Woods Hole Business Association

WHFF Best of the Fest at Cotuit 2023
2023-10-08 19:00 - 2023-10-11 22:00, 2023-10-09 18:00 - 22:00, 2023-10-10 18:00 - 22:00, 2023-10-11 18:00 - 22:00 UTC | Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road (Route 28), Cotuit, 02635, United States
The Woods Hole Film Festival returns to the Cotuit Center for the Arts for the Best of the Fest screening series – 2023 edition.
This four-night, seven screening event features five feature films and two shorts programs of award winners from the 2023 summer festival.
Sunday, October 8 • 7pm
ARIEL – BACK TO BUENOS AIRES
Narrative Feature by Alison Murray
(Canada/Argentina, 2022)
__________________________
Monday, October 9 • 6pm
PATROL
Documentary Feature by Camilo de Castro & Brad Allgood
(Nicaragua, 2023)
Monday, October 9 • 8pm
AWARD-WINNING SHORTS 1
Five award-winning short films.
(Various)
__________________________
Tuesday, October 10 • 6pm
AWARD-WINNING SHORTS
Five award-winning short films.
(Various)
Tuesday, October 10 • 8pm
LAKELANDS
Narrative Feature by Robert Higgins & Patrick McGivney
(Ireland, 2023)
__________________________
Wednesday, October 11 • 6pm
DUSTY & STONES
Documentary Feature by Jesse Rudoy
(USA, 2022)
Wednesday, October 11 • 8pm
26.2 to LIFE
Documentary Feature by Christine Yoo
(USA, 2022)
Tickets are $16 (general) and $12 (CCftA and WHFF members)
Click ticket link for film details and tickets, or visit:
https://artsonthecape.org/explore?cat=whff
Cotuit Center for the Arts is located at 4404 Falmouth Road (Route 28) in Cotuit. Call 508-428-0669 for more info.

MBL Falmouth Forum: How WHOI Helped write "Horse", An Inside Look at a Novelist's Research Journey Geraldine Brooks, Author
2023-10-13 19:30 - 20:30 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Geraldine Brooks’ 2022 novel, Horse, spent ten weeks on the New York Times best seller list. In this lecture, she will describe how the true story of the 19th century’s greatest racehorse led her from the Osteo-Prep lab at the Smithsonian Support Center and the Necropsy Suite at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to some of the most famous art collections of the 20th century.
Geraldine Brooks is the author of six works of historical fiction, including the 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner, March and most recently, the bestselling novel, Horse (Viking), which recently received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace prize. An award-winning former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, the Australian-born Brooks is also author of the non-fiction works, Nine Parts of Desire and Foreign Correspondence. She lives in West Tisbury, Massachusetts where she is a Conservation Commissioner.
A book signing will follow the presentation. Books available for purchase on event night from Eight Cousins Books.

Becoming a Marine Biologist
2023-10-18 19:30 - 20:30 | Redfield Auditorium, Water Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
What it takes, and where it can take you
As a child, who hasn’t dreamed of exploring the ocean to study the amazing animals that live there—but what does it take to become a marine biologist, and what would your career look like once you got the degree?
Join us as we talk with three marine biologists about their differing career paths and how they got to where they are today.

Halloween in the Hole
2023-10-28 16:00 - 18:00 | Woods Hole
Residents and businesses flex their creative pumpkin-carving skills and show off their finished products along Water Street on the Saturday of Halloween weekend. Your favorite Woods Hole shops and restaurants get in costume and give out candy and refreshments to sugar-happy passersby. Pumpkins lit at dusk.

