NOAA’s Robyn Angliss to Discuss Unmanned Aerial Surveying of Marine Mammal Populations May 12 at Western

Robyn Angliss of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service will discuss using pilotless aircraft to study marine mammal populations as part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 12 in Communications Facility 110 on the Western Washington University campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Manned aerial surveys are routinely used to collect key information on marine mammals, such as abundance and distribution. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) could augment or replace manned aerial surveys for some applications. In her Speaker Series talk titled “Using Unmanned Aerial Systems to Study Marine Mammal Populations,” Angliss will present case studies from recent projects to highlight successes as well as needs for operational and research improvements.

Angliss is the Deputy Director of the Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries. Since 2008, Robyn has been involved in projects using unmanned aircraft to assess marine mammals. She has a bachelor’s degree in Oceanography and a master’s degree in Fisheries from the University of Washington, and a doctorate in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2554 or Jen.VanderWeyden@wwu.edu.