SHARKS!

Hello!

I'm here in Chatham, Cape Cod, and it's SHARK SEASON! I was invited to a luncheon hosted by the Gills Club, an Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (ASWC) action project created to inspire, educate, and empower young girls interested in sharks, marine biology, and women in science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers. The Gills Club mission states: "The Gills Club is dedicated to connecting girls with female scientists, sharing knowledge, and empowering them to take leadership positions and inspire shark and ocean conservation." The Gills Club is partnered with over sixty female marine scientists around the world, and they are encouraging and educating the next generation of female scientists. You can check out the Gills Club blog, or visit their website, and visit the AWSC website.


The guest speaker at the lunch was Dr. Heather Marshall. Dr. Marshall is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida and she is also a co-founder of The Gills Club. She earned her masters and Ph.D at UMass Dartmouth. Focused mainly on the physiological ecology (the study of behavioral physiological adjustments organisms make in order to survive in their habitat) of sharks she has worked with all different kinds of sharks. She spoke about how she went from growing up with a fear of sharks, to becoming a shark scientist. Her galeophobia (fear of sharks) pushed her to begin reading books about sharks and shark attacks.  She specifically recommended the book The Lady and The Sharks by her hero, and later her mentor, Eugenie Clark, also known as "The Shark Lady."  Soon Dr. Marshall was fascinated with the great creature scientifically know as Carcharodon carcharias (great white shark). She talked about how most endangered and threatened animals are able to receive help through campaigns. People will help animals such as seals because they are so adorable, but sharks... well, let's just say that there aren't very many 'cute' pictures of sharks. The Gills Club are, however, taking the angle of informing people that sharks aren't really as scary as you think. For example, did you know that "From 11959 to 2008 nationwide, 1,930 people were killed by lightning, while only 25 died from shark attacks"? In her talk, she shared what it was like to be on a boat catching a white shark, and how her job is to collect blood samples while the other scientists conduct an ultrasound and other tests on the shark before releasing it back into the water. Lastly, she spoke about helping to inspire girls of all ages to pursue their dreams of becoming scientists, marine biologists, and studying sharks. I really enjoyed listening to her speak about working with sharks, and her passion for this misunderstood creature. She was very inspiring!