Thomas More University will present Dr. Nick Whitney on ‘Studying the Secret Lives of Sharks’ as part of its Marine Biology and Conservation Lecture Series at Newport Aquarium.
The event will take place on March 7, starting at 6 p.m. with animal encounters and refreshments. The lecture will start at 7 p.m.
Click image to order tickets
The lecture series is a joint effort between Thomas More University, and the Newport Aquarium to address and promote critical issues in the fields of marine biology and conservation.
Whitney has been studying sharks in the wild for over 20 years. His research experience began by tracking sharks from a kayak but evolved over time into using more advanced techniques like digital cameras, DNA sequencing, and even accelerometer tags to reveal the secret lives of sharks in the wild. These accelerometers (the same sensors found in smartphones and Fitbit devices) have been the basis for most of his work over the last ten years and can reveal things about shark fine-scale movements, behavior, and energetics in the wild that scientists have wondered about for decades.
Dr. Nick Whitney
Whitney’s work has covered reef and tiger sharks in Hawaii, nurse sharks in the Florida Keys, and great white sharks in Cape Cod. He has published numerous scientific papers, shark articles for popular magazines as well as for World Book Encyclopedia Online, and has also appeared on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Channel.
He is currently a Senior Scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at New England Aquarium and is in residence at the Newport Aquarium. He lives in Blue Ash with his wife and three children.
Speakers for the lecture series are scientists, naturalists, educators and other professionals working in related areas. The lectures will focus on a variety of topics and are geared toward the general public and students of all ages.
For more information, contact Stephanie Snyder, Assistant Professor of Biology, at snyders@thomasmore.edu or Chris Lorentz, Professor of Biology Thomas More University, lorentc@thomasmore.edu .
