Aquarium Video Presentations

Rob Mortensen, who spoke at the Aquarium on October 25, 2011, is the Aquariums assistant curator of birds and mammals. He previously served as a zookeeper at the Santa Barbara Zoo, a senior aquarist at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and an attack helicopter crew chief for the U.S. Army.

Daniel Beltrá and Larry McKinney presented a joint lecture at the Aquarium on October 13, 2011, and discussed the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Beltrá is a professional photographer based in Seattle. His photography covering the Gulf spill was exhibited at the Aquarium. McKinney provided the scientist’s perspective. He serves as the executive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies.

Joe Roman spoke at the Aquarium on September 28, 2011 about his research into the ecological role of whales in the ocean. He is a conservation biologist, freelance writer, and researcher at the University of Vermont. His research appears in the journals Science, BioScience, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, among others.

Dr. James Lindholm, who spoke at the Aquarium on April 27, 2011, is the James W. Rote Distinguished Professor of Marine Science and Policy and the founder and director of the Institute for Applied Marine Ecology at California State University, Monterey Bay. His research interests include the landscape ecology of fishes, the recovery of seafloor habitats following the cessation of fishing activity, and the design and efficacy of marine protected areas.

Marc Shargel, who spoke at the Aquarium on June 28, 2011, has been diving along the California coast since 1978. He has been working as a professional marine life photographer for over twenty years. A longtime advocate for the adoption of marine reserves, Shargel served on the state's official advisory body, helping to select sites for marine protected areas along the southern central coast.

Janna Shackeroff, who spoke at the Aquarium on July 13, 2011, is the international coordinator for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, based in Silver Spring, Maryland. A Seal Beach native, she earned her Ph.D. in marine ecology and anthropology at Duke University in 2008, then began working for NOAA at a marine protected area in Hawaii. In 2010 the journal "Science" recognized Shackeroff as one of four emerging leaders in marine conservation.

Juliet Eilperin, who spoke at the Aquarium about sharks on July 27, 2011, joined The Washington Post in 1998 as its House of Representatives reporter. Since 2004 she has served as the Post’s national environmental reporter, reporting on science, policy, and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality.

Garcetti has spent much of his life as an urban photographer, with solo exhibitions at the United Nations in New York, National Building Museum in Washington D.C., and Millennium Art Museum in Beijing, among other institutions and galleries. In 2003 American Photo named Garcetti one of the country’s four master photographers. In addition to his photography, Garcetti has taught at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Kurtis is a National Association of Underwater Instructors SCUBA instructor, owner of Reef Seekers Dive Company. He is a charter volunteer dive team leader at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Kurtis has been appointed to several state boards that have helped implement the Marine Life Protection Act. He also serves as the forensic consultant for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office in cases of scuba fatalities.

Ana Pitchon is an assistant professor of anthropology at CSU Dominguez Hills. She specializes in marine human ecosystems and fisheries policy, and has held consultancies in the U.S. with NOAA. She is currently working in collaboration with NOAA on issues related to coastal resource dependency as part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act National Standard 8 research program.