Lecture: A Similar Event, Lessons for the Deepwater Horizon MC252 Oil Spill – New Bedford

John W. Farrington will return to Ocean Voice on Thursday, July 1, to present “A Similar Event:  The 1979 IXTOC I Oil Well Spill Research Cruise:  Lessons for the Deepwater Horizon MC252 Oil Spill”.  If you are curious and concerned about what is going on in the Gulf of Mexico, Dr. Farrington may have the answers.  If you would like to learn more than the evening news reports, come to the Ocean Explorium to hear John W. Farrington talk about his experience and scientific research concerned with oil pollution in the marine environment. Dr. Farrington was aboard a scientific expedition that assessed the environmental fate of the IXTOC-l oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979.  Lessons learned from that research cruise and how they inform our response to the on-going Deepwater Horizon spill will be presented and discussed.  Currently Professor and Interim Dean of the School for Marine Science and Technology of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dr. Farrington is also Scientist Emeritus at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where he served as Associate Director for Education and Dean from 1990 to 2002, and as Vice President for Academic Programs and Dean from 2002 until 2005.  Doors open at 6:15 for refreshments and mingling in the Ocean Explorium.  Talk begins at 7 pm.  Ocean Voice admission:  $4/Adult, $3/Senior, Child.  The Ocean Explorium is located at 174 Union Street in downtown New Bedford and is handicap accessible via the rear entrance.  For more information, contact Betsy Pye at 508.994.5400 or bpye@oceanexplorium.org or go to the Ocean Explorium website at oceanexplorium.org

Lecture on Great White Sharks

On Wednesday, June 23 at 7:30 pm the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster will present Great White Shark Tagging with Dr. Greg Skomal, biologist with the State Division of Marine Fisheries.  Dr. Skomal’s research in tagging Great White Sharks off Monomoy Island to track their migratory patterns has been widely reported and has drawn considerable public interest.
He will present an exciting program on the pop-up satellite transmitting tagsplaced on Great White Sharks off Chatham last summer and what the scientific community is learning about the travels and behavior of this ancient and mythic animal. Cape Cod’s growing seal population points to continued and greater sightings of the Great White Shark. Dr. Skomal is the author of The Shark Handbook: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World.

This presentation is a special opportunity to hear about current shark studies by an international shark expert who cares deeply about the protection of the marine environment. For further information, contact the Museum at 508-896-3867or visit  www.ccmnh.org

Lecture: Impact of Climate Change on Ecosystems

Hector Galbraith, Director of the Climate Change and Energy Initiative at Manomet Center for Conservation Services , will speak at the Westport Middle School, Thursday April 29 at 7 p.m. on research regarding the impacts of climate change on our regional ecosystems.

Hector Galbraith is world renowned for his research and expertise on climate change. He currently serves on Governor Patrick’s Advisory Committee on Climate Change Strategies for the Commonwealth. The results of his research have been published in over 60 papers and chapters in books and peer-reviewed journals.

In his presentation, Dr. Galbraith will share insights from his research related to climate change’s impact on ecosystems and science-based strategies for safeguarding wildlife and habitats. The evening will kick off with a brief presentation by Alan Palm of the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE).

The event is supported by the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance (SEEAL) . The event is cosponsored by the Westport River Watershed Alliance, Mass Audubon Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Westport Fishermen’s Association.

Lecture – “A Sea of Simmering Synthetic Soup”

Charles Moore, who recently completed a 7,000 mile, 7-week journey in the Pacific aboard the research vessel “Alguita” to document the extent of marine plastic pollution, will speak at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center in Nahant MA.  Tuesday 1/12/10, 7pm.  Free; for more information call Carole McCauley at 781-581-7370 ext 321 or email mscinfo@neu.edu.

Lecture – “The World of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster”

As part of a”Science First Friday” program, the Brooks Free Library of Harwich MA presents a free lecture by Heinz Proft, who will share research he conducted on artificial reefs in the Florida Keys with the Caribbean Marine Research Center.  February 5, 12 to 1 pm, 739 Main St., Harwich.  Call 508-430-7562 for more information.

A native of Minnesota, Proft has a Master’s Degree in Marine Fisheries from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary and has also worked as a Research Associate with the Boston University Marine Program in Woods Hole. An avid scuba diver and private pilot, he has been the Town of Harwich Natural Resources Officer and Assistant Harbormaster for the past twelve years.

Lecture and Book Signing at URI

Lecture: The Search for the Last Virgin Coral Reefs by Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic Fellow,  Friday, December 4, Noon, Coastal Institute Auditorium, URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Dr. Sala’s public lecture will focus on his National Geographic’s Pristine Seas expeditions. Sala believes what we think are natural coral reefs are not, because most scientific studies have been conducted on degraded reefs. A series of recent expeditions to a few remote, pristine reefs in the central Pacific have revealed a world that was unknown to most people, including reefs where predators are more abundant than their prey. His research has provided clues to what is truly natural in the ocean, offering important implications for their future.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Book Signing: World Ocean Census: A Global Survey of Marine Life
This illustrated 256-page book tells the amazing inside story of the Census of Marine Life. Published by Firefly Books and written by Census Education and Outreach Team members Darlene Crist, Gail Scowcroft, and James Harding, with a foreword written by Sylvia Earle, the book highlights the stories behind the Census through lively text and over 250 images, the majority graciously provided by Census scientists. The book sets the stage for the release of the first Census of Marine Life in 2010.  Friday, December 4, 11 am-Noon and 1-2 pm.  Books may be purchased at the Coastal Institute Bookstore prior to and following the Fish Lecture.

Lecture on Mass Ocean Plan

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies will host a discussion on the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan on November 5 at 6:00PM as part of the annual fall lecture series at the Hiebert Marine Lab, 5 Holway Avenue in Provincetown.   PCCS Lectures are free and open to the public.

 

 

Presentation and Book Signing with “Basking with Humpbacks” Author Todd McLeish

Basking with Humpbacks: Tracking Threatened Marine Life in New England author Todd McLeish will give an illustrated presentation on Thursday, November 5 at 5:30PM. Held at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH, the event is co-sponsored by the Portsmouth Athenaeum. Light refreshments served.   In Basking with Humpbacks, McLeish profiles 11 of the most threatened species of wildlife living in the marine environment around New England. His book brings readers along on an entertaining, first-person journey with biologists who are studying these creatures to better understand the complex threats they face. Call 603-436-8043 for more information.

Lecture by Smithsonian Author on Our Connection to the Sea

Deborah Cramer, author of  Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World, the companion volume to the new Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, will explore the ways the sea is essential to all of us at the next Falmouth Forum Friday, November 6 at 7:30PM in the MBL’s (Marine Biological Laboratory’s) Lillie Auditorium, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole.  Ms. Cramer’s lecture, titled Our Water Our World, is sponsored by the MBL Associates and is free and open to the public.
full lecture descriptions

Marine Life Center Lecture

On Friday, October 23 at 7 pm the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History will present a special program on the National Marine Life Center’s new marine animal hospital. This program is free and open to the public.