Gills Talk

Our newest episode features Dr. Toby Daly-Engel. Daly-Engel is an Assistant Professor at Florida Tech where she runs her research lab. Her research combines genomics with marine ecology to study the evolution of mating strategies in animals that invest heavily in reproduction, especially sharks and rays. Enjoy!

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Our newest episode features Dr. Kady Lyons. Dr. Lyons is a research scientist at the Georgia Aquarium. She is involved in multiple research projects from zebra shark breeding to looking at the recovery of sand tiger sharks on the east coast of the United States.

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Our newest episode features one of our long-time Gills Club Members, Olivia Conners-Gale. Olivia and Kristen talk about Olivia's journey in Gills Club, college, and some tips and tricks on how to be successful and preapare for the next steps in your college career.

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Today's episode features our newest Gills Club Scientist, Adrienne Gooden. Kristen and Adrienne discuss Adrienne’s early start to her PhD, white sharks in Australia, and how we can learn how environmental factors can affect their movements and habits. 

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Today's episode features our 2023 Gills Club Scholar, Grace Solevilla-Moreno. Kristen and Grace discuss how Grace changed her pathway from psychology to marine biology, her experience taking the Biology of Sharks course at Shoals Marine Laboratory and more!

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Hello listeners! Did you miss us? We missed you! We are starting this holiday season with new episodes starting Tuesday, December 5th.

Thank you for your continued support!

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Dr. Lauran Brewster, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and formerly a senior research fellow at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch. She completed her PhD through the University of Hull in the UK after spending three years collecting data while stationed at the Bimini Biological Field Station in the Bahamas. She has broad research interests that range from fish energetics to ecology and fisheries. Dr. Brewster uses different types of animal-borne technology to address questions in those fields and is currently involved in numerous sharky and non-sharky projects. She’ll be talking about some of her recent research, which includes looking at the activity of juvenile bull sharks in an estuarine nursery in Florida. Enjoy!

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Dani Bartz is a PhD student at the University of Hawaii at Monoa. She is studying scalloped hammerhead nurseries in Hilo Bay through local ecological knowledge, catch data, and environmental DNA. Enjoy!

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Jaida Elcock is a PhD student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. She is particularly interested in the movement ecology of migratory elasmobranchs, as this information is still unknown for many species. Jaida is also a co-founder of MISS (Minorities In Shark Sciences) where she is the Director of Public Relations. Kristen and Jaida talk about her PhD work and Jaida's love for science communication. Enjoy!

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We have a very special guest(s) in this episode, Gills Club members! Listen to our members from the Wave Foundation at the Newport Aquarium about why shark conservation is important and what they do to conserve sharks and the ocean. Get ready to be inspired by these shark smart kiddos!

Dr. Camila Cáceres is a biologist, an ecologist, a shark researcher. Her Ph D focused on gathering baseline data on coastal small-scale fishing communities and coral reef sharks and rays, in 5 areas of the Caribbean Sea: Colombia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Tobago, and the Florida Keys. We talk about her work with Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) and how she educates the local Florida community. Enjoy!

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Maggie Winchester is a cardiac physiologist that has studied how sharks respond to the stress after being caught on a fishing line. In our newest episode, we learn about her research and Maggie's love for education. Kristen and Maggie talk about the course she is a professor for, Shark Biology and Conservation at the Shoals Marine Laboratory, and how you can apply for a scholarship to participate in the course! Enjoy! 

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Dr. Christin Dudgeon has studied zebra sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum),  but she also collaborated on projects on various species including manta rays, epaulette sharks, and seven-gill sharks. In this episode, we will learn about her research, collaborations, and everything in between! Enjoy!

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Dr. Tricia Meredith is the Director of Research for Florida Atlantic University’s on-site lab school, A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School. She is also an Assistant Research Professor in the College of Education at FAU. Her research focuses on the flow of odors through sharks' noses and how sensitive they are to specific odors. Tricia and Kristen also talk about the best practices in STEM and why it's important to connect with youth. Enjoy!

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Melissa Márquez is a shark scientist, science communicator, tv presenter, and author. Kristen has a conversation with Melissa about her PhD where she is exploring shark conservation and human perceptions of sharks. They also talk about her becoming an author and her unlikely path to her book series, “Wild Survival”. Melissa and Kristen round out the interview with a conversation about science communication and why it’s important. Enjoy!

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Welcome to season 4 of Gills Talk! We are excited to kick off the season with Gills Club Coordinator, Maddie Poirier. Kristen and Maddie have a conversation about the future of the Gills Club, ocean education, and what to expect in 2023. Thank you all for listening and enjoy!

