PORT TOWNSEND — How do whales and elephants use sound? And how important is sound to their survival?
Researcher Jason Wood will present information about the importance of sound to both African elephants and southern resident orcas during a lecture today (Saturday).
His presentation, “Whales and Elephants: Using Sound to Save Species,” will follow the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s annual meeting at 4 p.m. in Fort Worden State Park’s Building 204.
After a brief meeting, Anne Murphy, the science center’s executive director, will turn the floor over to Wood.
Presentation
“His presentation will highlight acoustic communication in African elephants and southern resident killer whales while exploring ways in which their sound is important to their survival, how sounds can be used to monitor their populations and how sound humans generate can impact these species,” Murphy said.
Wood received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis in 2003.
His dissertation focused on the acoustic communication of African elephants.
Studies
He then spent two years as a post-doctoral scholar at Stanford University in the geophysics and then otolaryngology departments where his work focused on seismic communication in elephants and developing a seismic census technique.
Since 2006, Wood has been a lead instructor for Beam Reach, a marine science and sustainability school, where students earn credits from the University of Washington for conducting their own research on the acoustics of the southern resident orcas.
Admission is free to science center members and $5 for non-members.
For more information, phone 360-385-5582, e-mail info@ptmsc.org or visit www.ptmsc.org.
