2024 Plenary Sessions

Life in the Extreme: New Exploration and Research in Extreme Ocean Depths

Dr. Timothy Shank is an Associate Scientist in the Biology Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He has participated in more than 76 scientific expeditions and is internationally recognized for his research to understand the ecological and evolutionary factors that affect the structure and evolution of diverse deep-sea communities and species.

The Role of Aquariums in Conservation and Stewardship

Dr. Letise LaFeir serves as the Chief of Conservation and Stewardship at New England Aquarium, overseeing Animal Care, Conservation Learning, Community Engagement, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, and Conservation Policy. LaFeir most recently served as a day-one Biden-Harris Administration appointee in the role of Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Before holding that position, LaFeir was a Program Officer and later Director of Federal Policy at Resources Legacy Fund; California Ocean Policy Manager at Monterey Bay Aquarium; Policy Analyst and later National Outreach Coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries; and Director of Government Relations and Education Program Coordinator at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. She also spent one year as a Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow for now-retired Congressman Sam Farr of California. In 2014, LaFeir founded and still co-owns Upwelling Consulting, LLC. During her career, she has been honored with several awards, has had countless public speaking engagements, and has served on several professional advisory boards. In addition to authoring or coauthoring several scientific publications and a book of poetry, she is a certified scuba diver (Advanced and Nitrox) and has traveled to all seven continents and the seafloor. LaFeir holds a B.S. in Aquatic Biology and a B.A. in English (with Honors in Creative Writing) from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the University of Delaware-College of Marine Studies.

Using Music and Tactile Sculptures to explore Marine Science with the Blind and Low Vision Impaired

For more than two decades Terry Wolkowicz has been designing innovative integrated arts educational curricula. For the past 13 years she has served as the Education Director for the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, where she designs and performs educational programming in over 50 schools across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In 2021, she started the nonprofit organization, Sound Explorations with composer, David MacKenzie where they have completed projects for NOAA, NASA, the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans, WHOI, Boston Museum of Science, and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Terry has presented at numerous national conferences on concept-based arts integration and accessible multimodal learning including the 2024 P.S. Portland Symposium, 2023 Massachusetts Environmental Educators Symposium, 2017 National Science Teacher’s Association, the 2013, 2017 and 2019 League of American Orchestra’s Conference, the 2016 Association of Zoos and Aquariums National Conference, the 2016 Massachusetts Music Educator’s Association Conference and other local and state STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering and Math) conferences. She has presented lectures on the intersection of music and nature, most recently for the 2024 Naples Philharmonic’s Lifelong Learning Series. As an author, she has published articles in the Music Educators Journal, the A.Z.A.’s Connect Magazine, and Polyphonic.org (Eastman School of Music Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research). In 2023, she co-authored a new musical children’s book entitled Right Whale, Wrong Letter about the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.

In 2013 Terry was named New Bedford Woman of the Year for her contributions to the community, and in 2014 she was chosen as a Myra Kraft Community MVP Award winner by the New England Patriots Foundation.Her education programs have received the Excellence in Education Award from the Goldin Foundation and the Massachusetts Secretary's Award for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education.

Terry received her bachelor’s degree in music education from the New England Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University.