Aquarium Video Presentations

George W. Benz is a Professor of Biology at Middle Tennessee State University. A native of New England, George earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Connecticut and was employed for 5 years as a Fisheries Biologist with the Connecticut Bureau of Fisheries. He has authored and edited over 100 scientific publications and his research has been the focus of articles in Discover, National Geographic, and Highlights for Children as well as other magazines and popular books.

Sims has a MS in zoology from the University of New South Wales and is the founding president of the Ocean Steward Institute. In this second video, Sims discusses sustainability in mariculture and the complex relationships that exist in the ocean.

Sims has a MS in zoology from the University of New South Wales and is the founding president of the Ocean Steward Institute. In this first video, Sims talks about the start of his career in marine biology while at the Cook Islands.

Mitroff is an emeritus professor from the University of Southern California, where he taught for 26 years, and is currently the president of Comprehensive Crisis Management. Known for his thinking and writing on a wide range of business and societal issues, Dr. Mitroff is the author of 26 previous books, including “A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America,” “Smart Thinking for Crazy Times,” and “The Essential Guide to Managing Corporate Crisis.”

Corson is a former commercial lobster fisherman turned pop-science writer and culinary expert. He is a best-selling author and a judge on the Food Network's hit TV show Iron Chef America. He is known for his humorous and informative presentations on the creatures that compose our seafood.

Orrin Pilkey is a research professor and James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment. He has received a number of awards including the Shepard medal for excellence in Marine Geology, The Priestly Award and public service awards from several geology societies. He has published 260 technical papers and edited and or written 40 books, the latest of which is The Rising Sea.

Nate Jaros received his Bachelors Degree in Biology and Environmental Science form Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2002, Jaros began working as an aquarist at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, and found his specialty in the area of jelly culture. He accepted his position at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach in 2005. For over two years now he has successfully filled the Aquarium of the Pacific's exhibits with cultured jellies, and has sent many jellies to other aquariums.

Dr. William (Monty) Graham is a Senior Marine Scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab near Mobile, Alabama. He received his doctorate in Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1994. Dr. Graham has broad expertise in the field of Biological Oceanography and zooplankton ecology. His published works range from edited volumes of scientific papers to children's books on topics such as jellies behavior, feeding, and economic impacts of jelly blooms on fisheries. Most recently, his research has been on the role of climate in jellies-fish dynamics.

Eric Zahn, a local salt marsh ecologist and avid botanist, is a co-principal for ‘Tidal Influence' a company he founded to aid community groups and municipalities with their wetlands restoration efforts. Zahn is a lecturer in the Environmental Science and Policy Program at CSULB who has been one of the leaders focused on conserving coastal wetlands in Long Beach.

Bill Sargent is a consultant for the NOVA Science series and author of Sea Level Rise: The Chatham Story. Formerly Director of the Baltimore Aquarium and a research assistant at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Sargent has taught at the Briarwood Center for Marine Biology and at Harvard University.