MBL Falmouth Forum: “Building Community Bridges: Creating an Economically and Ecologically Vibrant Cape Cod” Dorothy Savarese in conversation with CAI’s Mindy Todd
2023-11-10 19:30 - 20:30 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Dorothy Savarese is President of the Board of the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative and the former CEO and Executive Chair of Cape Cod 5, a community bank which she led for nearly 20 years. Savarese formalized the integration of environmental stewardship into the “5 Ways” the Bank serves the community and expanded it to include mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. She extends her commitment to combating climate change and building resiliency to her volunteer and community activities, in addition to her service to the Climate Collaborative. Savarese served on the Climate Readiness, Resiliency and Adaptation transition policy committee for Governor-Elect Maura Healey and the Clean Heat Commission for the Baker administration. Savarese has also been recognized for her efforts in the banking industry, being named to the list of 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker Magazine for 11 consecutive years, was the chair of both the American Bankers Association and the Massachusetts Bankers Association and has been named to committees advising the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and the FDIC. She is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Suffolk University and recently joined the Board of Trustees. In addition, she has served on a number of local boards serving the region and has received numerous awards and recognitions.
Mindy Todd is Managing Director of Editorial at CAI and host and producer of The Point, which examines critical issues for Cape Cod and the Islands. Her 30+ year career has covered nearly all aspects of broadcasting. Todd has received numerous awards, most recently her 5th National PRNDI (Public Radio News Directors Incorporated) award for best Call-in program and best Interview.

Dinner & A Movie: Joan Baez - I Am A Noise
2023-11-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Redfield Auditorium, Water Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
The Woods Hole Film Festival is pleased to announce a bonus second screening of the new documentary film JOAN BAEZ: I AM A NOISE on Saturday, November 18 at 7 pm at Redfield Auditorium, 45 Water Street, Woods Hole. The first screening sold out well in advance, so we’re showing it again! 🙂
ABOUT THE FILM
Facing the end of a 60-year musical career, legendary singer and activist Joan Baez takes an honest look back and a deep look inward as she tries to make sense of her large history-making life and reveals, for the first time, personal struggles she’s kept private, until now. JOAN BAEZ: I AM A NOISE is an unusually intimate psychological portrait of legendary folk singer and activist Joan Baez. Neither a conventional biopic nor a traditional concert film, this immersive documentary shifts back and forth through time as it follows Joan on her final tour and delves into her extraordinary archive, including newly discovered home movies, diaries, artwork, therapy tapes, and audio recordings.
Feature documentary by Karen O’Connor, Miri Navasky & Maeve O’Boyle, US, 2023, 113 mins.
The screening begins at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $16 and $12 for WHFF members, student/military $10. Tickets are on sale in advance via at woodsholefilmfestival.org and at the door.
DINNER: Before the film, patrons may receive a 10% discount on the meal portion of dinner at the Captain Kidd Restaurant & Bar, 77 Water Street, Woods Hole. Call (508) 548-8563 for a dinner reservation.

Shop Small & Dine Local in Woods Hole
2023-11-25 | Woods Hole
SHOP SMALL & DINE LOCAL – Saturday, Nov. 25th
Small Business Saturday is a nationally recognized day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their local communities. When we talk about supporting small business in Woods Hole it’s practically impossible to not! Most of our local businesses are independently owned, meaning that travelers to Woods Hole can directly support the community’s economy and help sustain local business owners as well as traditional crafts and practices all year long! Each year on Small Business Saturday you can expect local retail stores to offer a sale or discount, while our local restaurants typically participate by offering a happy hour special.
SHOPPING:
Handworks: 10% off
Inlet: 20% off local pottery
Masterson Made: 20% off
MBL Gift Shop: 25% off
Soft as a Grape: 2 for $35, Adult Short Sleeve Tees & Hats (+$2 for XXL)
WHOI Visitor Center: 15% off in-store
DINING:
Captain Kidd: $1 oysters & wings from 4-6pm
Landfall: 10% off gift cards & happy hour from 4-6pm
Pie in the Sky: 10% off merchandise
The Leeside: 50% off 1 appetizer with specialty cocktail purchase from 4-6pm (excludes lobster)
Woods Hole Market & General Store: Gift certificate giveaway & seasonal tastings
LODGING:
Woods Hole Inn: 20% off gift certificates
Treehouse Lodge: 20% off gift certificates

Special Screening of A Cape Cod Christmas
2023-12-01 19:00 - 21:00 | The Cornelia Clapp Auditorium, MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Back by popular demand! On Friday, December 1, at 7 pm, the Woods Hole Film Festival presents a special event screening of A CAPE COD CHRISTMAS by John Stimpson at Clapp Auditorium, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole.
ABOUT THE FILM
When a children’s author comes down to the Cape to host one last Christmas dinner with her disagreeable siblings before they sell the family house, she reunites with her childhood sweetheart, a local artist, who helps her find a way to keep the house she loves so dearly.
Filmed entirely in Falmouth, MA. Starring Katie Leclerc and Brent Bailey.
Q&A with the director John Stimpson following the film.
Tickets are $20, $16 for members and available now at:
https://www.goelevent.com/WoodsHoleFilmFest/e/ACapeCodChristmas
For more information call (508) 495-3456.
The festival is supported in part by grants from the Mass Cultural Council, Cape Cod 5, Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation, Woods Hole Foundation, Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, the Falmouth Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation, YouthInk, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

