Lectures at the Lagoon
Join us for a Lecture at the Lagoon, where you will have the opportunity to hear from a diverse range of environmental experts. These knowledgeable speakers specialize in sharing captivating stories about a variety of fascinating topics, from the octopus population under the Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach to the importance of manatees in our ecosystem. Our free lectures are held at 2:00 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. Don't miss this chance to learn and be inspired!
The (Sometimes) Secret World of Fish Color
Speaker: Dr. Michael Robinson
Associate Professor at Barry University
Fishes are the most diverse vertebrates, and this diversity is also reflected in their wild and sometimes surprising color patterns. Join us for our June lecture where Dr. Michael Robinson will shed light on the ways fish use their colors to communicate, hide, and sometimes to do both with the exact same colors. We will also learn about some of the secret colors fish use that humans cannot see. After the presentation, our Manatee Masters will lead a gyotaku fish printing craft!
Dr. Michael Robinson grew up in the Northeast where his Pop-pop and later his parents took him fishing. He made his way to Florida where he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Miami while studying the mating behavior of coral reef fish. This research was conducted in Jamaica where he was also the director of Hofstra University Marine Laboratory. Since 2010, he has been a faculty member at Barry University in Miami. He currently helps lead the Marine Biology program.
Dr. Michael conducting underwater observations while diving
Visible and UV light color differences in fish color
When: Sunday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Where: 6000 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Cost: Free admission, registration recommended.
2024 Lecture Series Archive
May Lecture "Mothers of the Lake Worth Lagoon"
Join us for an enlightening and captivating lecture that celebrates the remarkable bond between moms and babies in the Lake Worth Lagoon ecosystem. Our panel of expert speakers will share their knowledge and passion for the fascinating world of marine life. For this special Mother's Day event we will have food and beverage trucks onsite, along with a DIY bouquet building station!
Chelsea Bennice, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, FAU Marine Lab
Benji Studt, Outreach & Science Communication Environmental Program Supervisor, PBC Environmental Resource Management
Carson Ciesinski, MS.C., Ph.D. student at FAU and Manatee Master, Manatee Lagoon
Speaker: Dr. Liv Williamson
Program Manager at Revive & Restore
April Lecture "Helping Corals Take the Heat: Biotech and Interventions for Coral Conservation"
Despite their immense economic and ecological importance, coral reef ecosystems are declining at an alarming rate due to climate change and other human impacts. If corals have a chance of surviving in their rapidly warming and changing world, interventions are urgently needed to help them take the heat. In this talk, Dr. Liv Williamson will share the ways scientists here in Florida and around the world are testing and implementing innovative tools to safeguard coral diversity, increase coral resilience, and restore reefs.
March Lecture "Sharks & Goliath Grouper of Florida: Stories of Conservation"
Dr. Chris Malinowski, Director of Research and Conservation for the Ocean First Institute, joined Manatee Lagoon as the speaker for our March Lecture at the Lagoon. During this lecture, he discussed important conservation issues impacting coastal ecosystems in Florida and beyond, through the lens of his research on iconic species in Florida, like Goliath Grouper, sharks, snook, and sheepshead.
Speaker: Christopher Malinowski, PhD
Director of Research and Conservation
Speaker: Noah Gorman
Marine Biology Student at Florida Atlantic University Honors College
Manatee Master at Manatee Lagoon - An FPL Eco-Discovery Center
February Lecture "The Effects of Ocean Acidification On Clam Growth and Survival: An Uncertain Future for Florida's Estuaries and Aquaculture Industry"
Within the aquaculture industry, Florida estuaries are utilized for their potential to grow commercially harvestable clams. The smallest size clams ready to be planted, called 'seed clams" are placed in field nurseries across estuarine mudflats where they feed on phytoplankton until they have grown to harvestable size. However, planting clams in field nurseries brings environmentally dependent risks. Clam aquaculture within these field nurseries are inherently vulnerable to the influences of acidic/suboptimal pH swings, with the youngest clams at highest risk. The rising influence of ocean acidification may cause an even greater decline in optimal water conditions for various estuarine fauna.
January Lecture "Foraminifera: Evolution, Ecology, and Symbiosis"
Dr. Richardson is a research professor at the FAU Wilkes Honors College, where she has been teaching since 2002. In addition to her role at the college, she is also a research associate in the Department of Paleobiology at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on the phylogeny of Foraminifera, the evolutionary impact of photosymbiosis within this group, and their ecology in seagrass and mangrove ecosystems. Dr. Richardson is currently conducting field research in the Indian River Lagoon and Florida Keys, as well as in Belize, Central America.
Speaker: Susan Richardson, PhD
Affiliated Assistant Research Professor of Biology
Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University
