"Through the Looking Glass: Discovering the "hidden" clues about ecosystems from microscopic glass-encased algae." Dr. Evelyn Gaiser, Distinguished University Professor of Biological Sciences, holds the George M. Barley, Jr., Eminent Scholars Chair at Florida International University (FIU). She is an aquatic ecologist whose research is focused on what microscopic algae can tell us about the…

Dr. Tara Stewart Merrill is an aquatic disease ecologist who focuses on understanding the causes of pathogen spread in natural systems, and the consequences of infection for individuals, populations, and ecological communities. Fourteen years ago, Tara left a promising professional career in ballet and modern dance for the dark side—the dark side of parasites and…

Dr. Dean Grubbs is a fish ecologist with >30 years of experience studying the biology and ecology of sharks and rays in coastal, pelagic, and deep-sea environs. Dean’s interest in sharks stems from being raised in Florida’s Gulf coast. After 15 years away doing research based in south Florida, The Bahamas, Virginia and Hawaii, Dean…

Join us for our second lecture of 2023! March 23, 2023, from 7:00 - 8:00 pm at the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory. Dr. Sally D. Hacker will present on "Dune Grasses, Sand, and Coastal Function and Services." For centuries, coastal dunes have provided humans with important services such as coastal protection, recreation, carbon sequestration,…

Over a thirty-year career, Dr. Lorenz has studied the ecology of Florida Bay focusing on Roseate Spoonbills and, more recently, on American Flamingos. He will present some of his scientific findings regarding both species with a focus on conservation and restoration of the Everglades and Florida Bay. With Flamingos, he presents why the state of…