The Gulf Research Program invites educators and parents with students of all ages to join us for an hour of engaging science discussions.
About Emerging ScienTalks
The Emerging ScienTalks Webinar Series provides a platform for Early-Career Research Fellows to highlight and teach their current research efforts. The webinars are intended to be educational and are designed with interactive learning elements. The Gulf Research Program welcomes educators and parents with students of all ages to join us for an hour of engaging science discussion.
This Month We Will Discuss
Topic: Sea turtle journeys and survival stories
Dr. Hannah Vander Zanden from the University of Florida will discuss her scientific work with sea turtles. In this two-part webinar, participants will first learn about the migrations of these endangered species and how, using science, we have been able to uncover the details of these journeys. Next, participants will explore the threat of plastic to sea turtles.
Sea turtles have complex life cycles and undertake long migrations across the oceans of the world. At the same time, human activities have contributed to declines in populations, and all species of sea turtles are considered vulnerable or endangered. This webinar will consist of two 25-minute segments with time for questions and additional discussion at the end. At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:
- Recognize that scientists come from all kinds of backgrounds and possess varied talents, interests, and goals.
- Describe and investigate various how the local ecosystem and their impacts native populations, including shelter, predation, and nesting sites.
- Understand that scientific investigations involve the collection of relevant empirical evidence, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses, predictions, explanations and models to make sense of the collected evidence.
- Discuss the impacts on wildlife resulting from human activity.
Dr. Vander Zanden is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida. She uses chemical markers to reconstruct animal migration and better understand the ecology of a variety of organisms. Much of her research has focused on sea turtles, but has also included other species such as birds, bats, and butterflies.
