Evenings at Whitney Presents
Lecture on the Health and Welfare of Florida Manatees
The University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is pleased to present the next Evenings at Whitney public lecture titled “Health and Welfare of Florida Manateesâ€. This lecture will be presented on Thursday, February 14th, at 7:00 p.m. by Roger Reep, Ph.D. and Peter M. McGuire, Ph. D.
Dr. Reep is a professor of physiological sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida. His research interests include studying the tactile bristles (hair) that cover the manatee’s body to see if they detect underwater vibrations that can not be detected by the auditory system. He is also interested in understanding the properties of the manatee rib bones in order to better comprehend the dynamics of rib fractures during collisions between boats and manatees. This will add to the scientific basis for decisions concerning establishment of slow boat speed zones in areas of high manatee usage.
Dr. McGuire is an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at University of Florida. His interests include manatee immunology and health assessment programs for this endangered species. He is also interested in the geneology of different manatee populations which is critical for the manatee management programs.
Evenings at Whitney occur on the first or second Thursday of each month depending on the speaker. They are always held at 7:00 p.m. in the Whitney Lab’s Center for Marine Studies. Monthly presentations include current science topics, plus subjects from on-going research programs at the Whitney Lab. Speakers are recognized experts in their fields who welcome questions and discussion.
All lectures are free and open to the public. There is no charge for parking and reservations are not necessary.
Please visit www.whitney.ufl.edu for lecture schedules or contact the Whitney Lab at (904) 461-4000.
The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is a biomedical and biotechnology research institute of the University of Florida. It is made up of eleven different internal labs that use marine organisms for basic biological research that can be applied to human health, natural resources, and the environment. The Lab provides training for future experimental biologists, educational programs for kindergarten through university level students, and monthly lectures for the general public. It is located at 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine, on the border of Flagler and St. Johns counties. To learn more about the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience visit their website at www.whitney.ufl.edu.
Space in our newly built Center for Marine Studies building is available for rental. It includes a reception area, classrooms, conference room, and a 272-seat tiered auditorium. These spaces can be used for public lectures, meetings, concerts and much more. For more information about the Center for Marine Studies or to rent space, please contact Alice Throne at (904) 461-4019 or alice@whitney.ufl.edu.