We host a monthly aquatics seminar series, typically on a Thursday during each month of the Fall and Spring semesters, times will vary. A list of previous speakers and topics is below and recording links are provided when available.
**Seminars are typically held at the College of Veterinary Medicine, however, seminars have moved to Zoom during the Coivd-19 pandemic**

To be added to our e-mail list for upcoming seminar announcements, please contact our Program Assistant at amsheehy@ufl.edu.
Previous Seminars
Spring 2021 Seminar Series
- February 11th – Bob Bonde, PhD – “Manatee Health and Risk Assessment: Tools for the Future” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Bonde’s lecture
- February 25th – Margaret Hunter, PhD – “Genetic and Genomic Analyses to Inform Manatee Research and Conservation” – Recording coming soon
Fall 2020 Seminar Series
- September 17th – Andy Garrett – “The Manatee Rescue Network”
- November 19th – Anmari Alvarez-Aleman, PhD – “Research and Conservation of Antillean Manatees in Cuba” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Alvarez-Aleman’s lecture
- November 24th – Monica Ross, MS – “Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership Post-Release Monitoring” – Click here to watch a recording of Monica Ross’s lecture
Spring 2020 Seminar Series
- January 23rd – Sofia Danford – “Comparison of different fixation and staining techniques on the morphometric assessment of Florida manatees”
- January 23rd – Natalie Stephens – “Histomorphometric analysis of the accessory sex glands in male Florida manatees”
- February 13th –Sea of Shadows screening event and a Q&A session with Dr. Randy Wells, PhD – No recording available
- February 27th– Oscar Wahltinez – “Data Preparation and Feature Engineering”
Fall 2019 Seminar Series
- September 5th – Dr. Chelsey Crandall, PhD – “Human Dimensions of Aquatic Animal Conservation: Values, Attitudes, and Behavior” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Crandall’s lecture
- September 25th – Dr. Andy Stamper, DVM – “Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Community Action in Great Abaco, the Bahamas” Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Stamper’s lecture
- October 10th – Dr. Amanda Duffus, PhD – “Amphibian Biology: A Brief Introduction” and “Emerging Infections of Amphibians: The Chytrids and Ranavirus“
- October 25th – Dr. Esther Peters, PhD – “Considering Coral Health in the Anthropocene”
- November 7th – Dr. Robin Bast, DVM – “Be Gull-able: Seabird Medicine Revealed” Click here to watch a lecture of Dr. Bast’s lecture
Spring 2019 Seminar Series
- January 8th – Dr. Christopher Marshall, PhD – “Ecological Morphology of Sirenian Feeding and Foraging”
- January 17th – Dr. Shirley Baker, PhD – “The Wild and Wonderful World of Marine Invertebrates” – Click here to watch a lecture of Dr. Baker’s lecture (Part 1) and Click here to watch Part 2 of the lecture
- February 15th – Dr. Jim Wellehan, DVM – “Manatee Virology” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Wellehan’s lecture
- February 28th – Dr. Peter Black, DVM – “Avian Orthopedics” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Black’s lecture
- March 21st – Dr. Randy Wells, PhD – “Dolphin Field Research” and “Life History and Natural History of Odontocete Cetaceans” – No recording available
- March 28th – Dr. Maia Mcguire, PhD – “The Problems with Plastics in the Ocean” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Mcguire’s lecture
- April 11th – Dr. John Harvey, PhD – “Serum Iron Analytes and Serum Proteins in Healthy and Diseased Manatees” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Harvey’s lecture
Fall 2018 Seminar Series
- August 23rd – Dr. Don Behringer, PhD – “Conservation and Restoration in Aquatic Ecosystems”
- September 20th – Dr. Robert Ossiboff, DVM – “Correlating Pathology and Clinical Disease in Amphibians”
- November 15th – Jonathan Cowart, PhD candidate – “New insights into the reproductive physiology of male West Indian manatees” – No recording available
