provided to The Santiva Chronicle
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium presents a lecture series this summer and fall, offered live via Zoom and free for registrants.
Lecture details are as follows:
Wednesday, June 24, 5:30pm
“Beachcombing the Gulf Coast” by Jace Tunnell, Director of Community Engagement, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University (Corpus Christi)
Each week, the Harte Research Institute heads to the beach to see what the Gulf has delivered to its Texas shoreline. In this talk, Jace Tunnell shares some of the most memorable discoveries from his years of beachcombing: more than 60 messages in a bottle, an alligator encounter, a prosthetic leg, stings from jellyfish, illegal fishing gear, creepy dolls, lost money, and much more. While these stories are often entertaining, they carry a bigger message: ocean debris has very real consequences for marine life and coastal ecosystems.
Wednesday, July 22, 5:30pm
“Curious Cuttlefish: Understanding Camouflage Through the Chameleon of the Sea” by Connor Gibbons, Marine Biologist and Aquarist, Columbia University
Cephalopods are among the most fascinating animals on the planet and hold the title of “World’s Most Intelligent Invertebrate”. With three hearts, blue blood, and the ability to change color in milliseconds, these animals capture the imagination of all who encounter them. One of their most remarkable traits is the ability to camouflage with their surroundings, and no cephalopod exemplifies this more than the cuttlefish. Cuttlefish can hide in plain sight or even communicate with others through their sophisticated skin-changing abilities that are controlled directly by their brain. This talk illuminates how cuttlefish control their camouflage through the inner workings of their brains, and how such a complex brain evolved separately from that of vertebrates.
Wednesday, September 16, 5:30pm
“Solar-Powered Sea Slugs” by Michael Middlebrooks, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, University of Tampa
Sea slugs are a diverse and colorful group of gastropod mollusks. Because they lack a defensive shell that protects most snails, slugs have evolved a variety of fascinating ways to protect themselves and make a living. Some of these fascinating mollusks have even become solar-powered. In this talk, attendees will learn about the diversity of sea slugs and how some have harnessed the power of the sun.
Wednesday, October 14, 5:30pm
“Picking Up the Pieces: Tracking Elusive Predators on Mollusks” by Matthew Ajemian, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor, Florida Atlantic University
The elusive nature of large, shell-crushing predators (such as rays and sea turtles) poses challenges to our scientific understanding of their ecological roles in seabed communities, including where and when they interact with molluscan shellfish. This talk covers how Dr. Matt Ajemian’s team uses innovative methods and technologies, including shell fragmentation, eDNA, and acoustics, to detect and study predator-prey interactions (a “who crushed who”?) within various underwater habitats and conditions, and their relevance to marine ecosystem ecology in Florida and beyond.
“The Museum is excited to offer a range of interesting subjects and excellent speakers this summer and fall,” said Sam Ankerson, National Shell Museum & Aquarium Executive Director. “We hope people will enjoy these free presentations and learn something new.’’
Support for this series is from the Sam and Francis Bailey Clean Water Education Center, Leslie Fleischner, and Joan and Don Sherman.
Although free, pre-registration for lectures is required. To register, please visit ShellMuseum.org/learn-and-experience/lectures.