“Diatom Fountain” was created for Miami-Dade Housing Authority’s Smathers Plaza, an elderly living community in Little Havana. “Here, four vertical water channels disrupt the natural flow of diatoms across the sculpture, much like dredging and canals have disrupted the flow of the River of Grass across South Florida,” said Cortada. “I like depicting diatoms in public places as a way of engaging audiences – an entry point for them to learn about how scientists use diatoms to monitor water flow and quality in the Florida Everglades and throughout Florida’s ecosystems.”