Genes, Crabs, and Cobia: How Science Shapes Coastal Management

2025 WHOI Ocean and Climate Outreach Series presented by the Yawkey Foundation

Genes, Crabs, and Cobia

How Science Shapes Coastal Management

Thursday, June 26, 2025

5:30pm - 7:30pm

This event is free and open to the public

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Join us for an event with WHOI and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Experts from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) team up to share how genetic research is advancing the management of marine species - featuring compelling case studies on cobia and invasive green crabs.

This conversation will highlight how these research efforts directly inform real-world conservation decisions—protecting ecosystems, guiding sustainable fisheries, and connecting local work to broader Atlantic coastal trends. The discussion will also explore the intersection of land and marine stewardship.

Reception to follow

Location

Redfield Auditorium
45 Water St
Woods Hole, MA 02543

June 26, 2025

5:30pm

Speakers

Carolyn Tepolt, Ph.D.

Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Carolyn joined the WHOI Biology department in March of 2017, after postdoctoral research in biodiversity genomics at the Smithsonian Institution. In 2014, she received a PhD from Stanford University and through-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail shortly thereafter. Before grad school, she worked for years doing genetics in commercial, government, and conservation-based labs. Her research program is focused on understanding how marine species adapt to changing environments on time scales of decades to centuries. She works extensively with marine invasive species, and integrates approaches from genomics, ecology, and physiology.

Tanya Darden, Ph.D.

Director, Marine Resources Research Institute, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Dr. Tanya Darden is the Director of SCDNR’s Marine Resources Research Institute in Charleston, SC where she has been an active researcher in population genetics for 18 years. At the MRRI, Tanya works with an amazing team of ~80 scientists as well as regional and national teams to apply genetic tools in a wide diversity of ecological, conservation, and management arenas.

Shannon Furr Bobertz, Esq.

Chief of Staff, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Shannon Bobertz is Chief of Staff for SCDNR. Shannon started her career with SCDNR in 2013 as Assistant Chief Counsel and was appointed General Counsel in 2014 until she was appointed Chief of Staff in 2022. Shannon graduated from the South Carolina School of Law school in 2002, cum laude.

Moderator

Mindy Todd

Executive Editor and Host, Producer of "The Point"

Cape and Islands NPR station

Mindy is a veteran broadcast journalist with over 40 years of experience in radio and television. She is the host and producer of The Point on WCAI, the NPR station for Cape Cod, the Islands, and the South Coast, and also serves as the station’s Managing Director of Editorial.

She has sat on the boards of a variety of non-profit organizations and is currently a Trustee at Falmouth Academy and a member of WHOI’s Sea Grant Marine Outreach Guidance Group.

Known for her inquisitive, analytical style, Todd brings thoughtful, in-depth conversations on a wide range of public affairs topics to her listeners.

Speakers

Shannon Hulst, Floodplain Specialist, WHOI Sea Grant and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension

Shannon Hulst is Floodplain Specialist for Barnstable County, MA with Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant. She is a Certified Floodplain Manager with a master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. She provides technical assistance on all things related to flooding, flood insurance, and floodplain regulations to municipalities, residents, and businesses on Cape Cod. She also manages a regional Community Rating System program, making these communities safer from flooding and sea level rise and saving residents in nine towns nearly $450,000 on flood insurance premiums annually, for a total savings of $1.8 million since the program began in 2015. Shannon has received two national awards for her work in regional floodplain management; the CRS Award for Excellence from FEMA and the James Lee Witt Local Award for Excellence in Floodplain Management from the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

Dr. Thomas Rainwater, Wildlife Biologist,

Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Clemson University

Thomas is a wildlife biologist and research scientist with the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Clemson University’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, both in Georgetown, South Carolina. For the last 34 years, he has worked on various research projects in the United States, Central America, Africa, and Asia focusing on the biology, ecotoxicology, and conservation of wildlife, particularly the impacts of environmental pollution, habitat alteration, and over-exploitation on endangered crocodilians and turtles.

In 2010, he joined the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center on a long-term study of American alligators in coastal habitats. This project has provided novel insights into the reproduction, diet, growth, behavior, movement, survival, and longevity of animals living at the interface of freshwater, estuarine, and marine systems, and how environmental changes (e.g., pollution, habitat loss, increasing human population, climate change) may influence different life history traits of these apex predators.

Jamie Dozier, Wildlife Biologist and Conservationist,

Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center

Dozier is project leader of the 24,000-acre Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in South Carolina. Jamie Dozier received a BS and MS in Wildlife Ecology from Clemson University and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources serving as Project Leader at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. Prior to his current position, he worked as a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program. Jamie also serves on the North Inlet Estuarine Research Reserve Advisory Board, the Clemson University College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Alumni Advisory Board and The Winyah Bay Task Force.

Speakers

Shannon Hulst, Deputy Director / Floodplain Specialist,

Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and WHOI Sea Grant

Shannon is a a coastal hazards specialist with expertise in sea level rise, coastal storms, coastal zone management, floodplain management, and hazard mitigation. She believes floodplain management and protecting natural resources are key aspects of coastal climate adaptation. With a multi-faceted approach to floodplain management, our communities can adapt to coastal climate change, build resilience to flood hazards, and thrive well into the future.

