2026 class of 40 Gators Under 40.
Scientist, researcher, explorer, traveler: For 40 Gators Under 40 honoree Anthony Halcyon, it all started with UF Online
Anthony Halcyon has traveled to Iceland to study the harvesting of fog as a water source, to Montenegro to catalog biodiversity in a remote river valley, and to Tanzania to help bring clean water to a village that had lacked it before. Closer to home, he’s led water conservation and stormwater initiatives in Hillsborough County, Florida where he also heads youth water education programs and even works to convince residents to maintain a more Florida-friendly yard.
Indeed, Halcyon’s efforts in the areas of water and soil conservation have stretched far and wide. The researcher, explorer, traveler and scientist found his calling thanks in part to UF Online, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Environmental Management in Agriculture and Natural Resources. He went on to earn an online master’s in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, and is now being honored as part of the 2026 class of 40 Gators Under 40.
“It’s a big, full-circle moment,” said Halcyon, who lives in Plant City, Florida. “To me, this is kind of the culmination of my work with UF. It doesn’t mean I’m done with them, but to me it is a big milestone.”
Chosen by the UF Alumni Association, 40 Gators Under 40 recognizes young alumni who have not only achieved personal success but also demonstrated a deep connection and commitment to UF. In his role as senior environmental scientist for Hillsborough County, Halcyon works closely with the local UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences office, provides stories about his travels to the IFAS blogs webpage, and has also contributed publications to the Electronic Data Information Source of the UF/IFAS Extension.
How a UF Online Graduate Journeyed From Tanzania to Montenegro
Halcyon initially trained to become a firefighter, but his career path was altered when he read a United Nations report about the looming 2050 water crisis, which warned that 5 billion people could suffer water shortages by 2050. “Back then, it seemed like this bleeding edge of an issue, and it really spoke to me,” Halcyon said. “And something just told me to go for it.”
From there, the two sides of Halcyon so evident today—one a county water scientist, the other a researcher and adventurer—began to take shape. One of his advisors at UF, Michael Sisk, made him aware of a study abroad program examining fog harvesting in Iceland, where Halcyon spent a week. Upon completion of his master’s degree, he took his current position leading water conversation and stormwater initiatives for Hillsborough County.
And then one day he stumbled across a Discovery Channel program on The Explorers Club, an organization founded in 1905 that’s counted the likes of Edmund Hillary, Thor Heyerdahl and James Cameron as members. Halcyon contacted the club’s Florida chapter about membership and began undertaking expeditions to burnish his credentials. One, with the nonprofit Water For Mercy—founded by UF grad Nermine Khouzam Rubin—helped build a solar-powered well to bring clean water to a village of 3,300 people in Tanzania.
“That was truly just a life-changing moment,” he said. “The people there were spending hours every day looking for water—and I don’t mean clean aquifer water, I mean water that is sandy and gritty and riddled with bacteria and typhoid. It gave me a perspective you really can’t get in a classroom. It was truly a transformational experience in so many ways, both personally and professionally.”
Halcyon later ventured to Montenegro to study biodiversity in the Komarnica River valley, which is at risk from a proposed dam. His UF education travels with him wherever he goes. “Understanding the chemical and microbiological makeup of soil and water has played a role in every single expedition I’ve done,” he said. “There were some students tagging along on our expedition in Montenegro, and I was able to talk to them about soil pH and basic hydrological functions. So being able to have that more advanced knowledge is really helpful.”
Halcyon’s Work with UF/IFAS Extension
Halcyon was accepted into the Florida chapter of The Explorers Club in 2025 and has continued to study impacts on soil and water throughout the world. When he’s not traveling, Halcyon works on conservation initiatives with long-lasting impacts for Hillsborough County, like public education programs and the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Incentives Program the county is undertaking in partnership with the UF/IFAS Extension and the city of Tampa.
“Where the program really shines is on the water conservation side of it,” he said. “We’re trying to get people to swap out turfgrass for things like drought-tolerant plants, which can be visually pleasing as well. The Extension has designs that would be very in line with what an HOA would want and provide the benefits of a Florida-friendly lawn as well.”
Halcyon has other journeys planned as well, including an upcoming trip to Suriname where he’ll work with an indigenous group studying natural resources in an area beset by illegal gold mining. His long-term goal is to become an astronaut, a position he first applied for last year. “NASA told me thanks, but no thanks,” Halcyon said with a laugh. “So, we’ll try again.”
Indeed he will. From Hillsborough County to Africa to the Balkans and beyond, Halcyon continues to apply the lessons he learned through UF Online to the environment around him. His inclusion in the 2026 class of 40 Gators Under 40 is further evidence of the positive impacts that this scientist, traveler, researcher, adventurer and UF Online graduate has been able to make.
UF Online is the No. 1 online bachelor’s program in the nation, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, marking the eighth year in a row that UF Online has ranked in the top five online bachelor’s programs in the nation. The University of Florida offers fully online students the same degrees taught by the same professors as on campus, along with the flexibility of online learning, dedicated academic advisors, and lower tuition and fees.
Begin Your Adventure with UF Online
UF Online is the No. 1 online bachelor’s program in the nation, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, marking the eighth year in a row that UF Online has ranked in the top five online bachelor’s programs in the nation. The University of Florida offers fully online students the same degrees taught by the same professors as on campus, along with the flexibility of online learning, dedicated academic advisors, and lower tuition and fees.