AQUARIUM TO HOLD WOMEN IN SCIENCE DAY
Mystic — Mystic Aquarium will host its first interactive Women in Science Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The event will highlight the achievements of 17 of the aquarium’s women veterinarians, scientists, researchers and animal trainers, as well as women of achievement from the local scientific community.
Intended to stimulate career interest in the sciences among young people, while educating the public about research, rehabilitation and conservation work at the aquarium, the women professionals will offer presentations throughout the aquarium. They will talk with visitors of all ages about their professional responsibilities, as well as their individual career pathways and the real-world impact they have on their chosen fields.
The day is made possible through a grant from the Petit Family Foundation. This grant also provides complimentary admission to an estimated 50 people receiving services from Safe Futures Foundation of New London. The organization provides shelter, housing and counseling to people seeking assistance for domestic violence and for sexual assault through hotlines, court-based advocacy and walk-in counseling offices.
Visitors to “Women in Science Day” will have the opportunity to speak and interact with these aquarium scientists:
Emily Pepin, research and veterinary services intern, will discuss her current research on Caribbean reef fishes and how citizen science is vital to this project.
Carah Austin, research intern, will highlight her research on the aquarium’s African penguins.
Gayle Sirpenski, animal management specialist, Allison Tuttle, vice president of biological programs, and Tabitha Rahmann, veterinary technician, will focus on how veterinarians and animal care staff at the aquarium keep animals healthy. They will demonstrate the tools used to examine animals and treat injuries.
Laura Thompson, postdoctoral fellow, Maureen Driscoll, research fellow, and Ebru Unal, postdoctoral fellow, will demonstrate how studying the animals at the aquarium contributes to knowledge of animals in the wild. Each of these presenters is involved with the health assessment of the aquarium’s beluga whales, as well as research on belugas in Alaska, dolphins in Florida and snapping turtles in Connecticut.
Kate McElory, beluga trainer, and Melissa Kowalsky, pinniped trainer, will highlight husbandry and enrichment training programs for the animals at the aquarium and how their work can help not only the animals at the aquarium, but also those in the ocean.
Janelle Schuh, stranding coordinator, Kyrsten Holle, animal rescue program intern, and Jodi Berndtson, animal rescue program intern, will talk about the aquarium’s stranding program, which each year helps hundreds of lost or injured animals along the coastlines of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Guests can learn what it takes to be a marine mammal first responder as well as how to potentially help animals stranded on the beaches.
Education interns Emily Bodell and Courtney Reynolds will talk about how everyday actions can impact an entire ecosystem, by using colored drink mixes to represent different forms of pollution. They also will demonstrate how a typical community can affect marine ecosystems and water quality miles away.
Scientists from Pfizer Inc. and the University of Connecticut will also give presentations.