From Ocean to Outer Space
2024-01-23 15:00 - 16:30 | The Cornelia Clapp Auditorium, MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Embark on an exciting afternoon focused on space and ocean exploration, featuring NASA astronaut and former WHOI engineer Loral O’Hara joining us live from the International Space Station!

Tuesday, January 23, 2024
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST

MBL’s Cornelia Clapp Auditorium
(formerly Lillie Auditorium)
7 MBL Street
Woods Hole, MA 02536

Can’t join us in person? Register for the virtual event.

Bring your family and join us for a live downlink from the International Space Station (ISS) featuring NASA astronaut and former WHOI engineer, Loral O’Hara. Loral will share insights, answer questions, and discuss the many fascinating connections between exploration in space and the ocean. Also on stage will be Alvin Program Manager Bruce Strickrott and WHOI marine microbiologist Julie Huber, with host Ken Kostel, WHOI Director of Research Communications.

Schedule
3:00 p.m. – Doors open
3:15 p.m. – Bruce Strickrott and Julie Huber will delve into the connections between ocean and space exploration.
4:00 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. – Loral O’Hara will answer pre-submitted questions live from the ISSJoin us for this exciting live event that promises to be both educational and inspiring!

Limited parking available at NOAA Fisheries, 17 Albatross Street; WHOI School Street lot, 49 School Street; and WHOI Shiverick lot, 11 School Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Please direct any event related questions to Kathy Patterson at kpatterson@whoi.edu or (508) 289-2700.

MBL Falmouth Forum: “Why We Should Care About the Arctic, Part II: An Arctic Science Panel”
2024-01-26 19:30 - 20:30 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Moderator: Anne Giblin, MBL
Panelists: Jim McClelland, MBL; Sue Natali, Woodwell Climate Research Center; Rebecca Rowe, University of New Hampshire; Collin Ward, WHOI
Lecture Abstract: Scientists originally went to the Arctic to study ecological processes thought to be unimpacted by human influences. That has all changed in recent decades as the Arctic has become “ground zero” for understanding how ecosystems will respond to rapid climate change. The panelists will explore a number of topics including how a changing Arctic climate might alter the balance of greenhouse gas emissions from higher latitudes; the changing productivity of the Arctic Ocean; how the terrestrial mammals, ranging from voles to caribou, may be impacted by changes in temperature and snow cover; and what are the potential pollution risks as the shipping and mineral exploitation in the Arctic increases. The group hopes to show the impact that climate change is having on the Arctic is not limited to the Arctic but may have profound implications for the rest of the globe. There will be short presentations and a panel discussion that will include questions from the audience.

Ocean Encounters: Volcanoes
2024-03-27 19:30 - 20:30 | MA
How fiery forces from deep inside the planet shape our world
Volcanoes make headlines when they erupt, yet the vast majority of Earth’s volcanic activity happens far from view on the seafloor. Join us to find out more about volcanoes, what we are learning from them, and how they impact our ocean planet.
Featuring:
Forrest Horton,Geochemist and Geologist, WHOI
Emmanuel Codillo, Experimental Geologist and Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Institute for Science
Molly Anderson, Marine Geologist and National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, WHOI
Veronique Lacapra, Host and Director of Special Projects, WHOI
Register here

Landfall Restaurant opens
2024-04-11 17:00 - 20:00 | Landfall Restaurant, 9 Luscombe Avenue, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
with the Puffy Elvis Band playing from 5-8 p.m.

