"The Sensible Sea Squirt" • Dr. John Scarpa About the Lecture - 2006 Dr. Scarpa will discuss Mother Nature's little wonder - the sea squirt! You may think of the sea squirt as a nuisance species and a fouling organism, but Dr. Scarpa will explain what Mother Nature was thinking when she developed this remarkable organism that is related to all vertebrate species. He will discuss their role in the environment and how Harbor Branch's of Aquaculture and Biomedical Marine Research joined forces to examine their pharmaceutical potential. The lecture will conclude with a review of early bioremediation studies occurring in collaboration with our Florida Atlantic University colleagues. About the Speaker Dr. John Scarpa is an Associate Scientist in the Division of Aquaculture. His research concentrates on improving culture methods for aquatic organisms through breeding, nutrition, and environmental manipulation. During a National Science Foundation - Science and Technology Agency fellowship in Japan, he was the first to document the viability of an induced tetraploid bivalve, that is, a bivalve with four sets of chromosomes instead of the usual two. Dr. Scarpa's current research focuses on clam culture in Florida. He is examining the use of triploid induction in hard clams to improve their survival in the warm waters of Florida. Another project that starts this summer is to examine the sunray venus clam as an alternate species for hard clam farmers of Florida. Dr. Scarpa's other research interests include developing culture technology for aquatic species that contain pharmaceutical compounds, improving oyster disease resistance, and examining environmental parameters necessary to culture marine shrimp in fresh water. Dr. Scarpa received his A.S. from Nassau Community College, B.S. from Long Island University - Southampton College, M.S. from University of Delaware, and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.

© 2006, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution