About Martina

Immigrating from South America to Florida as a child, she would dive in tropical waters and climb coconut palms. Growing up in the subtropical city of Miami impacted her as she witnessed a shifting coastline and skyline, and natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, and sea level rise, thus leading Martina to study both environmental sciences, urbanism, and design. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan (2019) and Florida International University (2023), where she has completed her Masters in landscape architecture with a focus on coastal resilience.

Martina researches nature-based adaptations for coastal cities. At FIU’s Sea Level Solutions Center, Martina is addressing the need for sustained sea level and other climate change-related responses for both the human and natural environments. She works with a team led by Dr. Troxler to engage in local to global solutions-oriented research, education, strategic thinking, communications and storytelling by organizing top scientists, educators, students, municipal leaders and policymakers to produce an accurate understanding of impacts of sea level rise and climate change.

Martina has been honored by a number of prestigious awards including: the University of Michigan MLK Jr. Scholarship, the Miami Herald Silver Knight Award, the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Innovation Award, Locust Project’s WaveMaker Award, among others. She is a UN Cop 15 Global Youth Biodiversity Network Delegate, Miami City Lead for Women and Climate, and others.

On the side, Martina is a visiting educator at a STEAM summer camp in Miami for underprivileged students. She is a freediver, a community organizer, and an advocate for minority Hispanic women in both storytelling and STEAM.



SeedTalk is a podcast and platform about climate adaptation, coastal resilience, biodiversity, and healing the environment. Our mission is to amplify diverse voices pioneering these topics via science communication to encourage dialogue, awareness, and change—planting seeds for the future and connecting us back to the earth.

Founded by Martina Malka Potlach, and funded by Florida International University’s Ratcliffe Incubator, the purpose of SeedTalk is to evoke an understanding of the climate crises but also to increase collective healing and adaptation in a changing world.

In response to the natural coastal disasters she experienced growing up and as an extension of her research, Martina started SeedTalk, the platform, and Seed Sessions, the podcast, where she invites guests to discuss specific topics and to leave the audience with an environmental call to action.

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