On this fascinating episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison is joined in the studio by Laura Engleby, Marine Mammal Branch Chief for NOAA Fisheries. Engleby shares recent discoveries about the extremely rare Gulf Coast Bryde's whale. The newly discovered subspecies made headlines this year when one washed up in Everglades National Park, becoming the first type species of its kind. Engleby shares how she and her team worked to bring the giant whale's body north and eventually to the Smithsonian. She shares the story behind landing her dream job, and talks about the female scientists who inspire her work.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program works to build public and private partnerships to restore and protect Tampa Bay. Critical to this effort is the use of environmental indicators to describe status and trends of bay health. Dr. Marcus Beck will describe his work synthesizing multiple data streams with reproducible workflows to develop and report on bay health indicators.
Our summer youth tours are in full swing, and the learning hasn’t stopped. So far, we’ve hosted students ranging from elementary school to college age, with over 60 individuals touring the Innovation District. They’ve explored the world of phytoplankton with scientists from FWC and learned the basics of flight from the team at St. Pete Air.
Congratulations to the USF College of Marine Science for their collaboration with Telemundo on a powerful new documentary. This Spanish-language series explores how weather buoys help forecast storms and hurricanes forming in the Gulf. Meteorologist Rubén Capote and news anchor Samantha Díaz explain why this technology is vital for Florida and beyond.