This lecture is free and open to the public; pre-registration is required. 

Spend a fascinating evening with two shark researchers, Dr. Sal Jorgensen of the Tagging of Pacific Predators/TOPP program, and Dr. Brandon Brown of the University of San Francisco, and learn about their studies of sharks: formerly, the “fish you loved to hate” but now viewed as important components of our marine ecosystems – and in great need of our help.

Sal Jorgensen, a research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has a Ph.D. in marine ecology. He did post-doctoral work at Stanford University. Through electronic tagging, Sal and other shark scientists have discovered that white sharks along the California coastline belong to a small and isolated population, traveling between international and American and Mexican territorial waters. Because of scientists like Sal, there is information lawmakers can use to safeguard sharks through creating marine protected areas.

Brandon Brown, Professor of Physics at University of San Francisco, has studied the ability of sharks, skates and rays to detect electrical signals in the surrounding water.  Sharks and their relatives use an electric sense to zero in on prey, aid their navigation, and even find potential mates. Brown has investigated the hydrogel ensconced in the electrosensor organs of sharks and used computer modeling to explore their "electric sight."  He is the winner of USF’s 2010 Distinguished Research Award.