Dr. Thomas Rainwater, Wildlife Biologist,

Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Clemson University

Thomas is a wildlife biologist and research scientist with the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Clemson University’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, both in Georgetown, South Carolina. For the last 34 years, he has worked on various research projects in the United States, Central America, Africa, and Asia focusing on the biology, ecotoxicology, and conservation of wildlife, particularly the impacts of environmental pollution, habitat alteration, and over-exploitation on endangered crocodilians and turtles.

In 2010, he joined the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center on a long-term study of American alligators in coastal habitats. This project has provided novel insights into the reproduction, diet, growth, behavior, movement, survival, and longevity of animals living at the interface of freshwater, estuarine, and marine systems, and how environmental changes (e.g., pollution, habitat loss, increasing human population, climate change) may influence different life history traits of this apex predator.

Jamie Dozier, Wildlife Biologist and Conservationist,

Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center

Dozier is project leader of the 24,000-acre Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in South Carolina. Jamie Dozier received a BS and MS in Wildlife Ecology from Clemson University and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources serving as Project Leader at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. Prior to his current position, he worked as a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program. Jamie also serves on the North Inlet Estuarine Research Reserve Advisory Board, the Clemson University College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Alumni Advisory Board and The Winyah Bay Task Force.

Host

Miles O'Brien,

Science Correspondent, PBS, NewsHour

Miles is a veteran independent journalist who focuses on science, technology and aerospace. He is the science correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, a producer, director, writer and correspondent for the PBS documentary programs NOVA and FRONTLINE, and an aviation analyst for CNN. He owns MOBIAS Media, Inc., a production company that creates award winning documentary films primarily for PBS as well as several educational and corporate clients.

Experts from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) team up to share how genetic research is advancing the management of marine species - featuring compelling case studies on cobia and invasive green crabs.

This conversation will highlight how these research efforts directly inform real-world conservation decisions—protecting ecosystems, guiding sustainable fisheries, and connecting local work to broader Atlantic coastal trends. The discussion will also explore the intersection of land and marine stewardship.

Reception to follow

Dr. Thomas Rainwater, Wildlife Biologist, Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Clemson University

Thomas is a wildlife biologist and research scientist with the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Clemson University’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, both in Georgetown, South Carolina. For the last 34 years, he has worked on various research projects in the United States, Central America, Africa, and Asia focusing on the biology, ecotoxicology, and conservation of wildlife, particularly the impacts of environmental pollution, habitat alteration, and over-exploitation on endangered crocodilians and turtles.

In 2010, he joined the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center on a long-term study of American alligators in coastal habitats. This project has provided novel insights into the reproduction, diet, growth, behavior, movement, survival, and longevity of animals living at the interface of freshwater, estuarine, and marine systems, and how environmental changes (e.g., pollution, habitat loss, increasing human population, climate change) may influence different life historytraits of this apex predator.

Host

Science Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

Miles is a veteran independent journalist who focuses on science, technology and aerospace. He is the science correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, a producer, director, writer and correspondent for the PBS documentary programs NOVA and FRONTLINE, and an aviation analyst for CNN. He owns MOBIAS Media, Inc., a production company that creates award winning documentary films primarily for PBS as well as several educational and corporate clients.

Jamie Dozier, Wildlife Biologist and Conservationist, Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center

Dozier is project leader of the 24,000-acre Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in South CarolinaJamie Dozier received a BS and MS in Wildlife Ecology from Clemson University and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources serving as Project Leader at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. Prior to his current position, he worked as a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program. Jamie also serves on the North Inlet Estuarine Research Reserve Advisory Board, the Clemson University College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Alumni Advisory Board and The Winyah Bay Task Force.

VENUE

5:30pm • Presentation

6:30pm • Reception

This event is free and open to the public

For more events in this series

visit events.whoi.edu/yawkeyseries

Questions?

Contact Dana Mock-Muñoz de Luna at

dmock@whoi.edu

The Yawkey Foundation is committed to continuing the legacy of Tom Yawkey and Jean Yawkey by making significant and positive impacts on the quality of life for children, families, and underserved individuals in the places that the Yawkeys called home, Eastern Massachusetts and Georgetown County, South Carolina.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to advancing knowledge of the ocean and its connection with the Earth system through a sustained commitment to excellence in science, engineering, and education, and to the application of this knowledge to problems facing society.

June 26, 2025

5:30pm | Presentation

6:30pm | Reception

Redfield Auditorium

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

45 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543

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Event Details

Opportunity, to make more ad dollars and to boost the brand position by making it more expensive.

Experts from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) team up to share how genetic research is advancing the management of marine species - featuring compelling case studies on cobia and invasive green crabs.

This conversation will highlight how these research efforts directly inform real-world conservation decisions—protecting ecosystems, guiding sustainable fisheries, and connecting local work to broader Atlantic coastal trends. The discussion will also explore the intersection of land and marine stewardship.

Reception to follow

Add To Waitlist