NMEA 2020 Virtual Member Event
Event description:
The NMEA 2020 Virtual Member Event aims to bring together our NMEA family for a moment of learning, reflection, and celebration. While we were unable to be together in Hawai’i, we wanted to create an opportunity for the NMEA membership to share some time and space with each other. This virtual event highlights many of the themes that we as an organization will be grappling with over the next year: research into human disease; diversity, equity, and inclusion; best practices and lessons learned on bringing field-based science into a digital learning environment; and reinventing your professional life.
We look forward until we can once again swap sea stories, compare lesson plans, and maybe dance on some tables. Until then, please stay safe and healthy.
Date: Monday July 27, 2020
Time: 2:00 - 5:15 pm Eastern Time
Cost: this event is free for all current members
Event Schedule:
2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT / 8:00 am HT
Welcome—Lauren Rader, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, NMEA President
2:15 pm ET / 11:15 am PT / 8:15 am HT
Invited Speaker—Dr. Helen Dooley, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology
Sharks: a secret weapon in our fight against disease?
While sharks are best known for their acute senses and sharp teeth my team are more interested in the immune system of these ancient creatures. In this talk I’ll explain what we’ve learnt about how these amazing animals fight infection, and how we hope to exploit this information to help other species including humans.
Resources and links:
How Unlocking Shark Blood Secrets Helps Humans, Forbes, Apr 9, 2019.
Mini-antibodies discovered in sharks and camels could lead to drugs for cancer and other diseases, Science Magazine, May. 10, 2018.
After completing her PhD in antibody engineering at the University of Aberdeen, Helen moved to the US to join the comparative immunology group of Dr Martin Flajnik at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, as a post-doc. It was there that she became interested in understanding the evolution of the immune system and began to study the immune molecules and responses of sharks. This technology was licensed by the pharmaceutical company Wyeth and in 2008 she was recruited as a Principal Research Scientist in their Global Biotherapeutics Technologies (GBT) division, heading one of the teams exploring the potential of these shark-derived binding domains as future biotherapeutics. In 2012 Helen moved back to the University of Aberdeen as a lecturer to set up her own research group studying evolutionary immunology. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2015 and the same year was proud to be nominated for the University of Aberdeen Excellence in Teaching award by her undergraduate students. She re-joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2016 as Assistant Professor.
3:25 pm ET / 12:25 pm PT / 9:25 am HT
Business Meeting & Awards Presentation—Kate Achilles, NOAA Fisheries, NMEA Past-President
4:20 pm ET / 1:20 pm PT / 10:20 am HT
Concurrent Sessions:
Session 1—Lindsay Patterson (Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission) and Lynn Tran (Lawrence Hall of Science), NMEA Ad-Hoc DEI Committee Co-Chairs
NMEA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Virtual Walkabout
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ad-hoc Committee was created from the energy at NMEA 2019 Conference in Durham, New Hampshire to generate a vision statement and action plan for NMEA. During this brief conversation, we will discuss concepts relevant to equity and justice to consider how they should be a part of NMEA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion vision statement and action plan. We hope that you will join one of many conversations and contribute to the transformative work ahead.
Session 2—Harry Breidahl, Nautilus Educational
The ins and outs of working freelance
The sudden decrease in education positions at informal education institutions due to COVID-19 has many people concerned about what next professionally. This session will offer some insights and advice on setting out on your own as a freelance writer and educator in marine education.
Session 3—Bill Andrake, Swampscott Middle School
A Story in an April Plankton Sample: A virtual lesson hatched from an unusual plankton collection during our school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
My students and I were about 14 days into the school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a lot of uncertainty regarding our return. As we were all trying to find our rhythm with remote learning, I felt like we needed a virtual experience which would give us a break from the current curriculum but would still be meaningful. This would also serve as a nice way to end the week. Normally, a break in the routine might mean getting my students outdoors and seeing what nature has to offer. So in the early hours of April 2nd I went to the dock in Beverly, Massachusetts where I collect plankton from time to time and as luck would have it, I got one of the most unusual plankton collections that I had ever seen! I will share this experience and its subsequent lesson in this presentation.