Thank you all for being such great supporters! You are jawsome! We will see you in the new year for new episodes! 

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Dr. Michelle Passerotti works as a Fish Biologist for the NOAA Apex Predator Program where she is looking at the life history of Atlantic large coastal and pelagic shark species. Kristen talks to Michelle about her work in the program conducting the coastal shark bottom longline survey as well as the Cooperative Shark Tagging Program. They also talk about Michelle's past life in science before shark research and how finding a balance between being a mother and a scientist can be difficult. Enjoy! 

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Clara Sabal works as the Research Officer for MarAlliance. Kristen talks to Clara about her work conducting a shark census in Belize as well as working in community outreach with local fishers. They also have a discussion about Clara growing up in Belize and how she is making her home a better place. Enjoy!

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Dr. Brit Finucci is a fisheries scientist at NEWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) in New Zealand looking at deep water sharks, chimeras, and skates. Kristen talks to Brit about her work accessing and identifying these populations and how it can help in fishery studies. We learn how science can sometimes be a waiting game and even after being severely seasick, you are always learning in ocean research. Enjoy! 

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Ivy Baremore works as the Technical Coordinator for MarAlliance as well as the Principle Investigator for deep water fisheries. Kristen talks to Ivy about her work accessing populations of large fish living on the reef as well as her work looking into the world of deep water fish. They also have a discussion about refinding the Atlantic Sixgill Shark in Belize and how data management hooked Ivy into the world of science. Enjoy! 

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Dr. Melanie Hutchinson works towards a future with ecologically friendly fishing practices. To achieve this, she is studying how to reduce shark bycatch in commercial fisheries. Her latest research project was an undertaking of tagging 275 sharks which lead to direct impacts on shark and fish management. We also talk about the challenges of starting shark research projects and faulty technology Enjoy!

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Meet Rachel Lewis, this summer's Gills Club Scholar! Rachel is an upcoming senior at the University of New Hampshire where she is studying marine science. In this episode, we learn about Rachel's "biology of sharks" course she took at Shoals Marine Lab with Gills Club Co-Founder, Dr. Heather Marshall, and Gills Club Scientist, Maggie Winchester, how shark research is organized chaos, and how important it is to learn your work-life balance early on. Enjoy!

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Dr. Cynthia Awruch focuses on shark endocrinology and physiology. Through her research, she hopes to increase the understanding and development of non-destructive techniques to understand the biology and physiology of animals, and subsequently assist with more effective conservation and management programs. Cynthia has a unique method of science communication through her love of dance. Enjoy!

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Welcome to Season 3! We are so excited to have on Gills Club Co-Founder Dr. Heather Marshall! Heather is a marine scientist specializing in shark stress physiology. Her research interests are focused primarily on shark physiological ecology, with an emphasis on capture-related stress physiology and post-release mortality. In the last few years, she has performed numerous tagging and blood sampling projects around the world!

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See you all on July 11th for Season 3 of Gills Talk! 

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This week, Kristen talks to Dr. Ornella Weideli. Ornella did not see a shark in the wild until she was 22 years old! Since her first shark experience, she was hooked! Ornella is currently involved in three research projects.

1. Niche Ecology of Juvenile Reef Sharks in Seychelles, French Polynesia
2. Early Detection of Covid 19
3. Foraging Ecology of Whale Sharks in Madagascar

We go into detail about her projects, challenges as a scientist, and end with her advice.

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This Gills Talk episode is all about “The Shark Lady”, Dr. Eugenie Clark. A pioneer in shark science, and a role model to many. She was an ichthyologist with a special interest in sharks and tropical sand fishes. She has conducted 71 submersible dives as deep as 12,000 feet and over 200 field research expeditions to the Red Sea, Caribbean, Mexico, Japan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, Indonesia, and Borneo. With her death in 2015, she still continues to inspire women in science. Listen to our newest episode to learn about her work and to hear from some members of our Gills Club Science Team on how Eugenie inspired them.

Information about Dr. Eugenie Clark is credited to her Gills Club feature and Mote Marine Laboratory. 

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Dr. Karissa Lear! Karissa uses a combination of electronic tagging and other techniques to study how climate change, coastal developments, and other human impacts affect threatened shark and ray fauna including sawfishes and wedgefishes.

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Dr. Marianne Porter. Marianne is interested in the biomechanics and functional morphology, ecology, and physiology of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays). We learn about the stretchiness and squishiness of sharks and how Marianne transitioned from plant biomechanics to shark biomechanics. 

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Dr. Clare Prebble. Clare is a senior scientist at the Marine Megafauna Foundation where she studies whale sharks. She uses biochemistry to figure out where whale sharks are going and what they eat. Throughout the interview, we learn some fun facts about the largest shark in our oceans and take a deep dive into the world of biochemistry and lab analysis. 

