The Cape May Point Science Center is pleased to announce its inaugural Marine Science Symposium, to be held on May 30th-June 1st in Cape May Point, New Jersey. This symposium aims to provide a platform for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals in the field of marine science to showcase their work, share insights, and build connections within the marine science community in the Mid-Atlantic.

We invite submissions of abstracts for poster presentations and oral presentations on research related to marine science, including but not limited to:

• Marine, coastal, and conservation biology and ecology

• Oceanography and environmental science

• Fisheries and aquaculture science

• Marine technology and engineering

Abstract Submission Guidelines:

• Abstracts should be 300 words or less

• Abstract submission deadline: March 31, 2024

• Abstract notification of acceptance: Mid-April

Abstracts can be submitted here: 

 The Symposium will consist of 3 days of activities. 

Co-sponsored by First National Bank of Elmer 

Thursday, May 30th -

5:00 - 6:15 pm - Wine and Cheese Icebreaker 

Friday, May 31st - 
7:00 - 7:45 am - Bird Walk at the Cape May Point State Park with Brett Ewald, Director of NJ Audubon’s Cape May Point Bird Observatory 

8:00 - 8:30 am - Continental Breakfast and Check-In/Registration

8:30 - 8:45 am - Welcoming Remarks by Cape May Point Science Center President, Bob Mullock

8:45 - 9:30 am - Keynote Speaker Captain Melissa Laurino - Cape May Locals: A Decade of Discovery with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center 

9:30 - 10:00 am - Oral Presentations 

■       Brooke van de Sande - Identifying Relationships Between Visual Sightings and Environmental DNA Detection of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Along the Coast of New Jersey

■      Megan Fielding - eDNA Diet Analysis of Harbor Seals in Southern New Jersey 

■      Glen Davis - A Photographic Primer on Shipboard Surveys 

10:00 - 10:15 am- Coffee Break 

10:15 - 11:15 am -  Keynote Speakers Michael Academia from Virginia Peninsula Community College and Jack Darrell from Alaska radio station KRBD-FM discuss the relationship between menhaden distribution and Osprey success

11:15 am - 12:00 pm  - Oral Presentations 

■       Mia Zeringo - 52 Blue-Hz Whale

■      Mike Furrey - PFAS in Sea Water

■      Dana Christensen - Surveying the Practices of Saltwater Anglers in New Jersey: Bridging the Gap Between Anglers and Researchers

12:00 - 1:00 pm - Lunch Break

1:00 - 1:45 pm -  Keynote speaker Amanda Lyons from The Wetlands Institute - Turtles at two scales: Where have they been, and where are they now? Examining regional population genetics and local habitat selection of the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)

1:45 - 2:30 pm - Oral Presentations

■      Leonard Jankauskas - What are you Asterias forbesi (aka Forbes Sea Star, Eastern Starfish) and how do you wear your pants?

■      Toni Rose Tablante - Radio Tags and Horseshoe Crabs: A Pilot Project Using Radio Telemetry

■      Kathryn Marshall - Assessing Nesting and Reproductive Risks of Diamondback Terrapins at Sandy Hook National Recreation Area

2:30 - 2:45 pm - Coffee Break 

3:00 - 3:45 pm - Discussion Panel with keynote speakers

4:00 - 6:00 pm - Poster and Tabling Session 

• Nicole Cappolina - Analyzing The Frequency of Inundation of Clam Cove Island, Holgate, NJ With Sea Level Rise

• Kerstin Axe, Mackenzie Briggs, Michelle Carranza & Ceara Reilly - Investigating the Influence of Recreational Vessels on Coastal Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops spp.) in Cape May, NJ

• Kelly Glenn - Ecological influences on the abundance of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) off Cape May, New Jersey

• Brianna Gutierrez - Seal Suppers: Decoding Harbor Seal Feeding Habits

• Jared Handelman - Micro-Habitat Preference, Stock Origin, and Population Health Assessment Measures for Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)

• Saanjh Patel - The Environmental Factors Affecting Migration Patterns and Distribution of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops spp.)

• Elizabeth Purcell - The End of the Line: The Implications of Vertical Line Entanglements in Whales and Sea Turtles in the Greater Atlantic Region

• Enin Taggart & Len DiDomizio - Biodiversity of Our World

6:00 pm - Closing Remarks with awards for outstanding student oral and poster presentation

Saturday, June 1st 
10:00 am - Morning Dolphin Watch with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center at South Cape May Marina -https://capemaywhalewatch.com/location/

The Cape May Point Science Center will be providing accommodation for the duration of the Symposium.