MBL Falmouth Forum: “Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: 1824-2023” - Thomas Forrest Kelly, Harvard University
2024-04-12 19:30 - 20:30 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
In the 200th anniversary year of its first performance, this work, with its famous Ode to Joy, has become a timeless icon; but in 1824 Vienna, nobody had heard it. With images and music, we’ll seek to re-create the experience of the premiere.The Falmouth Forum is supported by the Falmouth Forum Endowment, the Bakalar Endowed Director’s Discretionary Fund, and The Falmouth Fund of The Cape Cod Foundation.
Thomas Kelly is an historical musicologist whose interests embrace the role of music within Christian liturgy, chant, and medieval performance practice. He has written extensively on the history of medieval as well as modern music. Among his many publications are The Beneventan Chant (Cambridge University Press, 1989), First Nights at the Opera (Yale University Press, 2004), The Practice of Medieval Music: Studies in Chant and Performance (Ashgate, 2010), and Capturing Music: The Story of Notation (W.W. Norton, 2014). Professor Kelly is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres of the French Republic, and a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America.

WHOI's Ocean Encounters: Rising Seas, Resilient Coasts
2024-04-24 19:30 - 20:30 | MA
Understanding, predicting, and adapting to sea level rise
Sea levels are on the rise, but the rate and impact vary across different regions. To effectively predict and adapt to these changes, it’s crucial to understand the current and historical trends of rising sea levels.
Join us for a conversation about the drivers and consequences of rising sea levels—and adaptation strategies to protect lives and livelihoods by making our coastlines and infrastructure more resilient
Speakers
Christopher (Chris) Piecuch, sea level scientist, WHOI
Shannon Hulst, floodplain manager, Barnstable County and Woods Hole Sea Grant
Hannah Wagner, resilience manager, City of Boston
WHOI host
Véronique LaCapra, Ocean Encounters’ host, Director of Special Projects for Advancement
Register here

Dinner & A Movie: The Alliance
2024-05-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Redfield Auditorium, Water Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
The Woods Hole Film Festival series Dinner & A Movie continues on Saturday, May 4 at 7pm with the feature documentary THE ALLIANCE by Amanda Jean Kowalski.
About the film:
During the Arctic winter an intrepid WHOI oceanographer attempts to collect rare climate data, but his greatest combatant isn’t the weather – it’s the Italian Navy.
Director Amanda Jean Kowalski and film subject Bob Pickard will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.
Tickets available at:
https://www.goelevent.com/WoodsHoleFilmFest/e/TheAlliance
Screening takes place at Redfield Auditorium, 45 Water Street Woods Hole, and begins at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $16 and $12 for WHFF members and are on sale in advance via at www.woodsholefilmfestival.org and at the door.
The festival is supported in part by grants from the Mass Cultural Council, Cape Cod 5, Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation, Woods Hole Foundation, Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, the Falmouth Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation, and YouthInk.
For more information email info@woodsholefilmfestival.org or call (508) 495-3456.

Quick's Hole Taqueria presents "BlueSwitch Blues Band" Sunday Rhythm and Blues
2024-05-05 17:00 - 19:00 | Quick’s Hole Taqueria, 6 Luscombe Ave, Woods Hole,, MA, 02543, United States
Please join us for an afternoon of wonderful Rhythm and Blues. Feauturing the “BlueSwitch Blues Band” Every Sunday through out the season 5/5/2024-9/1/20204

MBL Falmouth Forum: “Regeneration of Complex Tissues: Axolotls Lead the Way, Can We Follow?” Karen Echeverri
2024-05-17 19:30 - 20:30 | The Cornelia Clapp Auditorium, MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Throughout human life, many cells such as hair follicles and certain tissues such as liver can be continuously replaced to maintain tissue integrity in response to normal, daily wear and tear. While humans do exhibit some very limited regenerative capacity, other animals exhibit sometimes astonishing regenerative ability. Salamanders show the highest diversity in being able to regenerate limbs, tail, heart, eyes, and jaw, and in addition can repair lesions in the brain and heal all wounds without forming scar tissue. Karen Echeverri’s research group is working on elucidating how the axolotl can regenerate multiple body parts including limbs and the spinal cord without forming any scar tissue. The MBL has a long history of research in the field of regeneration. This talk will cover the history of discoveries at the MBL and the current ongoing research on regeneration at the MBL and how this may inform future approaches to regenerative medicine.
Karen Echeverri is a developmental cell biologist and an Associate Scientist at the Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering at the Marine Biological Laboratory. Prior to moving to the MBL in 2018 she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology, Genetics and Developmental Biology and a member of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota. She trained at the Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and Genetics with Elly Tanaka and Andrew Oates. She received the Otto Hahn award for her Ph.D. work from Max Planck Society and was later awarded the Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Young Investigator Award. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of the remarkable ability of many species to functionally regenerate lost tissue.

