Fort Johnson Seminar Series
The Fort Johnson Marine Science Seminar Series is held Mondays at 11 a.m. in the MRRI auditorium, unless otherwise noted.
If you have any speaker recommendations or would like to give a seminar yourself, please submit the information to the Speaker Nomination Form.
February 2026
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February 2 - Rescheduled due to Inclement Weather
Tia Clark - Owner, Casual Crabbing with Tia
CRABBING, CULTURE, AND CONSERVATION
Tia Clark presents Crabbing, Culture, & Conservation in Charleston, SC—an intimate story of healing, heritage, and environmental stewardship. The talk explores her health journey and decision to leave the food and beverage industry to pursue Casual Crabbing with Tia, reconnecting with her Gullah Geechee roots in the Lowcountry. Through her renewed connection to the water, Tia became involved in conservation efforts alongside the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, including their Oyster Recycling and Enhancement Program, highlighting the deep ties between culture, wellness, and coastal conservation.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online
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February 9
Ellen Waldrop - Assistant Diadromous Fishes Coordinator, SCDNR WFF
STURGEON RESEARCH IN SOUTH CAROLINA
This presentation will cover sturgeon research conducted by the Diadromous Fishes Section throughout South Carolina, including information about the life history of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon and some of the issues facing these endangered species. We will cover some of the long-term monitoring conducted in the Edisto River as well as several new studies in the Great Pee Dee River.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online
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February 23
Dr. Elizabeth Fly - Marine Conservation Director, South Carolina Chapter, The Nature Conservancy
FROM ESTUARIES TO THE OCEAN: SCIENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE
What does ecosystem resilience look like in our estuaries and oceans, and how can conservation benefit both people and nature? This talk highlights work led by The Nature Conservancy and partners across South Carolina to strengthen coastal and ocean health through practical, science-based solutions. In estuaries, we advance living shorelines and other nature-based approaches that reduce erosion and flooding, restore habitat, and support both wildlife and coastal communities. Offshore, we support fisheries research that fills critical data gaps and informs sustainable management. Together, this work creates a holistic approach to coastal and marine conservation.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online
March 2026
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March 2
Ray Holberger - Environmental Risk Specialist, SC Dept of Environmental Services
RISK IN AN UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENT: SCDES PFAS ASSESSMENT RISK COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) has collected 1600+ private well drinking water samples as part of its ongoing state-wide assessment for Perfluoro Alky Substances (PFAS). PFAS were identified in roughly half of the sampled wells, and SCDES has developed an effective risk communication tailored to the residents’ existing awareness of the issue and the magnitude of the potential adverse health effects of PFAS identified in their well water. PFAS released in wastewater, either from on-site septic systems or public sanitary infrastructure, appears to be the most widespread contributor to PFOA and PFOS contamination in well water across South Carolina, though other potential releases have been identified.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online
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March 9
Dr. Francine Kershaw - Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council
The Future Is Ropeless: Saving whales from entanglements by advancing new fishing technologies
Deadly entanglements of large whales in fishing gear used to fish lobster and crab have increased in the last decade, largely due to the influence of climate change on whale distributions. A new fishing technology known as “ropeless” (a.k.a. “on-demand” or “pop-up”) gear is designed in a way that virtually eliminates the risk of entanglement while preserving fishing opportunities—a rare example of a win-win story in the conservation world. Challenges remain in realizing the large-scale adoption of ropeless fishing and solutions require forming alliances between fishers, conservationists, scientists, engineers, philanthropists, seafood buyers and retailers, and state and federal agencies.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online
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March 16
Dr. Thomas Williamson - Sayed Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, UNC-Wilmington
Leveraging Molecular Characterization to Enable Translational Research UNC Wilmington
In Dr. Williamson's lab, part of the drugDISCOvery group at UNCW, they have adopted a similar approach using internal and external synergies to realize research opportunities and successes that they could never achieve on their own. These projects range far and wide from traditional natural products drug discovery efforts to computational chemistry, analytical method development, and even a little biomolecular NMR to keep things interesting. In this seminar, Dr. Williamson will share examples of each, highlighting the collaborations they’ve developed and cultivated at UNCW, at other academic institutions, and alongside the external colleagues in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online
Dr. Williamson is available to meet with people on campus after the seminar. If you're interested, please use this link to sign up.
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March 23
Grey Gowder - Founder and Executive Director, Carolina Ocean Alliance
A part of, not apart from: redefining community through ecology
Introducing the Carolina Ocean Alliance, a nonprofit grounded in community-driven solutions, civic ecology, and the transformative power each of us has to use our unique gifts and passions to be the change we want to see in the world. From Charleston's salt marsh creeks to the deep-sea coral gardens of the Blake Plateau, discover how the Carolina Ocean Alliance uses impact storytelling, advocacy, and place-based collaborative stewardship to protect and restore the health of the ocean, coastal ecosystems, and the communities that live alongside them.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online
Grey is available to meet with folks on campus after the seminar. If you're interested, please use this link to sign up.
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March 30
Dr. Derek Crane - Associate Professor, Dept. of Biology, Coastal Carolina University
Meet the Sandhills Chub: Using movement and genetics data to develop a conservation strategy for a Carolina endemic
The global distribution of the Sandhills Chub is restricted to headwater streams of the Sandhills ecoregion in North and South Carolina. The Sandhills Chub typifies an imperiled headwater stream fish; it is geographically restricted, is found in clear streams that are well oxygenated, and requires coarse substrate for reproduction. We completed a 2-y capture-recapture study in two NC streams to quantify movement, and investigated relationships between anthropogenic barriers, genetic differentiation, and metrics of genetic diversity across the geographic distribution of the species.
Located in the MRRI Auditorium, or online