Spring 2018 Seminar Series
- January 25th – Michael Jepson, PhD “The Evolution of Social Science in Fishery Management: Improving Social Impact Assessments” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Jepson’s lecture
- February 22nd – Thais Rodrigues, PhD “Retrospective Pathological Survey of Pulmonary Disease in Free-Ranging Amazon River Dolphins and Tucuxis” – Click here to watch a recording of Thais Rodrigues’s lecture
- April 26th – Andy Stamper, DVM “Feeling the Burn: Ocean Warming and Acidification Current Trends, Possibilities, and How it Might Impact Wildlife and People” – Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Stamper’s lecture
- May 3rd – Ann Weaver, PhD “Strained Survival at Sea: Case Studies of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins that Defied Death” – Lecture not recorded
Fall 2017 Seminar Series
- September 28th – Dr. David Rotstein, DVM “Manatee Pathologic Findings from A to Z”
- October 5th – Aristide Takoukam, PhD(c) “African Manatee Conservation Efforts in Cameroon Central Africa”
- November 30th – Megan Stolen, MS “Understanding U.S. Fishery Interactions with Marine Mammals” – Click here to watch a video recording of Megan Stolen’s lecture
Spring 2017 Seminar Series
- January 24- Dr. Craig Pelton, DVM “Sirenian Health Assessments: Florida manatees down under to Dugongs”
- February 2nd – Dr. Shane Boylan, DVM – “Aquatic Cases” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Boylan’s lecture
- March 7th – Dr. James Nifong, PhD “Drivers of Ecological Change in Florida’s Spring Ecosystems: Past, Present and Future” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Nifong’s lecture
- April 20th – Dr. Katie Tripp, PhD “Florida Manatees at the Crossroads of Science, Policy, Advocacy & Politics” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Tripp’s lecture
Fall 2016 Seminar Series
- September 28th – Dr. Lucy Keith Diagne, PhD “African Manatee Research and Conservation” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Diagne’s lecture
- October 18th- Dr. Michelle Davis, DVM “SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Stranding and Rehabilitation Programs”- Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Davis’s lecture
- November 15th- Megan Stolen, MS “Cetacean Stranding Investigations: Conservation from the Inside Out” – Click here to watch a video recording of Megan Stolen’s lecture
- November 22nd- Dr. Amanda Ardente, DVM, PhD “An Introduction to Aquatic Nutrition” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Ardente’s lecture
- December 6th- Dr. Francis-Floyd, DVM “The Diadema Story… The Mystery of its Demise, It’s Ecological Importance to Coral Reefs, and Preparing for Release of Cultured Animals” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Francis-Floyd’s lecture
Spring 2016 Seminar Series
- Jan 27th- Dr. Amanda Duffus, PhD “Amphibian Declines: A Sad Fact Of Modern Times” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Duffus’s lecture
- Feb 8th- Dr. Judy St. Leger, DVM “Stories and Lesions in Marine Mammal Pathology” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. St. Leger’s lecture
- March 30th- Dr. Gordon Bauer, PhD “Sensory World of Manatees” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Bauer’s lecture
- April 13th- Dr. Bob Bonde, PhD “Manatee Health Assessments” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Bonde’s lecture
- May 18th- Dr. Doug Mader, DVM “Endoscopy in Sea Turtles”
Fall 2015 Seminar Series
- June 4th- Dr. Ellen Ariel, PhD “Turtle Tribulations in Australia” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Ariel’s lecture
- Sept 9th- Dr. Michael Walsh, DVM “Post Mortem Imaging, For Data Collection And Necropsy Enhancement In Dolphins”
- Oct 21st- Adrian Cerezo, “Translating Animals: Communicate Your Scientific Knowledge (about animals) To Make A Difference (and promote sustainable development)” – Click here to watch a video recording of Adrian Cerezo’s lecture