Dinner & A Movie: Earlybird
2024-05-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Redfield Auditorium, Water Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
The Woods Hole Film Festival Dinner & A Movie series wraps up the 2023-2024 season on Saturday, May 18 at 7pm with the feature comedy EARLYBIRD, by Martin Kaszubowski.
About the film:
In this comedy of errors, a hopeless independent theatre owner Michael Wagner (Joshua Koopman) faces skyrocketing rent bumps and decides to take a “screw it” approach to the end of his dream life. Before breaking the bad news to his troupe, he mounts a play called “Cat War” which was written on a dare and definitely was never meant to have an audience. Much to his surprise, the play is a hit! However, this new “strategy” creates a whole new set of challenges.
Starring Joshua Koopman, Julie Pope, Amanda Platt and Chloe Skoczen.
Tickets available at:
https://www.goelevent.com/WoodsHoleFilmFest/e/Earlybird2023
Screening takes place at Redfield Auditorium, 45 Water Street Woods Hole, and begins at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $16 and $12 for WHFF members and are on sale in advance via at www.woodsholefilmfestival.org and at the door.
The festival is supported in part by grants from the Mass Cultural Council, Cape Cod 5, Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation, Woods Hole Foundation, Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, the Falmouth Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation, and YouthInk.
For more information email info@woodsholefilmfestival.org or call (508) 495-3456.

WHOI's Ocean Encounters: Small but Mighty
2024-05-22 19:30 - 20:30 | MA
Microscopic marine life and its outsized role in the ocean

Microbes and plankton may be small, but they have a big part to play in shaping our planet. The ocean’s smallest inhabitants form the base of marine food webs, help regulate global climate, and may hold the secrets to the origins of life on Earth.
Join us as we explore “invisible” ocean life and its profound and far-reaching impacts.

Julie Huber, Marine Microbiologist. Senior Scientist, WHOI
Heidi Sosik, Plankton Ecologist. Senior Scientist, WHOI
Nina Yang, Biological Oceanographer. Postdoctoral Investigator, WHOI
Véronique LaCapra, Ocean Encounters’ host. Director of Special Projects for Advancement, WHOI

Register here

Woods Hole Pub Crawl
2024-06-21 17:00 - 21:30 | MA
Woods Hole Pub Crawl in Honor of Alvin’s 60th Birthday
Friday June 21st, 2024
5-9:45pm
Dress code:
Red up top,
white down below

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Finding a Place in Science: Life Sciences and Lived Experiences” - Shirley Malcom, AAAS SEA Change
2024-06-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Many people from communities of color interested in STEMM gravitate toward life sciences because of the opportunities to answer questions that spring from their lives or that address issues experienced in their communities. This presents both challenges and opportunities: Challenges to the discipline when the current framing of research questions does not incorporate the concerns and perspectives of these communities and opportunities within the disciplines when they do. Drawing from historical and contemporaneous examples, the lecture will explore the inexorable link between equity and excellence in STEMM and why we cannot back away from a commitment to inclusion.
Shirley Malcom is Senior Advisor to the CEO and Director of the SEA Change initiative at American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She works to improve the quality and increase access to education and careers in STEM fields as well as to enhance public science literacy. Dr. Malcom is a trustee of Caltech, a regent of Morgan State University, and a member of the SUNY Research Council. She is a former member of the National Science Board, the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation, and served on President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. Malcom, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, received her PhD in ecology from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in zoology from UCLA, and a bachelor’s degree with distinction in zoology from the University of Washington. She also holds 16 honorary degrees. Malcom serves on the boards of the Heinz Endowments, Public Agenda, the National Math-Science Initiative, and Digital Promise. Internationally, she is a leader in efforts to improve access of girls and women to education and careers in science and engineering and to increase the use of Science and Technology (S&T) to empower women and address problems they face in their daily lives, serving as co-chair of the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission on S&T for Development and Gender InSITE, a global campaign to deploy S&T to help improve the lives and status of girls and women. In 2003, Dr. Malcom received the Public Welfare Medal of the National Academy of Sciences, the highest award given by the Academy.

