Speakers Bureau
Although COVID-19 restrictions currently prohibit our speakers from visiting your venue, they are still available for online presentations! Fill out the form below to schedule a virtual speaker. Please sign up for e-Tidings to be notified of reopening updates and be sure to check out our virtual events as well!
The Speakers Bureau at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science sends our scientists on the road! Faculty, staff, and students at VIMS are available to speak to your community organization, school, club, business, or other venue. The topics offered are as diverse as VIMS' research (see list below). Presentations about VIMS in general are also available for those wishing to learn more about VIMS’ mission and the important work we conduct.
To request a speaker, please fill out our online request form. Once we receive your form, we will contact you to schedule your presentation.
Requests must be made at least 60 days in advance.
Please note:
- Not every speaker/topic is available for all audience types. Some speakers/topics are only available for adults and/or middle school students and older. The audience that each speaker/topic is available for is listed in the descriptions below.
- We typically require a minimum of 30 attendees for a speaking engagement. Please provide a realistic estimate of the number of people you expect to attend the presentation on the request form.
- Our speakers are able to travel up to 1 hour from the VIMS campus in Gloucester Point for a speaking engagement. If your location is more than an hour’s drive from our campus, we may not be able to accommodate your request.
- A typical presentation is 30 minutes to one hour in length.
- Most presentations will require the requesting organization to provide a projector and screen, computer (with ability to play video and sound and connect to the internet), and a microphone/sound system for the presenter.
Current Speakers & Topics
(list current as of May, 2021)
For more details, view the Speakers Bureau List (pdf) by topic and by speaker.
| Name | Audiences | Topics |
| Sally Brooks | Adults | VIMS overview |
| Ryan Carnegie | Adults, Middle/High Schoolers | Oysters; marine diseases and parasites; ecology; biology |
| Jennifer Dreyer | Adults, Middle/High Schoolers, K-5th Graders | Antarctica; hydrothermal vents; naming new species/taxonomy; Deep Sea Biology; invertebrates |
| Mary Fabrizio | Adults | Invasive blue catfish; Fishes of Chesapeake Bay (trawl survey information); hypoxia effects on fishes |
| Debra Gauthier | Adults, Middle/High Schoolers, K-5th Graders | Multispecies fisheries research; fish ageing; fish diets; predator prey interactions; NEAMAP; ChesMMAP |
| Courtney Harris | Adults, K-5th Graders | Numerical models for oceanography; coastal physical processes; physical and geological "geography"of Chesapeake Bay |
| Kirk Havens | Adults, Middle/High Schoolers, K-5th Graders | Chesapeake Bay; marine debris ("ghost" crab pots); wetlands; using thermal imaging to monitor animals in the wild; adaptive management of natural resources; environmental indicators |
| David Johnson | Adults, Middle/High Schoolers, K-5th Graders | Salt marshes; salt marsh ecology; invertebrate ecology |
| Lisa Kellogg | Adults, Middle/High Schoolers, K-5th Graders | VIMS: Science for the Bay, Impact for the World (and Your Plate); oyster reefs; oyster reef restoration |
| Molly Mitchell | All Ages |
Climate Change |
| Jess Small | Adults, K-5th Graders |
Oysters: biology, reproduction, process from hatchery to plate; VIMS' role in the VA oyster industry |
| Richard Snyder | Adults, Middle/High Schoolers | (Eastern Shore) Persistent organic pollutants, oil spill, Bay scallop restoration, The Role of Science in Society |
| Candice Vinson | All Ages | VIMS overview; marine science basics for kids |
The Speakers Bureau is made possible by the generous support of:
