Speakers Bureau

General VIMS & Batten School Overview

"A Brief History & Overview of W&M's VIMS & Batten School​" presented by Kristen Sharpe (M.S. '21)

William & Mary’s VIMS traces its roots to 1940 and has grown into one of the nation’s leading institutions in coastal and marine science research and education. Kristen Sharpe, Associate Director of Outreach & Engagement, will provide a brief overview of this historical legacy, institutional mission and current interdisciplinary research themes, and future expansions in research, providing innovative science for solutions, and preparing the next generation of leaders to protect our coasts and oceans. General public

Coastal & Marine Ecosystems

"Benthic Invertebrates and Beyond," presented by Dr. Jennifer Dreyer

What lives at the bottom of a body of water? Learn about the invertebrate diversity at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay and beyond! General public, K-12

"Deep Sea Biology," presented by Dr. Jennifer Dreyer

Learn about deep sea biology including hydrothermal vent biology, cold seep biology, whale falls and wood falls. General public, K-12

"Travels to the end of the earth…. Antarctica," presented by Dr. Jennifer Dreyer

Learn about what it takes to work in Antarctica and get to know the animals living there. General public, K-12

"Poop in the Ocean," presented by Kristen Sharpe (M.S. '21)

Even though we don't like to talk about it, poop plays an important role in the health of living organisms as well as entire ecosystems! Animal poop plays a critical role in supporting marine food webs, providing important information for researchers and conservationists, and even regulating our global climate! Associate Director of Outreach and Engagement, Kristen Sharpe, will provide a general overview of the importance of poop in the ocean, and an explanation of how her research on zooplankton poop in the Chesapeake Bay helps us forecast and prepare for the impacts of climate change. General public, K-12 (elementary and above)

"Zoop Soup (and Poop): The Importance of Zooplankton," presented by Kristen Sharpe (M.S. '21)

Zooplankton are all the animals drifting around in our oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. They range in size from microscopic to living in colonies as big as a school bus! Associate Director of Outreach and Engagement, Kristen Sharpe, will provide a general overview of the diversity of zooplankton species, shapes, and sizes; the ecological roles of these creatures; and how research on zooplankton around the world (from the Chesapeake Bay to Antarctica) aims to help us forecast and prepare for the impacts of climate change. General public, Middle school and above

"Ghost Forests, Zombie Shrimp, and Space Fish: Strange but True Tales Of The Salt Marsh," presented by Dr. David Johnson

Why do zombie crustaceans mindlessly wander the marsh? Why can’t a snail let go of its past? Dr. David Johnson of VIMS & the Batten School answers these questions and shares stories of the strange animals wonderfully adapted to life in a salt marsh. General public, Young adults

"A Career in Marine Science," presented by Dr. Jennifer Dreyer

Learn generally what it takes to have a career in marine science and the wide variety of positions available. General public, K-12

"Bioluminescence: Light in the Ocean!," presented by Kristen Sharpe (M.S. '21)

Fisheries Science

"Multispecies Fisheries Research Group," presented by Debra Gauthier

In this talk, Debra provides a very broad overview of the surveys we conduct. She gives background information on why we perform fisheries monitoring, discusses our sampling design, and provides some results. She concludes by discussing how the results inform management and the public of species distributions, population age and growth structure, and foraging habits. General public, middle school and above

"Predator-Prey Interactions in Fisheries," presented by Debra Gauthier

In this talk, Debra provides a specific focus on fisheries sampling to perform stomach contents analysis. She gives background information on why we perform diet analysis via stomach contents, discuss the sample processing, and provide some results. She concludes by discussing how the results inform the public of Chesapeake Bay and nearshore Mid-Atlantic food webs. General Public

"Sharks of the Chesapeake Bay," presented by Kristen Sharpe (M.S. '21)

From powerful predators to indicators of ecosystem health, sharks are more than just mysterious creatures - they are important pieces of the Bay’s ecological puzzle. We’ll explore which shark species can be found in the Chesapeake Bay, how they interact with other species, and what ongoing research at VIMS & the Batten School reveals about their populations, migration, and conservation. General public, K-12

Global Change & Resiliency

"Putting Modern Sea Level Change in Context: Geologic Controls and Timescales," presented by Dr. Christopher Hein

Virginia experiences one of the highest rates of sea-level rise in the country. This talk explores why, starting with the same forces that control the motion of the Earth’s continental plates over hundreds of millions of years, right through to the role of humans today. Young adult and above

"Rising Tides, Sinking Coast: How Coastal Communities Can Adapt to Surging Sea Levels," presented by Dr. Molly Mitchell

Rising seas, frequent flooding, and subsiding land threatens coastal communities around the globe. Dr. Molly Mitchell, a Research Assistant Professor with the Center for Coastal Resources Management at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, has made it her life's work to understand these threats and how they affect communities. Dr. Mitchell will give us a primer on sea level rise - what causes it, how it is changing around the United States, and what can be done to address it - as well as share the work she does to promote resilience in coastal communities. College, General public 

"Virginia's Barrier Islands: Breakneck Change in a Rapidly Changing World," presented by Dr. Christopher Hein

Barrier islands and their marshes and bays are home to diverse ecological communities and large-scale infrastructure. Although they are a seemingly permanent feature of our coasts, these islands are among the most rapidly changing landscapes on Earth. No barrier island system on the U.S. East Coast changes as swiftly as that of Virginia's Eastern Shore. Join us as Dr. Christopher Hein shares the geology, human history, and modern change seen along barrier islands in Virginia and around the world. Young adult and above  

"The Next Generation of Seagrass Research: Using the Past as a Guide to Address Future Challenge," presented by Dr. Chris Patrick