MBL Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Climate Change: Charting a Path to a Positive Future” Max Holmes, Woodwell Climate Research Center
2024-06-28 20:00 - 21:00 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Whether you’re in Woods Hole or halfway around the world, join us for this venerable MBL lecture series.
Lectures are free and open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8 PM in the Cornelia Clapp Auditorium.
Since the MBL was founded in 1888, atmospheric CO2 concentration has increased 44%, human population has surged from 1.5 to over 8 billion, and Earth’s temperature has warmed by almost 1.5°C. The impacts of these changes are profound for climate, for biodiversity, for people today, and, perhaps especially, for people and nature tomorrow. While it is easy to imagine a negative future as the impacts of these dramatic changes continue to come crashing down around us, a vision for a positive future and what it might take to get there receives surprisingly little attention. Instead, most scenarios focus on how we might “avoid the worst consequences of climate change,” hardly an inspiring or hopeful objective. This presentation will explore a vision for the path to a sustainable future where people, climate, and nature thrive, and what near-and longer-term actions might be needed to get there.
Max Holmes is motivated by a vision of science that connects people with each other and the natural world, and which drives urgently needed solutions to the climate crisis. After 10 years at MBL, Max joined Woodwell Climate Research Center as a scientist in 2005 and served as Deputy Director for five years before becoming President and CEO in 2021. His globe-spanning career, track record of community-based science, and innate passion for interacting with new people and ideas position him to engage diverse audiences with his inspiring, action-oriented vision for our climate future. He is a sought-after speaker at venues ranging from TEDx to Davos to Mountainfilm and has been quoted by top news outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Independent. He previously served as director of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Arctic Systems Science Program, was elected National Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2015, and served on the 2022 Earthshot Prize host committee.

MBL Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Endless Forms Most Beautiful: Geometry, Physics and Biology” - L Mahadevan, Harvard University
2024-07-05 20:00 - 21:00 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance at the Cornelia Clapp Auditorium.
Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8 PM.
The range of shapes in the plant (and animal) world is “enough to drive even the sanest man mad,” wrote Darwin. Using examples from single cells to multicellular tissues to whole organisms, this lecture will examine the “method in the madness” in these shapes. Motivated by both qualitative and quantitative biological observations, Mahadevan will discuss the underlying rules that have formed that could guide the diversity and complexity of biological growth. In other words, shining a light on how the “endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”
L Mahadevan is the Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Physics, and Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, where he also serves as a co-Faculty Dean of Mather House, living and learning with a community of 400+ students.
His interests are broadly in the study of motion and matter at the human scale, where phenomena are robust and easy to observe, yet not always easy to explain. These include the patterns of shape and flow of inanimate matter on scales ranging from the supramolecular to the planetary, and the dynamics of sentient living matter that can self-organize, perceive and act. In all cases, the aim is to get at a qualitative understanding using quantitative methods, and get at general principles, if there be such, from answers to specific questions. Examples include the biophysical basis for morphogenesis, the functional ethology of super-organisms, the mathematics underlying art forms such as origami, and the physics underlying musical instruments such as the steel pan.

MBL Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Going Where The Wild Things Are: Ocean Microbes, Their Interactions, and Ecosystem Consequences” - Alexandra Worden, MBL & University of Chicago
2024-07-26 20:00 - 21:00 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
The oceans are teeming with life forms that are invisible to the naked eye – a myriad of microbes – some more like plants and even some quite related to humans! These organisms are responsible for many different ecosystem roles ranging from photosynthesis that underpins ocean food chains and generates oxygen, to how carbon is moved from sunlit surface waters into the abyss—an important factor for climate stability. There are challenges inherent to exploring these communities and technological innovations that are essential for overcoming those challenges. Here, we will discuss what we are learning about key marine microbes, how they interact, and how this new knowledge reshapes the way we think about ocean.
Alexandra Worden is a Senior Scientist at the Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution and a Professor in the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago.
Worden’s research focuses on the uptake and fate of carbon in the oceans critical processes for maintaining the biosphere in which we live. Her current research focuses on photosynthetic microorganisms, integrating across genomics, evolutionary biology, and ecology to explore microbial roles in carbon dioxide uptake and fate. Worden and her group develop methods and technologies for sea-going studies of protists (unicellular eukaryotes) and their viruses, and for quantifying their contributions to global primary production, activities in the deep sea, and trajectories in future oceans. In addition to pioneering methods for targeting uncultivated microbes in the ocean, alongside their activities and interactions, her lab has focused on developing methods for investigating environmentally relevant algae under climate change simulations and methods for genetic manipulation of these species. In her next undertakings, Worden aims to initiate cohort-based educational programs that broaden the representation of individuals from diverse backgrounds in the sciences.
Worden holds a BA in History from Wellesley College with a concentration in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at MIT. She performed her PhD at the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology, where she had a NASA Earth Systems Science Fellowship. Prior to coming to the MBL, she founded the Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit in Kiel, Germany as Professor and Unit Head. Among other honors, she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, a Fellow of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, an Associate in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