- Nov 4th- Dr. Iske Larkin, PhD “Conservation Issues of Aquatic Animals” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Larkin’s lecture
- Dec 2015– Dr. Elizabeth Pienaar, “What Insights Does Economics Have For Marine Mammal Conservation? Using Economics To Inform Conservation Policy” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Pienaar’s lecture
Spring 2015 Seminar Series
- Jan 28th – Nancy Denslow, PhD “Environmental Contaminants alter Molecular Pathways in Exposed Aquatic Organisms” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Denslow’s lecture
- Feb 25th – Julie Avery, PhD “Nature, Nutrition, and the Environment: The Ecophysiology of Differential Growth Strategies Among Phocids” – Click here to view a PDF of Dr. Avery’s presentation
- Mar 11th – David Rostein, DVM “Marine Mammal Pathology: Dynamics of the Aquatic Environment” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Rostein’s lecture
- April 8th- Dr. Amanda Duffus, PhD “The Diversity and Distribution of Amphibian Ranaviruses” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Duffus’s lecture
Fall 2014 Seminar Series
- Sep 24th – Alissa Deming, MS, DVM “National Marine Mammal Foundation Internship: Navy Marine Mammal Program/ SeaWorld” (lecture not recorded)
- Oct 22nd – Patrick Larkin, PhD “Genomic Applications in Environmental Toxicology” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Larkin’s lecture
- Nov 12th – Mark Cunningham, DVM “Emerging Diseases of Aquatic Birds” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Cunningam’s lecture
- Dec 3rd – Katy Everett, PhD “Human Dimensions of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Everett’s lecture
Spring 2014 Seminar Series
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Feb 3rd – Matt Gray, PhD “Ranaviruses: Cry Wolf or Real Threat?” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Gray’s lecture
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Feb 26th – Laurie Richardson, PhD “Challenges and Approaches to the Study of Coral Health and Disease” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Richardson’s lecture
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Mar 26th – John Reynolds, PhD “Aquatic Animal Health in a Changing World: What is a health professional to do?” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Reynold’s lecture
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Apr 16th – Michael Walsh, DVM “The Use of Phage Therapy For Treatment of Drug Resistant Bacteria in Animals: Challenges and Opportunities” (lecture not recorded)
Fall 2013 Seminar Series
- Aug. 21st – Iske Larkin, PhD “Conservation Issues of Aquatic Animals” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Larkin’s lecture
- Sept 18th – Jim Jawitz, PhD, PE “What is causing the changes we are seeing in Florida’s spring ecosystems?“
- Oct 30th – Martine de Wit, DVM “Manatee mortality events of 2013” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. de Wit’s lecture
- Nov 20th – Michelle Davis, DVM, DACZM “SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Stranding & Rehabilitation Programs” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Davis’s lecture
- Nov 26th – Carolina Garcia, DVM “Veterinary Medicine in the Galapagos” – Click here to view a PDF of Dr. Garcia’s presentation
Spring 2013 Seminar Series
- Feb. 6th – Michael Jepson, PhD “Social Science in Fishery Management: The requirements and need for social impact assessments” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Jepson’s lecture
- Mar 27th – Jan Landsberg, PhD “Harmful Algae in Florida: Risks for aquatic animals” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Landsberg’s lecture
Fall 2012 Seminar Series
- Sept 26th – John Harvey, DVM, PhD, DACVP “Serum Iron Analytes in Healthy and Ill Manatees” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Harvey’s lecture
- Oct 24th- Andy Stamper, DVM, DACZM “Ocean Acidification and Warming: Our other CO2 Challenge” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Stamper’s lecture
