Mystic Aquarium

Please join us for the 2012  Ridgway Research Seminar Series

All talks will take place in the Kitching’s Classroom from 12:15 to 1:00PM unless otherwise noted

February 16, 2012    Rob Nawojchik,    "Marine Mammals of Baja"

Rob was the Staff Biologist and Stranding Coordinator at Mystic Aquarium from 1987 through 2001.  He is currently leading nature tours to Baja California, Mexico to photograph whales, dolphins, seals and other marine life as well as the terrestrial flora and fauna.

March 8, 2012    Dr. Laura Macesic    "Locomotion in Sharks, Skates and Rays"

Although Dr. Laura Macesic was raised in landlocked southern Ontario, Canada, family vacations to Florida sparked her love of the ocean and its inhabitants at an early age.  While pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree at McMaster University, her interest in marine organisms was piqued once again durin a tropical ecology field course to Discovery Bay, Jamaica.  She continued her studies at Florida Atlantic University to pursue her doctoral degree, which focused on a group of stingrays and skates that are known to hop along the ground with their pelvic fins.  She related differences in anatomy, kinematics and skeletal material properties to how well each species could perform the hops.  Along the way, she was also involved in studies of bull shark habitat use and elecrtic ray behavior.  Dr. Macesic is currently a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Gary Gillis at Mount Holyoke College where her research question has shifted from "how do rays move?" to "how does any animal move".  She is investigating how frogs prepare their muscles to absorb large impact forces upon landing after a hop, with the goal of understanding how vertebrates control and stabilize their bodies.

April 19, 2012    Dr. Judy St. Leger     "Rising Tide - Marine Tropical Aquaculture"

Dr. Judy St. Leger is the Director of Pathology and Research for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. In 2009, she developed a program to contribute to reef conservation and sustainability of reef fish in collections through aquaculture. This initiative is called Rising Tide – because the goals are to improve the situations of all involved. By pairing academic technique development with commercial implementation, Rising Tide is making fast and furious advances in marine fish propagation. Zoos and Aquariums around the country are involved with everything from egg collecting to education. Come and learn how you can be part of science in action for conservation.

May 3, 2012     Dr. Judith Weis      "Living in a Contaminated Estuary: Behavioral Effects and Ecological Consequences for Five Species."

Dr. Judith S. Weis is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark. She received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University, and MS and PhD from New York University. Her research focuses mostly on estuarine ecology and she has published over 200 refereed scientific papers, as well as a book on salt marshes (“Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History”) in 2009 and a book on fish (“Do Fish Sleep?”) published in 2011. She is interested in stresses in estuaries (including pollution, invasive species, and parasites), and their effects on organisms, populations and communities. Much of her research has been focused on estuaries in the NY/NJ Harbor area, but she has also done research also in Indonesia and Madagascar. She serves on the editorial board for BioScience, and is one of the editors of the on-line Encyclopedia of Earth. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), was a Congressional Science Fellow with the U.S, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Indonesia in 2006. She has been on numerous advisory committees for USEPA, NOAA and the National Research Council and is currently chair of the Science Advisory Board of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.  She was the Chair of the Biology Section of AAAS, served on the boards of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), of which she was the President in 2001.

June 7, 2012    Dr. Kim Wojick    "Ocular health assessment in the Andros Island iguana (Cyclura cychlura cychlura)"

Kim Wojick is the associate veterinarian at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI. She completed a three year residency program in zoological and aquatic animal medicine through the University of Illinois, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Brookfield Zoo, and Lincoln Park Zoo. During her time at the Shedd Aquarium she participated in ongoing research efforts to assess the population and overall health of the Andros Island iguana.