Dr. Valerie Hall to Speak as Featured Guest for Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Science Speaker Series

Kelly Bernatzky • August 17, 2021

On August 25 at 7pm, the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) is hosting a live lecture presented by MMA Research Associate Dr. Valerie Hall. Her talk, “Scallops and Students: A Unique Research and Mentorship Program” is part of our FREE Science Speaker Series and will be held via Zoom.

 

Dr. Hall will be joined by nine of her students for an overview of their Nantucket Bay Scallop research and summer laboratory experiences, describing the histological techniques used, from collecting scallops by boat to evaluating the prepared slides made from the scallops’ gonads (reproductive organs). Students will give an explanation of the basics of bay scallop biology and reproduction, predators and parasites, the scallop-eelgrass relationship, and other ecological factors that influence the scallop population. Some will also give the results of their own independent research, and others will describe what this summer’s experience has meant to them. A similar presentation, featuring the other half of the research team, was given on August 11 at the Great Harbor Yacht Club.


In 1976, Dr. Val Hall was hired to teach science at Nantucket High School (NHS), and she earned her Master’s degree in Marine Biology from Boston University in 1984. Afterwards, she established the NHS Marine Program, and wrote the textbook for the course. After her retirement in 2004, Dr. Hall joined the MMA Scallop Project. She then began a graduate program in Oceanography at the University of Massachusetts, using several summers of bay scallop research in Nantucket Harbor as her dissertation topic. Dr. Hall was appointed an MMA Research Associate in 2006 and was awarded her PhD in 2014.


Since 2016, Dr. Hall has combined her research on bay scallop reproduction and her passion for teaching by instituting a summer research and mentoring program at the Maria Mitchell Association. The program, previously funded by the Nantucket Shellfish Association, has served nearly fifty students ranging in age from 12 to 22. This summer’s program, funded by the Great Harbor Yacht Club and a private donor, brought eighteen more students into the group. Students participate in all aspects of Dr. Hall’s ongoing research, as well as designing and carrying out their own projects, while enhancing their research, written, and oral presentation skills.

 

To register for this event, please follow the link below:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jAtdb8_iSS6YFoGMyEWSMQ

 

For the full Science Speaker Series schedule, please visit our website here:

https://www.mariamitchell.org/science-speaker-series

 

This series is generously presented by our lead sponsor, Bank of America, and additional sponsors, Cape Air, Cisco Brewers, and White Elephant Resorts.

 

The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

For Immediate Release

August 17 2021

Contact: Kelly Bernatzky, Development Associate

kbernatzky@mariamitchell.org

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