- Nov 14th – Terry Fei Fan Ng, PhD “Metagenomics-based Virus Hunting in Aquatic Animals: Characterization of novel virus species, genera, and families” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Fei Fan Ng’s lecture
Spring 2012 Seminar Series
- Jan 18th – Thomas O’Shea, PhD “Historical Overview of Florida Manatee Research and Conservation: A background to contemporary issues, responsibilities, and directions”
- Jan 23rd – Rick Linnehan, DVM “From the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program to NASA: My experiences as a veterinarian”
- Feb 15th – Joe Geraci, DVM “Marine Mammal Conservation Medicine: 40 years of studies and stories” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dr. Geraci’s lecture
- Feb 16th – Dawda Saine “West African Manatees in the Republic of The Gambia” – Click here to watch a video recording of Dawda Saine’s lecture
- Mar 28th – Holly Edwards, PhD “Assessing Manatee Distribution and Abundance from Aerial Surveys“
Fall 2011 Seminar Series
- Sept 28th – Chip Deutsch, PhD “Manatee Movements Across Multiple Scales of Space and Time: Insights gained through satellite-linked telemetry”
- Oct 26th – Gordon Bauer, PhD “Sensory Perception in the Florida Manatee”
- Nov 2nd – Meghan Bills, MS “Description of the Chemical Senses of the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in Relation to Reproduction”
- Dec 6th – Lara Hortsmann-Dehn, PhD “Artic Tales of Seals and Whales”
Spring 2011 Seminar Series
- Jan 26th – Lucy Keith “West African Manatee Research“
- Feb 9th – Craig Pelton, DVM “An overview of oiled sea turtle rehabilitation in Louisiana“
- Mar 2nd – Lydia Staggs, DVM “2010: The year of the sea turtle“
- Apr 13th – Jonna Mazet, DVM, MPVM, PhD “One Health in an Academic Environment: Responding to wildlife health issues at the human-animal-environment interface“
Fall 2010 Seminar Series
- Sept 22nd – Mike Walsh, DVM “Sedation Development for Intervention of Severely Entangled Right Whales: How clinical applications contribute to wildlife conservation“
- Oct 20th – Sharon Deem, DVM, PhD, DACZM “Challenges and Opportunities for Global Conservation Medicine“.
- Nov 3rd – Mark Flint, BVSc, MApplSc, MPhil, PhD “Conservation of Australia’s Shores: Sea Turtle Research“.
- Dec 2nd – Terry Norton, DVM “The Georgia Sea Turtle Center: Rehabilitation, research, education, and conservation“
Spring 2010 Seminar Series
- Jan 27th – Carmen Colitz, DVM, PhD, DACVO “Common Ophthalmic Problems in Marine Mammals“
- Feb 17th – Micah Brodsky, VMD “How not to get a job in the wildlife field: Right experience, wrong choices“
- April 7th – Don Samuelson, PhD “Visual Systems of Marine Mammals”
Fall 2009 Seminar Series
- Sept 9th – Heather Hamlin, PhD “Nitrate in Aquaculture“
- Sept 16th – Buddy Powell, PhD “Manatee Research and Conservation in Cuba“
- Nov 4th – Brian Stacy, DVM, DAVCP, PhD “Trouble in the Land of the Bandit Queen: Investigation of gharial mortality in India“
- Dec 2nd – Milton Levin, MS, PhD “Aquatic Immunotoxicology: What have we learned?“
Spring 2009 Seminar Series
- Jan 14th – Scott Citino, DVM (White Oak Conservation Center/ Gilman International Conservation), Mark Davis, DVM and Paul Reillo, PhD (both from Rare Species Conservatory Foundation) “Repatriation and recovery of Kenya’s Mountain Bongo Antelope“
- March 18th – Laurie Gage, DVM “Medical insights from a USDA veterinarian: Pinnipeds, Cats and other Exotic Species“
- March 18th – Janet Whaley, DVM “Marine Mammal Rescue 911 – An overview of the NOAA Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program“
- April 1st – Don Behringer, PhD “The epidemiology and ecological relevancy of a novel disease in the Caribbean spiny lobster“
- April 29th – Chris Torno, DVM, MS “Cetacean Stranding Response in the Philippines“
Fall 2008 Seminar Series
- Oct 7th – Ramiro Isaza, DVM, MS “Elephants: A new aquatic species?“
- Nov 4th – Ray Davis, BS “A lifetime of innovation in the aquarium industry“
- Dec 2nd – Andy Kane, PhD “Environmental Mycobacteria: Fish tell part of the story“