Aquarium Audio

Dr. Alex Hearn studied Oceanography and Marine Biology at Southampton University in the UK, and did his PhD at Heriot Watt University in the Orkney Islands. In 2002, he moved to the Galapagos Islands and worked as coordinator of fisheries research at the Charles Darwin Foundation. Hearn developed the Galapagos Shark Research and Conservation Program in 2006. He is currently working as a postdoctoral scholar at the Biotelemetry Laboratory of UC Davis.

Artist Reuben Margolin has spent the last ten years making kinetic sculptures inspired by wave motion. Seeking to combine the logic of mathematics with the sensuousness of nature, Reuben built a series of monumental mechanical mobiles that have been exhibited internationally, including at the Aquarium of the Pacific. He received his BA from Harvard University, has studied at art schools in Russia and Italy, and has been an artist in residence in Spain and India.

Dr. Jeffrey Graham is a research physiologist and senior lecturer at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. His research has expanded from studies on the physiological and biological perspectives of sharks to include shark ecology and habitat research. In 2006, the Southern California Bight Elasmobranch Consortium was created and headquartered in his laboratory. Dr. Graham holds a PhD from the University of California San Diego, Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Marine protected areas are found throughout the oceans of the world. They may carry different names – parks, refuges, reserves, sanctuaries – but all serve to preserve and protect the ocean’s biodiversity and ecosystems. The Aquarium of the Pacific and its sister institutions are assisting in the search for possible new marine protected areas along the southern California coast.

Russ Parsons is the food editor and columnist of the Los Angeles Times. He has been writing about food for 25 years, including almost 20 years at The Times. He is the author of the cookbooks ‘‘How to Read a French Fry’’ and “How to Pick a Peach.” Parsons has won every major American food journalism award, including those from the International Association of Culinary Professionals the Association of Food Journalists, the James Beard Foundation, and the University of Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards.

Dr. Gregor Cailliet received a doctorate in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1972. That same year, he became a faculty member at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and has been there ever since. Dr. Cailliet presently serves as the Program Director of the Pacific Shark Research Center. He has served as an advisor to 100 masters students in the field of marine fish ecology and has also been very active in central California reserves or sanctuaries.

Besides hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing, and feeling the world around them, sharks are adapted with a sixth sense that allows them to use electroreceptors called Ampullae de Lorenzini. Learn more about this rare ability that aids sharks in the skilled predation of their prey.

Stephan Faris is a freelance journalist and author who specializes in the developing world. From the invasion of Iraq and genocide trials in Rwanda to oil woes in Nigeria and Internet censorship in China, he has covered all of these events and more. Faris earned a Masters degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is now based in Rome.

Dr. Welland, is the founder and director of Orogen Ltd., a consulting company based in London, England. He has been face-to- face with geology around the world from the Arctic to the dunes of the Gulf Kebir (Great Barrier) in the Western Desert of Egypt. He holds a PhD in geology from the University of Cambridge. He and his wife divide their time between London and France.

Chris Lowe has been studying sharks for over 20 years and currently runs the Shark Lab at CSULB where he was recently awarded Professor of the Year. Dr. Lowe’s research interests include the physiological and behavioral ecology of elasmobranchs and other gamefishes, as well as the role of marine refuges in fisheries conservation. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marine biology at Barrington College. He went on to get his masters in biology at CSULB. And he holds a PhD in zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

As president of The Chronicles Group, Thebaut is dedicated to providing visual and education records for the general viewing public about profound issues facing the 21st century. Throughout his career, Thebaut has written, produced, and directed an array of prominent socially significant productions. His mission is for all people to have access to safe, affordable and sustainable drinking water and adequate sanitation in an attempt to save lives now. Thebaut is currently at work on a new film about the water crisis in South Africa titled “Running Dry – South Africa.”

Dr. James Fawcett directs the marine science and policy outreach component of the USC Sea Grant Program as well as serving as the marine transportation/seaport specialist. In both roles, he serves as a link between campus researchers, the marine transportation industry, government, and the public on seaport operations and management. Fawcett is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the graduate Public Policy program at USC’s School of Policy, Planning and Development.

This film, directed and produced by Aquarium of the Pacific staff, presents an opportunity to experience Southern California’s underwater beauty and to learn why MPAs are needed.

Should the Long Beach breakwater be altered to bring back the popular beaches Long Beach enjoyed in the 1930s? A sea of debate surrounds this controversial issue.

The very body part that makes sharks so intimidating is also what makes sharks so fascinating: teeth! From sharks that filter their food instead of biting to sharks that have jaws much like a nutcracker, you can learn a tremendous amount about a shark just by looking at its teeth.