Join us for a series of free presentations about the oceans, local wildlife, and some history - led by the people who study them. Lectures are on Thursday evenings. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lectures begin at 7:00 p.m. Located at 855 East Cotter Avenue (near the beach), Port Aransas, Texas at the UT Marine Science Education Center auditorium. Programs sponsored by The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) and Mission-Aransas Reserve. To be notified by email of all public lectures, send your request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.via email, or call 361-749-6741.

February 18 — Dispatches from the Gulf: Research Updates from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill by Drs. Ed Buskey, Andrew Esbaugh, Lee Fuiman, Zhanfei Liu, Hernando Bacosa, and graduate student, Meredith Evans from UTMSI

UTMSI will feature one of the first public showings of excerpts from the new Science documentary “Dispatches from the Gulf”, part of the PBS series Journey to Planet Earth, which tells the story of some of the research carried out to study Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the effects on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists from UTMSI involved with studies of the spill will form a panel to comment and answer questions on the topics covered in the film. “Dispatches from the Gulf” examines the impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill upon the Gulf of Mexico and its environmental impact on humans, wildlife, and the ecosystem. The film touches upon the serious effects the spill had on local communities, including the tourism industry, and especially the families who relied upon seafood such as shrimp and crabs for their livelihoods. The opportunities for scientific research that came from this spill (the largest in U.S. history) are, however, the focal point of “Dispatches.” Take an up-close tour on research ships, in research labs, and with submersible devices to find out what scientists are learning about the condition of the Gulf and its marine inhabitants since the spill, where the 200 million gallons of spilled oil went, and the effects of dispersants on oil. Meet biologists, chemists, engineers, and oceanographers in action, to learn how these scientists go about finding answers to their questions, both in the field and in the lab. Discover the expected and unexpected lessons being learned and the questions that still need to be answered about the impacts of oil spills.

February 25 — Birds, Beast, and Conservation in the Northern Serengeti by Scott Holt from UTMSI

Born and raised in Texas, Scott Holt has recently retired from a 35 year career as a Research Scientist at the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute here in Port Aransas. Scott received his B.S. and M.S. degrees at Texas A&M University before coming to work for MSI. His research centered on fish ecology and specifically the early life stages of fishes. His emphasis on ecological processes led him to investigations of terrestrial as well as marine impacts on his young fish subjects and into areas of physical, atmospheric and acoustic influences as well. He and Joan, his wife of 40 years and also a fisheries biologist, have traveled extensively over their lifetime together, both for work and for pleasure. With both having extensive training and research experience in ecology, they find it a natural process to observe and absorb the biological interactions of the animals, plants and human cultures of the places they visit. Scott is also an avid photographer and this presentation will be a photo tour of the northern extension of the Serengeti in Kenya – the Masai Mara. The Serengeti ecosystem is a vast region in Tanzania and extreme southern Kenya that is home to one of the last great wildlife migrations in the world. Covering and area of some 12,000 square miles, the grassy plains and scattered woodlands and streams are home to nearly 1.5 million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of zebras and nearly 70 other species of large mammals, creating one of the greatest animal spectacles on earth. Each year the wildebeest and zebras make an extensive circuit around the Serengeti following the seasonal rains. In late summer, the herds amass in the northern reaches of the Serengeti, the area of Kenya known as the Masai Mara. It is a time of plenty for all the animals there, resident and migrant – predator and prey. The presentation will be a discussion of the Mara ecosystem, its mammals and birds, the human influences (both resident peoples, the Masai, and the transient peoples, the hordes of tourist), the conservation efforts there and a simple exaltation of the grandeur of the region.

March 3 - No lecture this evening.

March 10 — Monarchs, Migration and Milkweed by Dr. Barbara Dorf from Big Tree Butterflies

In 2012 Barbara began Big Tree Butterflies, an ecologically sound environmentally sustainable business, to use her biological knowledge and scientific training in a unique way.  Big Tree Butterflies produces Texas-sized monarch butterflies for release at weddings, parties and other celebrations. We also strive to assist in biological research and education using monarch butterflies by providing all life stages to investigators, educators, and exhibitors. Barbara holds a doctorate degree in Oceanography. An overview of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) lifecycle, focusing on their remarkable migration and overwintering sites, milkweed, the essential host plant for monarch caterpillars, and the dangers monarchs currently encounter, both natural and man-made.