The 33rd Annual Woods Hole Film Festival
2024-07-27 14:00 - 2024-08-03 23:00 | Woods Hole
The 33rd Woods Hole Film Festival is almost here! From Saturday, July 27th through Saturday, August 3rd join us as we celebrate 33 years of showcasing the work of emerging independent filmmakers from around the world. This year, the Festival will be an eight day event with screenings and events available again both in-person and on the Festival’s virtual platform. And, before the Festival there will be a special screening event on Friday, July 26th, showcasing the incredible documentary feature IN THE WHALE. Virtual screenings will be available on the Festival platform from Sunday, August 4th through Sunday, August 11th. Ticket packages and passes are on sale now. Individual tickets go on sale July 1st.
The 2024 film program includes 121 films selected from 19 countries: 20 feature narratives, 27 feature documentaries, and 74 short films. In addition to the films, the Festival includes workshops, panel discussions, parties, music and more. The schedule, film descriptions and pass/ticket information are available at www.woodsholefilmfestival.org

MBL Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Attack of the Killer Plants!” Neelima Sinha, University of California Davis
2024-08-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
Whether you’re in Woods Hole or halfway around the world, join us for this venerable MBL lecture series.
Lectures are free and open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8 PM in the Cornelia Clapp Auditorium.
The lifestyle strategy for most plants is an autotrophic one—they generate their food by photosynthesis using atmospheric CO2 and sunlight. Other essential nutrients are obtained by absorption from the soil. But this is not a universal strategy, and a subset of plants have either partially or totally given up photosynthesis and rely on animals or other plants for carbon and other nutrients. These plants make structures that trap insects or small mammals or penetrate other plant parts to obtain their nutrition. The trapping structures, made by the first subset of plants, called carnivorous plants, are often leaf-derived. While the second subset, called parasitic plants, use unique organs called haustoria to penetrate host tissues to acquire nutrients. Both carnivorous and parasitic plants are ecologically interesting, and no doubt play important roles in their unique ecological niches. However, many parasitic plants have become major global agricultural threats leading to huge crop losses worldwide. They actively identify and parasitize their host plants and have sparked a flurry of research into the parasitism mechanisms they use so control strategies can be devised.
Neelima Sinha is a Distinguished Professor in Plant Biology. During her MS in Botany at Lucknow University in India she focused on understanding the breadth of form in plants. During her doctoral studies in Botany at the University of California, Berkeley she received multifaceted training in genetics and developmental biology. Her lab is interested in analyzing plant development from the molecular, genetic, and evolutionary perspective, using model organisms like maize, tomato, and Arabidopsis, as well as many non-model organisms. Her collaborative research has helped expand knowledge of the evolution of developmental mechanisms in plants, and more recently move these phylogenetically anchored studies to understanding the evolution of plant drought and submergence stress responses. Recent work on plant-parasite interactions has resulted in elucidation of molecular mechanisms of parasitism and is helping establish intervention strategies in a crucial area of plant biology. A thorough understanding of plant growth and development phenomena will be crucial to being able to harness modern genetic tools for crop improvement, and for producing better feed and fuel crops. She is a fellow of the AAAS and the American Society of Plant Biologists and was the recipient of the Pelton Award from the Botanical Society of America.

Woods Hole Science Stroll
2024-08-10 10:00 - 15:00 | MA
Stroll through the streets of Woods Hole to see science demos, hands on activities, crafts for kids. Get close up views of oceanographic robots and instruments. This is a fun event for the entire family!
