Photos courtesy of Mark Lowell unless otherwise noted.
VIMS campus.
As McHugh Auditorium in Watermen’s Hall filled and grew silent, Dr. Jeffrey D. Shields, Professor of Marine Science, warmed to his Valentine’s Day theme lecture, Romance Under the Waves. In keeping with the spirit of attraction and courtship, Dr. Shields delighted his audience in the ways some marine animals pursue one another and ultimately reproduce.
The passing on of genes to the next generation is a task that takes place throughout the animal kingdom, and while many of us are familiar with how most land mammals ensure their genetic legacy, how many know how barnacles mate? Or how crabs find one another in the vastness of the sea? Or how bivalves spawn? For nearly an hour, Dr. Shields engaged his audience in an enlightening and often humorous lecture about the love lives of creatures we know so little about. It was an evening filled with laughter and surprises; one of just many subjects shared monthly as part of Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s After Hours Lecture Series.
Watermen’s Hall as viewed from the York River shoreline. The bottom floor contains a research library that is open to the public a few hours a week.
Watermen’s Hall entrance into visitor’s center and access to auditorium.
Since 2003, VIMS has presented a series of evening lectures in Watermen’s Hall, located on the campus of its world-class facility at Gloucester Point. Free and open to the public, these lectures are presented by scientists and researchers renowned in their fields and are designed to convey timely scientific information presented in layman’s terms that will open your eyes to the natural world just outside your door.
Whether your interests lie in the flora or fauna of the region, the effects of sea level rise, the plight of endangered species, the overall health of the Bay, local weather phenomena, or cataclysmic events that helped shape the region we call home, VIMS scientists explore the hot issues facing the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and the oceans that span our globe.
Ceiling of Watermen’s Hall displaying fishes and mammals of the sea.
AFTER HOURS LECTURES
VIMS has a three-part mission: to conduct interdisciplinary research in coastal ocean and estuarine science; educate students and citizens; and provide advisory service to policy makers, industry, and the public. The After Hours Lecture Series was formed as part of its outreach education efforts.
What began in a small classroom of 35, quickly grew to auditorium size with hundreds of eager attendees, both in-person and later via live-streaming webinars that were added in 2011. To date, people from 18 states, the District of Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada have registered to participate in the live-streamed webinars. The addition of live-streaming allows viewers to not only watch but ask questions and has helped VIMS extend its reach far beyond the region.
Topics are selected from a variety of subject matters vetted by Sally A. Brooks, VIMS Outreach Coordinator, and her team. In the past, speakers chosen hail from VIMS, the United States Geologic Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, as well as a host of visiting scientists, all experts in their fields. Topics are designed for an adult audience and mature young people.
After Hours reception with refreshments. Photo courtesy of VIMS.
There is a core of attendees who are interested in anything related to the Bay and come for every lecture; others pick and choose the subjects that interest them most. Some say it’s a social engagement, arriving in small groups after enjoying dinner out together. Refreshments served afterwards in Watermen’s Hall amid its aquarium tanks and displays are an added plus.
To come up with several lecture topics every year may seem like a daunting task, but Brooks is in a unique position as a former VIMS graduate and now its Outreach Coordinator. “We have so many fascinating research projects going on here all the time, with 50 or so faculty members doing interesting and innovative research,” Brooks explains, “but much of our research relates to subjects that not only impact the Bay but are of interest to those folks living near it, so it’s not hard finding topics that relate well to a public lecture.”
Display tank in lobby features living sea creatures and was built by Robert and Karen Podd of The Poddery in Mathews.
2019 LECTURES
All After Hours lectures begin at 7 pm on the last Thursday of the month and reservations are required due to limited seating. This year’s lecture series began in January with a discussion on Virginia’s barrier islands. As with all barrier islands, they are in a constant state of flux and no barrier island system along the US Atlantic coast changes as swiftly as those along Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Dr. Christopher Hein shared the geology, human history, and modern changes taking place in this dynamic ecosystem.
In February, guest speaker Dr. Kate Mansfield, Director of the University of Central Florida’s Marine Turtle Research Group and a VIMS alumna, will share the innovative techniques being used to track very young sea turtles as they hatch and enter the ocean. Those lost years of a turtle’s life have been a missing puzzle piece in understanding the lives of these endangered creatures.
VIMS's own Coelacanth specimen. Photo courtesy of VIMS.
For fish lovers, join Dr. Eric Hilton in March to hear the story of the Coelacanth, a fish thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago until a live one was caught by commercial fishermen in 1938. Much has been learned about this fish in 80 odd years; where it lives, what it eats, and how it is related to four-legged land animals. VIMS has its own preserved specimen on display for an up close and personal look.
Following a break in April and the Institute’s annual Marine Science Day in May, the lecture series resumes in June with a pairing of VIMS and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation to compare the Institute’s new state-of-the-art research vessel, the R/V Virginia, to the recreated colonial ships docked at Jamestown Settlement. Durand Ward and Don Hulick will compare navigation methods and research equipment, as well as shipboard life from colonial times to the present.
In July, Dr. Robert Latour will discuss how his research is working to help people understand the ecosystem in the Bay and along the Atlantic Coast. Throughout the year, researchers continually survey and collect fishes in an effort to understand the seasonal distribution of fish species, the age structure of fish populations, and who preys on whom in the marine food chain. Attendees will learn how to tell the age of a fish, what you can learn by studying its stomach contents, and why this ongoing research is vital to ensure fishes and their ecosystems continue to thrive.
Watermen’s Hall Visitor’s Center.
One may wonder why the Ayeyarwady Delta in Myanmar (formerly Burma) has any relation to the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Steve Kuehl, a faculty member at VIMS, has spent his career studying river deltas and the effects that nature and humans have on these fragile environments. In August, he will discuss his current study in Myanmar that will help us understand and perhaps predict how future environmental and human-induced changes will impact river deltas all over the world, including our own here at home.
How many times has the National Weather Service issued a coastal flood watch or warning for our region in the past year? Ever wish you could know in advance when flooding will disrupt your travels or way of life? At the peak of hurricane season in September, Dr. Derek Loftis will share the use of various innovative technologies to help Hampton Roads communities predict and prepare for flood events and rising sea levels.
The 2019 lecture series ends with an October discussion on harmful algal blooms and cytobots, autonomous underwater instruments trained to constantly monitor the region’s waters to identify harmful algae species in real time. Cytobots help to provide an early warning detection system. Harmful algae blooms, or HABs, have been in the news in recent month, as toxins produced by HABs can harm fish and humans. Cytobots are the stuff of science fiction and Dr. Juliette Smith, faculty member at VIMS, shares her vision for a network of cytobots throughout the Bay.
VIMS After Hours lecture in progress. Photo courtesy of VIMS.
Some subjects, like past talks on living shorelines, have been extremely popular as they are relevant to attendees living along the water’s edge, and who struggle to address accelerating erosion amid rising seas. The lives of sea creatures, both great and small, are infinitely fascinating. Lectures are enhanced with slides, photos, and videos, and pictorial journeys. “People who come to our programs and lectures are generally open minded when it comes to science, or they want to understand the issues facing our region. Our scientists are excited to discuss these subjects and share their research with the public as well,” Brooks says.
Information on upcoming lectures is posted on the VIMS website, www.vims.edu, under upcoming events. It’s easy to register online or call 804-684-7061 for further information. Come and enjoy a free lecture, tour the visitor’s center, enjoy refreshments, and stop by the gift shop. It’s well worth the trip!