For more than 40 years, W&M's VIMS & Batten School has led one of the most successful seagrass monitoring and restoration programs in the world. Our long-standing research program has greatly contributed to the science community’s understanding of seagrasses and the factors that threaten their survival. There is now a new scientist at the program’s helm, and he is using lessons learned from the past to guide the research forward. Join us as Dr. Chris Patrick, Assistant Professor at VIMS & the Batten School, discusses what we have learned about seagrasses over four decades, the challenges that lie ahead, and how his team is working to understand and address those challenges. General public

"Ups and downs in the Anthropocene: Understanding the processes driving resistance, resilience, and temporal variability in coastal ecosystems," presented by Dr. Chris Patrick

Anthropogenic climate change is simultaneously changing both average environmental conditions, a press disturbance, and the frequency and characteristics of extreme events, pulse disturbances. This makes it critically important to understand the factors that control ecosystem resistance and resilience so that we can better predict what temporal variability in ecosystem structure and function will look like in the future. Drawing from several different projects in coastal ecosystems, I present examples of how climatic drivers are affecting resistance and resilience, and how these characteristics of ecosystems relate to one another. These data stories include work on invertebrate and fish communities in rivers of coastal Texas, seagrass ecosystems in the Chesapeake Bay, and a meta-analysis of ecosystem responses to hurricanes in the Western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf Coast across systems and response variables. Together these examples suggest that systems tend to organize around either resistance or resilience, and that the press disturbance of climate change may be selecting for more resilient rather than resistant systems in the near term. College to adults, General science audience

Observation & Modeling

"The Virginia Wetland Condition Assessment Tool (WetCAT)," presented by Dr. Kirk Havens

Understanding the relative level of stress from human disturbance on a wetland’s capacity to perform valued ecosystem services, such as providing habitat or improving water quality, is important in wetlands conservation. Dr. Kirk Havens, Research Professor and Director of VIMS & the Batten School's Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) and his team partnered with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to develop an online interactive mapping tool called the Wetland Condition Assessment Tool or WetCAT. WetCAT can rapidly census wetland condition at multiple scales and includes all the mapped wetlands in Virginia. WetCAT received the Governor's Technology Award and the Environmental Council of States Award. Middle school and above

"Using Thermal Imaging to Monitor Animals in the Wild," presented by Dr. Kirk Havens

Dr. Kirk Havens has authored the book "Thermal Imaging Techniques to Survey and Monitor Animals in the Wild" (Elsevier). Learn how thermal imaging can be used to monitor animals such as bears and panthers and even tortoises. High school and above

Shellfish Aquaculture

"VIMS’ Role in Shellfish Aquaculture Research," presented by Karen Hudson

A high-level overview of the contribution of VIMS researchers to shellfish aquaculture including the major areas of focus. Adults, General public

"Breeding the Best Oyster," presented by Dr. Jessica Moss Small

Oyster breeding is largely like what has occurred while domesticating chickens and cows. Learn how breeding helps oysters live longer, grow faster, and have better meat quality. Adults

"Rise of Oyster Aquaculture in Virginia and its Economic Importance," presented by Karen Hudson

The story of the rise of hatchery-based aquaculture focuses on the economic trends of this industry and the role of aquaculture with the wild fishery. Adults, General public

"Methods of Oyster Aquaculture in Virginia," presented by Karen Hudson

An overview of the two oyster culture methods including intensive (containerized) and extensive (spat-on-shell). The “how” it’s done. Adults, General public

"The ABC's of Oyster Aquaculture in Virginia," presented by Shelley Katsuki

Discover how VIMS & Batten School researchers produce the polyploid oysters that transformed Virginia’s oyster aquaculture industry. Shelley Katsuki presents an overview of oyster aquaculture with a 6 focus on the triploid and tetraploid oyster work done at the Kauffman Aquaculture Center in Topping, VA- one of two oyster hatcheries operated by the Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center (ABC) at VIMS. Young adults, General public

"Where do the oysters you eat come from?," presented by Dr. Jessica Moss Small

Learn how baby oysters are made, how they are grown and what it takes to get them to your dinner plate. Middle School and above

"What is an oyster and why are they important?," presented by Dr. Jessica Moss Small

Oysters are amazing! Learn how they help the environment, create habitat for fish and crabs and can be eaten! General public, K-12

Water Quality

"Nitrogen, Nitrogen, Everywhere," presented by Dr. Amber Hardison

This talk will provide the history of nitrogen loading to global coastal systems, the consequences of that input, and ways to reduce the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the future. Adults, can be modified for K-12

"Marine Debris / Plastic Pollution in the Marine Environment (plastic, microplastic, whales, worms, lost crab pots, cranberries, shotguns, biopolymers, beer, & bovine digestion - yes, it's all linked!)," presented by Dr. Kirk Havens

Dr. Kirk Havens and his team focus on developing innovative solutions to real world problems, such as by-catch reduction in derelict crab traps, plastic pollution, and wildlife entanglement in erosion control netting. Join us as Dr. Havens describes how biopolymers – plastic-like materials produced naturally by bacteria – are being used to solve issues of ecological and economic importance. High school and above

"Derelict Fishing Gear in the Marine Environment," presented by Dr. Kirk Havens

The accumulation and effects of derelict fishing gear is a worldwide problem and includes gear such as traps, pots, and nets. Once lost, derelict fishing gear can continue to capture and kill both target and non-target animals. Dr. Kirk Havens, Research Professor and Director of VIMS & the Batten School's Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) and his team study the impacts of derelict gear in the Chesapeake Bay and other regions across the nation and how citizens can help. Middle school and above