After Hours Lectures
2021
The Science Behind the Slurp
For decades, research and advisory services at VIMS have helped make Virginia a leader in sustainable shellfish aquaculture. Join Dr. Bill Walton, Acuff Professor of Marine Science and Coordinator of the Shellfish Aquaculture Program at VIMS, as he highlights where Virginia’s shellfish aquaculture industry now stands, how this industry helps our environments and economies, and what the future holds as VIMS takes sustainable shellfish aquaculture to the next level.
Chesapeake Bay Explorer's Guide
Join Dr. David Malmquist as he discusses the making of his book the "Chesapeake Bay Explorer's Guide: Natural History, Plants, and Wildlife," which provides readers with ecological notes about various locations throughout Virginia, history of the Bay region and its people, and what the Bay may look like in the future. Malmquist has been writing about the Chesapeake Bay on an almost daily basis for the past two decades in his position as News & Media Director at VIMS. An avid outdoor explorer, he has also been traveling the Bay region, soaking up its rich heritage, and documenting its flora and fauna. His book combines these two passions.
Harmful Algal Blooms
Join Dr. Kim Reece as she provides a primer on harmful algal blooms, or HABs, and discusses her team’s work to understand their ecosystem impacts. HABs occur when algae in the water grow excessively and produce toxins and other harmful effects that impact the environment and people. Algal species capable of producing HABs have increased in abundance in the Chesapeake Bay and many other coastal areas during the last decade, causing concern among resource managers, industry members, health officials, and the public.
The Next Generation of Seagrass Research
Dr. Chris Patrick, Assistant Professor at VIMS, discusses how his team is working to understand seagrasses and address the challenges to their growth and persistence in Chesapeake Bay. For more than 40 years VIMS 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.
Innovative Solutions: Bioplastics
Join Dr. Kirk Havens as he describes how he and his team are using biopolymers—plastic-like materials produced by plants—to solve issues of ecological and economic importance. 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. Havens is a Research Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Coastal Resources Management at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
RecFish: Engaging Anglers as Community Scientists
VIMS scientists Lisa Kellogg and Eric Hilton discuss development of the RecFish app, winner of the VIMS Innovation Fund awards in 2019 and 2020. RecFish will aid in fisheries management by providing fish population data gathered by anglers. Get an insider's look at how this tool can help in collecting important information about Chesapeake Bay fishes living in structured habitats, which are often missed in scientific sampling.