Public Lectures

All complex, eukaryotic life on Earth including plants and animals evolved from prokaryotes, but how the first eukaryotic cell was formed is one of biology’s greatest mysteries. Asgard archaea are the closest known microbial ancestors of eukaryotes and likely played a central role as the host cell in eukaryogenesis. Consequently, deeper understanding of Asgards shed light on the processes and conditions that led to the emergence of the first complex eukaryotic cell. Join Emily Hyde, PhD Candidate in the Baker Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution Lab for an exciting exploration of Asgard archaea, our current knowledge of eukaryogenesis and what questions remain. Discover how ongoing research efforts are expanding our understanding, including an in-depth look at a recent interdisciplinary cruise in the Southern Atlantic Ocean aboard the R/V Falkor (too) led by Dr. Brett Baker in search of our microbial ancestors. 

Paula Baker DVM is a semi-retired veterinarian and full time wildlife enthusiast. She is a Master Naturalist who volunteers with the ARK and the Port Aransas Nature Preserve. The title of her talk is Whooping Cranes of Port Aransas, and focuses on the pair that has made their winter home here since 2017. Paula has observed these birds each season and documents their behavior by journaling, photographing and videoing them along with other wildlife they share the Nature Preserve with.

On November 1st, 2025, a series of exceptionally powerful thunderstorms swept across the Texas Coastal Bend producing historic hail. This presentation explores the anatomy of these supercell storms, beginning with a foundational overview of how moisture, instability, and lift converge to create thunderstorms. We will examine the critical atmospheric differences that distinguish ordinary pulse storms from the long-lived, supercells capable of producing severe weather. The core of this case study reviews the specific meteorological setup of the Nov.1st event, detailing the unique confluence of a stalled front and steep mid-level lapse rates that primed the region for 3-inch hail. Beyond the atmospheric setup, we will investigate the storm’s devastating ground-level impact. While property damage was extensive, the ecological toll was unprecedented; the storm struck critical rookery islands, resulting in a bird mortality event that has now claimed nearly 2,000 lives. By analyzing the physical damage and the tragic impact on local brown pelican and shorebird populations, this talk highlights the vulnerability of our coastal ecosystems to increasingly erratic and extreme weather events.

The Aransas Pass is a vital gateway connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the bays and estuaries of the Coastal Bend. First modified in the late 1800s, the Pass is part of a long chain of barrier islands that extends from Galveston to Veracruz, Mexico. As many Coastal Bend residents know, natural passes are constantly changing—they can open, close, and even shift position over time. The Aransas Pass, however, remains fixed thanks to its jetties. These iconic structures maintain the navigational channel connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Port of Corpus Christi—the nation’s leading port for oil and gas exports. Beyond their industrial importance, the jetties are also beloved fishing destinations for thousands of anglers and provide access to St. Joe’s Island.In this talk, I’ll explore the history of Aransas Pass’s construction and its role in the region’s bays and estuaries as a premier destination for recreational fishing.

Decades of declining Southern Flounder populations have prompted fishery management agencies in Texas and other states to supplement nautral stocks by producing flounder in hatcheries and releasing them into coastal bays. A major challenge with this approach is that hatchery-reared fish do not always develop normal pigmentation. This condition, known as malpigmentation, make affected flounder especially vulnerable to predators and less effective at capturing prey. At one state hatchery, as many as 30% of the flounder produced exhibited malpigmentation. Researchers at the UT Fisheries and Mariculture Laboratory are addressing this issue through an extensive research effort focused on understanding and reducing malpigmentation in hatchery-produced flounder. In this presentation, Dr. Fuiman will describe the experiments conducted and the key findings that emerged from this work. Importantly, these laboratory results have led to actionable recommendations that have alread been implemented at the hatchery, resulting in a substantial reduction in malpigmented flounder. Ongoing research aims to reduce malpigmentation even further.

Water • Land • Life explores the coastal landscapes of South Texas as living systems shaped by geology, ecology, and deep human presence. Through maps, shoreline reconstructions, and ecological models, this talk invites audiences to see how water and land structured the lifeways of the Karankawa people over thousands of years. The presentation emphasizes patterns—rivers, bays, barrier islands, and seasonal resources—that reveal a sophisticated mastery of coastal environments. The lecture is grounded in interdisciplinary scholarship, acknowledging both the limits of geology and its value in understanding place. Attendees will come away with a renewed sense of how landscapes remember people, even where history has tried to erase them. Speaker bio- Randy Bissell is a Texas Professional Geologist, Texas Master Naturalist, and adjunct professor in the Geology Program at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. With over four decades of professional experience, his work bridges geology, coastal ecology, and public education, emphasizing place-based understanding of South Texas landscapes. His current research and outreach focus on recognizing Indigenous presence through landscape patterns.

It is estimated that one billion birds die every year due to collisions with windows and buildings. The majority of these collisions occur at low-rise or residential buildings during spring and fall migration. Our region sees millions of birds making these migrations as they travel from their southern wintering grounds to their northern breeding grounds. This presentation will cover the migratory birds of Mustang Island, the threats they face, injuries they sustain and how they are treated and ways to make your businesses and homes more bird-friendly. We will include a case study of the successful initiatives implemented at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute.

The Texas coastal ecoregion provides wintering and migratory stopover habitat for 98% of the long-distance migratory bird species of North America. These habitats are essential for birds to rest and refuel as they make their journey. Unfortunately, coastal habitats face increasing threats due to human modification of the environment and the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise. To understand how these environmental changes affect migratory birds, my collaborators and I have established a network of automatic sensors at key sites around Port-Aransas to monitor local bird communities and how they are changing over time. In this talk, I will discuss the exciting opportunities that sensing technology provides for monitoring bird populations, including bioacoustics analysis of birdsong and radio telemetry to detect tagged migratory birds passing through the region. From this sensing network, we hope to broaden our understanding of migratory bird use of critical Texas Gulf Coast habitat across space and time.

This event is part of the Texas Science Festival, the third-ever edition of the festival, happening from February 18 – March 5, 2026. The festival provides an opportunity to engage the community in both online and in-person events and activities. Organized by the UT College of Natural Sciences, it features programs from faculty, students, and sponsored guests across various colleges, units, and schools.