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Erin Spencer. Erin is a marine ecologist studying shark biomechanics. She is a PHD candidate at Florida International University where she studies great hammerhead sharks in the Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab. Erin is also a National Geographic Explorer and a writer for Our Ocean and also has a new children's book coming out this month! 

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Dr. Jodie Rummer. Jodie's background is in marine biology and comparative physiology. She is currently an Associate Professor of Marine Biology at James Cook University and Research Associate at the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. We learn about her and her lab's work with the epaulette shark and the reef shark and how sharks are great athletes. The episode wraps with a discussion on diversity and inclusion in science. 

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Carlee Jackson. Carlee is the Director of Communications for Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS). We learn about her current work as a Sea Turtle Research Associate, assisting with various marine conservation research as part of the Disney Conservation Team. Carlee also explains her master's research looking at the effects of provisioning tourism with nurse sharks in Belize.

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Dr. Cindy Tribuzio. Cindy is a research fishery biologist with the NOAA Fisheries Science Center in Alaska where she looks at the stock assessment of data limited species like the spiny dogfish, the pacific sleeper shark, and the salmon shark. We learn about the time a spiny dogfish swam to Russia and how electronic monitoring can help detect large sharks.You can follow Cindy's Work:

This week on Gills Talk, Kristen talks to Hannah Medd. Hannah is a conservation scientist the founder of the American Shark Conservancy (ASC). We talk about her and ASC’s work with the lemon shark, the silky shark, and the great hammerhead shark. We learn how collaborations with recreational shark fishermen are advancing the knowledge of the great hammerhead shark as well as how parasites are affecting the silky shark.

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Welcome to Season 2 of Gills Talk! To kick off a new season, Kristen interviews Melissa Gonzalez De Acevedo. Melissa is a teacher as well as a shark scientist. She recently has had her research published in the Journal of Fish Biology looking at the reproductive cycle, periodicity, and fecundity of the bonnethead shark in collaboration with the University of North Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina DNR, as well as commercial fisherman. Kristen and Melissa also have a conversation about maneuvering around biases in education and learning how to be true to yourself.

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This week on Gills Talk, Kristen interviews Ashleigh Novak. Ashleigh is the Research Coordinator for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. She is a marine scientist who is broadly interested in the spatial ecology of marine fishes, species interactions, and fisheries management. Her current work focuses on local, fine scale, movements of white sharks off of the Cape Cod coastline. We also learn about her past work with Atlantic sturgeon in southern Maine as well as Caribbean reef fishes in Buck Island Reef National Monument. We round out the interview talking about how it is ok not to be good at everything and why that's ok. 

This week on Gills Talk, Kristen interviews Dr. Molly Gabler-Smith. Molly is a functional morphologist interested in how animals use different tissues within and on their bodies for a certain function. She is currently at Harvard University for a postdoctoral fellowship studying shark skin. In Molly's interview, we learn about the importance of shark skin and how the United States government is using it for military purposes and more! 

This week on Gills Talk, Kristen interviews Vicky Vasquez. Vicky is a shark biologist that is studying lost sharks. What is a lost shark? You'll have to listen to find out! We learn about how Vicky discovered a new species of shark and how much we can learn from museum curations. Kristen and Vicky also deep dive into a conversation about science communication, talking about its challenges and pay-offs. 

This week on Gills Talk, Kristen interviews Dr. Brooke Flammang. Brooke is interested in the biomechanics of fish and how it makes them good swimmers. We learn how Dr. Flammang accidentally discovered shark muscle and how that altered her career path. We then dive into some of her current work which is creating tags that mimic remora fish biology. 

This week on Gills Talk, Kristen interviews Jasmin Graham. Jasmin is the President & CEO of MISS, Minorities in Shark Sciences. MISS seeks to promote diversity and inclusion in shark science and encourage women of color to push through barriers and contribute knowledge in marine science. Jasmin specializes in elasmobranch ecology and evolution. Throughout her interview, Jasmin talks about her tagging and tracking initiatives with sawfish, how MISS came to be, and her past research in hammerhead shark phylogeny. 

This week on Gills Talk, Kristen interviews Dr. Lisa Whitenack. Lisa is a biology professor at Allegheny College where she studies the biomechanics, paleobiology, and evolution of sharks, crabs, snails, salamanders, and bony fishes. We learn how a Panera bread baguette lead her to a hypothesis about a shark tooth that is 320 million years old! Lisa's advice is - it's ok to be weird, stick to love what you love, and not bend to peer pressure.