The Aquarium has been providing free lectures and films by scientists, environmental writers, photographers and others since 1972. The Aquarium Lecture Series is presented free to the public through the generosity of the Lowell Institute, which has been providing funding for free public lectures at universities and museums since 1836. 

Lectures are free and open to the public. Registration is requested. All programs start at 7 p.m. in the Aquarium's Harborside Learning Lab, unless otherwise noted below.  Programs last approximately one hour followed by a reception.

Upcoming lectures

Monday, March 22

Healthy Oceans, Healthy Humans

Kathleen Firth, Assistant Director, Center for Health and the Global Environment
Harvard Medical School

The Center’s mission is to further understanding of human health and global environmental change connections. The Healthy Oceans, Healthy Humans program aims to create educational materials that inspire marine conservation by demonstrating how human health depends on a healthy ocean environment. The Center’s assistant director, Kathleen Firth, will present Once Upon a Tide, a 10-minute film produced by the Center.  Register here.

 

 

Monday, April 5

Finding a dream home in a tough economic climate: Resource use and trade-offs in terrestrial and marine hermit crabs

Randi Rotjan, Ph.D., Research Scientist, New England Aquarium

Vacancy chain theory describes a unique mechanism for the sequential distribution of animal resources across multiple individuals. This theory applies to any resources that are discrete, reusable and limited in use to single individuals or groups at one time. Hermit crabs rely on snail shells for shelter, and a single vacant shell can initiate a chain of sequential shell switches that distributes new resources across many individuals.

Randi Rotjan will explain differences between terrestrial and marine hermit crab behaviors and discuss how hermit crabs find homes (shells). She will also provide a direct analogy comparing hermit crab shell exchange in different populations to human real estate choices in different economic climates.

Register here.

 

Monday, April 12

Basking with Humpbacks: Tracking Threatened Marine Life in New England Waters

Todd McLeish, natural history writer

Todd McLeish developed a passion for wildlife, natural history and environmental protection. Rather than pursue a biology degree, he volunteered to help biologists with their wildlife research and write about these experiences. He will discuss some of the rare and threatened marine life in his latest book, Basking with Humpbacks: Tracking Threatened Marine Life In New England Waters, including basking sharks, leatherback turtles, Atlantic wolf fish, humpback whales and horseshoe crabs.  Register here.

 

 

 

Monday, April 19

Face to Face with Manatees, a National Geographic children's book
Brian Skerry, National Geographic photographer and
New England Aquarium Explorer in Residence

You’re deep inside an endangered habitat. In the blue waters of southern Florida you come face to face with nature’s gentle giant. Meet the manatee. He’s playful, sometimes clumsy, and he rolls around when he’s happy. Award-winning photographer Brian Skerry’s aesthetic sense and journalistic drive inform his new book, which explains why the manatee’s world is under threat from pollution and development and what young environmentalists can do to protect that world.

Register here.

 

Monday, April 26

Catch-and-Release in Recreational Fisheries

Andy Danylchuk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Fish Conservation,

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Catch-and-release as a conservation measure operates under the assumption that the impacts of angling do not negatively affect fish survival. However, a growing pool of evidence indicates that the physical injury and physiological stress associated with being captured may influence the fate of fish once released. Andy Danylchuk will present the culmination of recent findings, review the scientifically quantified best practices that recreational anglers can now use to aid in the conservation of bonefish stocks and address what we know about best practices for striped bass.

Register here.

 

Monday, May 3

The Mount Everest of Scuba Diving: The Andrea Doria

John Hanzl, Diving Safety Officer, New England Aquarium

The Andrea Doria has been a frequent target of treasure divers. It is commonly referred to as the Mount Everest of scuba diving. The depth, water temperature and currents combine to put the wreck beyond the scope of recreational diving. The skills and equipment required to successfully execute this dive, such as use of mixed gases and staged decompression, put it in the realm of only the most experienced technical divers. John Hanzl,

The Aquarium’s Dive Safety Officer, will talk about his dive on the Andrea Doria and technical diving.

Register here.

 

Monday, May 10

Sea Level Rising: The Chatham Story

William Sargent, Author and consultant for Nova

On April 15, 2007, a new inlet broke through the barrier beach that protects Pleasant Bay. Overnight the town of Chatham, Massachusetts, had to face more sea level rise than most communities will face in the next 50 years. Over 200 other coastal communities in the United States will face similar problems as their barrier beaches break down in the face of rising seas. Author William Sargent will chronicle the changes brought about by the break up of Chatham’s Nauset Beach. The lecture will also discuss recent changes on Plum Island and Nantucket.

Register here.

 

 

Monday, May 17

Ocean Acidification and Its Possible Impacts on Marine Ecosystems

Scott Doney, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are increasing dramatically due to our burning of fossil fuels. About a quarter of the excess carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean, leading to large changes in seawater chemistry. Scott Doney’s research focus is on ocean biogeochemistry and the global climate system. He will talk about how ocean acidification may significantly impact marine life, from plankton to shellfish to coral reefs.

Register here.

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Monday, May 24

Sustainable Seafood Isn’t Just for People

Michelle Cho and Jennifer Goldsmith
Sustainable Fisheries, Conservation Department, New England Aquarium

More and more people are asking where their seafood is coming from and how it was caught or raised. But this question is also being asked about the seafood that we feed to the countless animals that we care for. In 2009, the New England Aquarium's Conservation Department completed an internal study of the species fed to the Aquarium's animals. Learn about these species and the challenges of balancing sustainability with the needs of the Aquarium's most finicky eaters with wild fisheries specialists Jennifer Goldstein and Michelle Cho regularly. Register here.

 

Tuesday, June 1

Crawling to Collapse: Ecologically Unsound Ornamental
Invertebrate Fisheries

Andrew L. Rhyne, Research Scientist, New England Aquarium and
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, Roger Williams University, RI

The invertebrate ornamental fishery in Florida, with increasing catches over a more diverse array of species, is poised for collapse. The last decade has seen aquarium hobbyists shift their display preference from fish-only tanks to miniature reef ecosystems that include many invertebrate species, creating increased demand without proper oversight. The once small ornamental fishery has become an invertebrate-dominated major industry supplying five continents.

Andrew L. Rhyne used eggs collected from queen triggerfish at the New England Aquarium in Boston, and copepod cultures to successfully rear four queen triggerfish to sub-adulthood, and all four are now feeding on dry food. Register here.

Monday, June 21

Seven-Tenths: Love, Piracy and Science at Sea

David Fisichella, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

While studying the world's oceans, a disillusioned man and a blind oceanographer find love and adventure. David Fisichella manages shipboard scientific services at WHOI, where his wife is a senior scientist.