Starting tomorrow morning, join 9 incredible scientists—all working on the front lines of ocean exploration, conservation, and science-communication—for a 3-panel, week-long, wide-ranging discussion about the issues, research, and discoveries impacting marine science today. From coral reefs to sharks to the mysterious deep, celebrate ~70% of our planet by joining the California Academy of Sciences live for a three-part series of 15-minute “mini-talks” from experts, followed by all the questions our viewing audiences can ask.

As a very special mini-series within their Breakfast Club series, all 2020 Oceans Week panels will stream to YouTube and Facebook.

Monday, June 29 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Panel 1: Reefs! Featuring:

Dr. Rebecca Albright, Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, California Academy of Sciences. Dr. Albright is a coral reef biologist with expertise in coral reef biology, ecology, and biogeochemistry. Her research focuses on the ability of coral reefs to cope with changing environmental conditions such as ocean acidification and warming.

Dr. David Obura, Founding Director, CORDIO East Africa. CORDIO East Africa is a knowledge organization supporting sustainability of coral reef and marine systems in the Western Indian Ocean. CORDIO takes research to management and policy, builds capacity, and works with stakeholders, managers and policy makers. David’s primary research is on coral reef resilience, in particular to climate change, and the biogeography of the Indian Ocean.

Dr. Luiz Rocha, Associate Curator and Follett Chair of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences. Dr. Rocha’s major research interests include evolution, conservation, taxonomy, and community ecology of coral reef fishes. He has spent more than 5,000 hours studying fishes underwater, and published more than 140 peer-reviewed articles and one book.

Wednesday, July 1 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Panel 2: Exploration Tech! Featuring:

Natasha Benjamin, Policy and Outreach Director, Marine Research and Exploration (MARE). Ms. Benjamin works with deep sea robotic technology to collect data to inform ocean and fisheries policy. MARE is a nonprofit organization based in Richmond, California, whose mission is to explore and document the world’s oceans to support their conservation and stewardship.

Dr. Emily Darling, Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society Marine Program. Dr. Darling investigates how tropical coral reefs are changing in the face of our climate crisis. She’s passionate about collaborative big data and field-ready technology to reveal new solutions for coral reef conservation and how to manage the world’s functioning coral reefs.

Dr. Kakani Katija, Principal Engineer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Dr. Katija’s research and engineering development efforts have contributed to our understanding of nutrient and plastics cycling in the oceans, biologically induced mixing of the oceans, the ecology of gelatinous and soft-bodied invertebrates in deep-sea environments, and bioinspired design.

Friday, July 3 at 10:00 Pacific Time
Panel 3: Sharks! Featuring:

Jaida Elcock, Science communicator & incoming grad student at the University of Washington. Ms. Elcock (aka @soFISHtication on Twitter) may be best known for her lightning-fast shark science on Twitter, TikTok, and more, but—despite the focus on elasmobranchs—she cannot be stopped from sci-comming facts about all kinds of animals.

Dr. David Shiffman, Postdoctoral Researcher at Arizona State University. Dr. Shiffman is a marine conservation biologist who studies the management of threatened shark species. He is one of the most followed scientists in the world on social media, and invites you to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @WhySharksMatter, where he’s always happy to answer questions.

Vicky Vásquez, Graduate Student at the Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. As a student of the Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Ms. Vásquez works to gain a more in-depth understanding of ocean ecology and shark biology (her Master’s thesis work focuses on the behavioral ecology of sharks in San Francisco Bay). As the founding Deputy Director of the Ocean Research Foundation, she additionally works to spread the knowledge through public outreach and to encourage conservation practices that will help to maintain healthy ocean ecosystems.