First Wednesdays: Lecture, Cocktail Hour, and Music

Polar Bears in a Changing Arctic

Dr. Karyn Rode, Research Wildlife Biologist

Join us for a compelling talk on polar bears and their habitat. Polar bears are majestic animals that play an integral part of the Arctic ecosystem and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment. They are at the top of the food chain and depend on sea ice to move around and hunt their prey (mostly seals). But in a warming world, the sea ice has been disappearing, and populations are at stake.

Learn about polar bears, their habits, behaviors and adaptations, and how we study them. Discover what we have learned about the changing arctic and how those changes are affecting polar bears.

Following the talk, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy cocktails and conversations, music and crafts in our Art Gallery. Guests will also have the opportunity to visit a single gallery with live animals: FROGS “Our Neighbors” and experience our interactive exhibits Paint-a-Frog and Paint-a-Fish. This is an adult-oriented program.

Recommended for ages 14+ (not suitable for young children).

TICKETS

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DATE

Wednesday
December 4, 2024
7:00–9:00 pm PT

COST

$5.00 per ticket for advance online reservations or $10.00 per ticket on the day of the event at the door (pending availability. Please check first).

Parking is $6.00 for the for 2.5 hours in the structure located directly across from the Aquarium. Cash bar.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Karyn D. Rode is a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey – Alaska Science Center. She has authored over 70 scientific publications on the ecology of large mammals with a focus on polar bears. Over the past 2 decades, she has conducted research on polar bears in remote parts of the Arctic where she and her colleague track sample and measure polar bears. She collaborates with local, tribal, state, federal and international agencies and universities to identify and address research needs. Her team’s science provides information on how polar bears are fairing in response to sea ice loss, where and when they may increasingly interact with people, and what the future may look like. As part of her work, she serves as an advisor in many capacities to inform management and policy decisions including the Polar Bear Ranges States under the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and as a member of the Scientific working group of the US-Russia Agreement on the Conservation and Management of Polar Bears.

Dr. Rode is chair of the Research and Conservation grants program for the International Association of Bear Research and Management, a member of the American Zoological Association’s Polar Bear Research Council, and a member of Science/Indigenous knowledge working group of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Polar Bear Recovery Team. She holds a doctorate and master’s degree in Zoology from Washington State University and bachelor’s in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University.

The Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesdays series focuses on animals,nature and conservation efforts. The events bring scientists, authors, and other experts into its Honda Pacific Visions Theater for an illustrated talk paired with book signing or meet and greets and cocktail/social hours with music and crafts. The programs are best suited for high school and college students, young professionals, and adults of all ages. Lectures are also live streamed.