Narragansett, RI — September 28, 2001 — Friends of Oceanography at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) will present a series of Sunday afternoon science lectures beginning on October 14 at 3 p.m. The lectures will be held in the Coastal Institute Auditorium on the URI Bay Campus in Narragansett.
The first lecture, In the Wake of an Oil Spill: Finding New Homes for Lobsters, will be given by research associate Kathy Castro of the URI Department of Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Science.
Castro conducts research on the behavior and ecology of lobsters and lobster habitat. She is currently leading a project to enhance lobster habitat using artificial reefs. She is also the principal scientist for the Rhode Island lobster tagging program.
A resident of Saunderstown, Castro received a B.A. in biology from the University of California at San Diego and an M.S. in fisheries, aquaculture, and pathology from URI. She is working on a Ph.D. in biological sciences at URI and expects to complete this degree next year.
Subsequent lectures will be held on October 21 and 28, and November 18.
The October 21 lecture will be given by URI biology professor Dr. Emily Carrington on The Muscle Behind Blue Mussels: Minding Their Own Byssus in Narragansett Bay.
On October 28, Coastal Institute director and URI professor of natural resources science Dr. Peter August will present Bats: Fact Fiction, and Natural History.
The final lecture in the series will be given by GSO biological oceanography graduate student Heather Saffert on November 18, who will discuss To Swim or Not to Swim: How Biologists Assess Heath Risks of Swimming in the Bay.
All lectures are free and open to the public. For information, call 874-6602.
Established in 1985 to support and promote the activities of the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, Friends of Oceanography informs and educates the membership and the general public about the scientific, technological, and environmental research that takes place at GSO. The organization sponsors public lectures, open houses, marine-related mini-courses, science cruises on Narragansett Bay, and an annual auction. The Friends office is located in the Coastal Institute building on URIs Narragansett Bay Campus. For information about Friends of Oceanography, call 874-6602.
Contact: Lisa Cugini, (401) 874-6642, lcugini@gso.uri.edu