Scallop Workshop at the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Research Center

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Scallop Workshop at the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Research Center

Kelly Bernatzky • Oct 25, 2021

To celebrate recreational scalloping season, the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association is hosting a special scallop workshop during its Research Center Open Hours. This program will take place on Saturday, October 30, from 10am-1pm and is FREE to all visitors. No reservations are required; this is a walk-in program.

Stop by the Research Center to learn all about the famously delicious Nantucket bay scallops with MMA Research Associate, Dr. Valerie Hall. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn all about the biology and ecology of scallops, discuss the details of the Nantucket scallop fishery, learn about the importance of Dr. Hall’s research, and get an up-close look at live bay scallops!

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, partially funded by the Nantucket Shellfish Association (NSA), has served nearly fifty students ranging in age from 12 to 22. This past summer’s program, with additional support from 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.

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

October 25, 2021

Contact: Kelly Bernatzky, Development Associate

kbernatzky@mariamitchell.org

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