Session Overview

Join us for an exciting series of lightning talks where emerging scientists present their cutting-edge research in rapid-fire 5-minute presentations. This dynamic format challenges presenters to concisely communicate their innovative work while fostering engaging scientific discourse across diverse fields in marine and environmental sciences.

This lightning talk session showcases innovative research across four key themes:

• Marine ecosystem health and conservation
• Sustainable fisheries and aquatic resource management
• Organismal adaptation and biodiversity
• Environmental monitoring and science communication

Each 5-minute presentation offers a glimpse into groundbreaking research being conducted by BWEEMS scientists, followed by a dedicated Q&A period for deeper discussion and knowledge exchange.

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Session Presentations

Session 1: Coral Reefs and Marine Ecology (9:05-9:20)

• Ashlyn Ford: Temporal patterns of a small multi-focal swollen pink spot outbreak on the massive stony coral Porites spp. in Mo'orea
• Shalanda Grier: Reef Types Reveal Intra-and Interspecific Variation in Functional Traits of Dominant Coral Reef Macroalgae in the South Pacific
• Raqueline Monteiro: Plastic Nests: The First Record of the Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) and the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) Building Nests With Discarded Fishing Material on the Amazon Coast

Session 2: Fisheries, Aquatic Resources, and Human Impact (9:20-9:30)

• Peyton A. Thomas: Can watershed biodiversity and geodiversity be used to explain the ecophysiology and life history of salmonids?
• Brittney L. Mitchell: From Shells to Scales: How Materials and Biocides Shape Aquatic Life

Session 3: Organismal Biology, Morphology, and Adaptation (9:30-9:40)

• Adania Flemming: Fundulus escambiae, Testing the Species Hypothesis
• Sharon Dorsey: Trailblazers in Nature: Rediscovering African American Legacy in Conservation

Session 4: Geosciences, Communication, and eDNA Applications (9:40-9:55)

• Allie Igwe: Investigating the Diversity and Function of Microorganisms in Serpentine and Non-Serpentine Soils across California
• Jaxine Wolfe: Addressing Country-level Greenhouse Gas Inventorying Needs through the Stewardship and Communication of Coastal Carbon Data
• Keila Zaché: A case study on changes in the soundscape of Baía da Ilha Grande during the COVID-19 pandemic

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To read each presentation abstract, visit the Speaker's page below.

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