Women in Coastal Science Speaker Series

Be inspired to make a difference. Meet the women who tackle the challenges our coastal environment faces. From rescuing marine mammals and sea turtles to understanding the impacts of extreme conditions on our Gulf shores, these women in science will share their journeys in their fields of expertise.

Dates:

• Friday, March 22
  • The first discussion features Katie St. Claire, Texas A&M Galveston’s Sea Life Facility Manager, and marine biology department lecturer. St. Clair became manager of the Sea Life Facility (SLF) in 2015, and her plate is always full – besides running the SLF on the Galveston campus, which receives thousands of visitors each year, she also helps supervise the many research projects associated with it by both faculty and students. Recent projects include looking at how organisms respond to environmental stressors, such as how some forms of marine life respond to low dissolved oxygen levels; assessing the salinity and thermal tolerances for jellyfish species; and how phytoplankton and microbes are impacted by spilled oil and dispersants.
• Friday, April 26
  • Rhonda Gregg Hirsch has been working along the Texas Coast for 34 years; first owning her own consulting firm, then as a consultant at both a small engineering and then a large engineering consulting firm. Rhonda started her “3rd Chapter” now at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District in the newly minted Beneficial Use Section. As the new Operations Manager for Beneficial Use at the Galveston District, she has an exciting hands-on opportunity to have a significant role in shaping and shoring up the future of our fragile and eroding TX shoreline. She looks forward to extending the years-long collaboration with local, county, and state governments, resource agencies, and other stakeholders with her new role at the District.
• Saturday, May 25
  • Sasha Francis, The Gulf Restoration Education and Outreach Manager for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation has worked in environmental education for 17 years, sharing her passion for protecting wildlife and restoring habitats. After working in marine mammal and bird care for 12 years at accredited aquariums, she shifted her focus to local conservation education and outreach with the Galveston Bay Foundation, working with them for almost 3 years. Sasha began working for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in 2022 as the Gulf Restoration Education and Outreach Manager, sharing the work being done in the Gulf to restore deep-sea coral communities injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These outreach efforts include partnering with aquariums along the Gulf, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, schools, community groups, and more. Sasha connects audiences to science at sea and educates them on important foundational seafloor habitats deep below the surface, helping to make the unseen seen.
• Saturday, June 8*
• Friday, July 26
• Friday, August 23
• Friday, September 27
• Friday, October 25

Light refreshments provided. Breakfast cocktails and small bites available for purchase.

Register Here