Marine Lab Weekend: Sounds of the Sea

Join fellow alumni, family, and friends for a fascinating look at sound in the sea. From marine megafauna to small crustacean inhabitants of salt water, the ocean is filled with a symphony of snaps, clicks, and songs created by the diverse life underwater. Whether for purposes of communication or effect of movement, marine life has been making a lot of noise for many millions of years and we are only beginning to understand how and why their sounds are created. Over the course of this educational weekend, you will have the opportunity to hear from not only Duke’s top-notch faculty, but the animals underwater as we collect samples and explore the results.
 
For more information, please see the program brochure or contact us via email or by phone at (800) FOR-DUKE. We hope you'll plan to be with us to explore, learn, and enjoy a beautiful fall weekend on the North Carolina coast!

Contact Us

Duke Alumni - Marine LabQuestions?
Email us
or call 919-684-2988.

About Doug

Doug NowacekDoug is Repass-Rodgers Associate Professor of Conservation Technology and Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering in the Marine Science & Conservation division of Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Doug earned his Ph.D. in a joint program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1999, and his B.A. at Ohio Wesleyan University in 1991. Dr. Nowacek’s experience lies in marine mammals, technology development, bioacoustics, behavioral ecology, foraging ecology. Sound propagates very efficiently through sea water, and marine mammals take advantage of this medium to communicate and explore their environment. His research is focused on the link between acoustic and motor behavior in marine mammals, primarily cetaceans, specifically, how they use sound in ecological processes like foraging and communication. Another focus of Dr. Nowacek’s current research is the effect(s) of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals.

About Sheila

Sheila PatekDr. Patek is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Duke and oversees the Patek Lab researching the dynamic interplay between evolutionary processes and physics. Patek received her A.B. with honors in Biology from Harvard University followed by a Ph.D. in Biology from Duke University. She was then awarded a Miller Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Berkeley. She has received several honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the George A. Bartholomew Award for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology, a Radcliffe Fellowship, a NSF CAREER award, and the Brilliant 10 award from Popular Science magazine. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, Hellman Family Foundation, Armstrong Fund for Science, Army Research Office MURI, and others.