The Napi’s Winter Lecture Series concludes on Wednesday, March 19 at 5 pm with Dr. Michelle Fournet of the University of New Hampshire who will deliver a talk titled “Ecology with our eyes shut: using bioacoustics to better understand marine mammal behavior and resilience in the Anthropocene.”
Please note, the Napi’s Lecture Series are now held at the Center for Coastal Studies’ Hiebert Marine Laboratory, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown. The event is free and open to the public, and will also be broadcast on Zoom (see details below). Refreshments will be served.
Dr. Fournet is an acoustic ecologist specializing in marine animal communication and the impacts of human activity on marine ecosystems. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire where she leads the Marine Bioacoustics and Behavior Lab (Sea BABEL). She also directs the Sound Science Research Collective (SSRC), a nonprofit she co-founded in 2018 to advance bioacoustics research for marine conservation and equity in science.
Originally trained in theater, Dr. Fournet earned a BFA from Boston University before transitioning to marine science. She completed an M.S. in Marine Resource Management and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Science at Oregon State University, where she studied humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) communication in Southeast Alaska. She later expanded her research during a postdoctoral fellowship at the K Lisa Yange Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University, examining the acoustic behaviors of sub-tropical fish in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park and their viability as indicator species.
In addition to cetaceans and fishes, Dr. Fournet’s current research includes Arctic studies on bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) and investigations of gray (Halichoerus grypus) and harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Western Atlantic. Dr. Fournet is also a dedicated science communicator, featured in the 2021 Apple TV+ documentary Fathom, which highlights her work on humpback whale communication.
By integrating behavioral ecology, bioacoustics, and quantitative ecology, Dr. Fournet’s research enhances our understanding of marine species’ social behavior and resilience to change in the Anthropocene, shaping conservation strategies and scientific inquiry.
Registration not required, but requested. Click here to register.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83888493999?pwd=X9kzJoMgvSlh6yagWumKPN7vpEvN9O.1