Aquarium Video Presentations

Lynne Cherry is a conservationist and the author and/or illustrator of over 30 award winning books that teach children to respect Planet Earth, help them learn how they can make a difference in the world they will inherit, and motivate them to act. Gary Braasch, a recipient of the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography, is a nature-photojournalist who connects with the natural world through his photographs of environmental issues and conservation, nature, biodiversity, ecosystems, and climate change.

Natalie Webster is the granddaughter, daughter, and wife of tuna fishermen so tuna fishing and the ups and downs of the tuna industry have long been part of her life. Five years ago she helped found the American Albacore Fishing Association, a small fishery made up of 21 family-owned boats in San Diego, California. She talks to us about her views of the state of the tuna industry today and how the instability and potential bleak future for the industry can be helped.

Desray Reeb, Ph.D., is what is commonly called a whale hugger. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, where her research included studies of pygmy right whales, mike, humpback, and both northern and southern right whales. More recently she has participated in studies of the northern Pacific right whale in the Bering Sea and sperm whales and other cetaceans in the Gulf of California.

Graeme Rae, PhD, is the product manager of and creative source behind Surfline.com, a popular online surfing website focusing on the East Coast. Kevin Wallis is the forecast manager and lead forecaster at Surfline where he develops and supervises the daily surfing forecasts for a large part of the eastern Pacific coast and Hawaii so that surfers will "know before they go".

Imagine exploring and navigating the bustling city of Los Angeles through a magical combination of aerial photography, street level imagery, and 3D geometry without leaving your chair. Dr. Bill Jepson, Director of the UCLA Urban Simulation Laboratory Team and his team have fashioned a revolutionary and exceptionally realistic interactive navigation tool of the entire Los Angeles Basin that is accurate to the level of the signs in the windows and the graffiti on the walls.

Sara Gerhardt and Elizabeth Pepin not only know how to surf waves, they also know how to make them. Each in her own way has pushed the envelope for women in the male-dominated world of surfing. Gerhardt, who has a PhD in physical chemistry, has been a surfer for over 20 years. She was the first woman to surf Mavericks with its 20 foot tall waves. Pepin has been capturing the women's surf scene with her camera since 1997. Her skills at photographing the surfing scene have earned her four Emmy Awards.

Carl Palazzolo, DVM, likes large animals as evidenced by his experiences caring for a 300 pound Siberian tiger. He has traveled the world to work on the conservation of endangered species such as black rhinos in Zimbabwe, Africa and the critically endangered orangutans of Borneo. De Palazzolo shares his experiences with the orangutans and the adventures he has had working to save other endangered species.

Robert Gottlieb is a Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Director of the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He is a writer, educator, and activist who has been described as a "pioneer in redefining environmentalism, turning ideas into action, and forging coalitions in the often murky atmosphere of Los Angeles". The author of "Reinventing Los Angeles", he believes that LA can become a more livable and sustainable city.

Professor of Biological Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Francisco J. Ayala, states while although it is desirable to improve the human condition, there are issues surrounding the human genome. There also is an ongoing conflict between science and religion, but Ayala attempts to explain that these two viewpoints can coexist and are simply different dimensions of the world.

Francisco J. Ayala, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of California at Irvine, shares how evolution shows us the history of life through time and how natural selection is the mechanism by which change in organism occur. Ayala also covers ways to improve awareness of the current ecological crisis our world faces, and ways to preserve the environment and biological diversity.