Jasmin Graham

Last updated

Jasmin Graham is an American marine biologist known for her work in conservation and social justice, with a special focus on shark science. She is a co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences.

Contents

Early life and education

Graham grew up in South Carolina, [1] where she moved around the state due to her mother's service in the air force. Graham mainly lived in Myrtle Beach. [2] She was first introduced to marine science in high school and encountered shark research in college. [3] Graham has a B.S. in Marine Biology and a B.A. in Spanish from the College of Charleston. [4] Graham received a Masters of Science (M.Sc.) in 2020 working with Dean Grubbs at Florida State University [5] with a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship. [6]

Career

Graham describes her work as a combination of conservation, shark science, communication, and social justice. [7] Her research focused on smalltooth sawfish movement and hammerhead shark phylogeny. [8] In 2021, The New York Times wrote an article [9] that covered her research on the spatial extent of sawfish in the southeastern United States. [10] She has received funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation for her work teaching the public about sharks. As of 2021, she worked at Mote Marine Laboratory as project coordinator for the Marine Science Laboratory Alliance Center of Excellence. [11]

Impact

Graham has spoken to the media on multiple aspects of shark research, including The Guardian, where she discusses the role of sharks as keystone predators in marine ecosystems. [12] In 2020, Graham talked with New York Times about the use of squalene from sharks and noted that researchers should not be harangued as they create vaccines for the COVID-19 disease using this compound. [13] She has also talked with The New York Times about the bad reputation earned by sharks, [14] and the possibility that an opportunity to bet on shark migrations will bring increased visibility to shark research. [15] Her conversations with The Washington Post were on the importance of shark nursery areas was a comment related to research from the University of Miami, [16] and with National Geographic she talks about helping kids overcome their fear of sharks. [17]

Graham works in social justice and seeks to increase diversity in the field of marine science. [18] In 2020, with help from the Field School Foundation, Graham and Amani Webber-Schultz, Carlee Jackson, and Jaida Elcock hosted a meeting that led to the foundation of Minorities in Shark Sciences, an organization that aims to help people overcome the challenges associated with entering marine science. [19] [20] [21] Graham has talked with NBC News about the lack of diversity in Shark Week, [22] and its portrayal of white men as the only people working on shark research. [23] Subsequently it was announced that National Geographic will collaborate with Minorities in Shark Sciences during the 2022 Shark Week to encourage diversity and inclusion in the field. [24] During a 2020 interview with Sylvia Earle with the Ocean Elders group where Graham talked about her work engaging the public about endangered sawfish, hammerhead sharks, and making an impact in marine sciences. [25] Graham was a panelist in the 2021 panel on women and girls in the Ocean Decade hosted by UNESCO, where she discussed her work broadening the diversity of voices being heard in marine science. [26] [27]

Graham has been interviewed about her work by multiple people, including interviews with Neil deGrasse Tyson on his StarTalk show, [28] [29] National Public Radio, [30] Skype a Scientist, [31] the Ologies podcast, [32] Science on Tap, [33] Sharks4Kids, [34] other podcasts, [35] [36] [37] and interviews. [38] She has also been a judge for a photo contest hosted by the Ocean Conservancy. [39] [40]

Awards and honors

Graham won the World Wildlife Federation's 2021 conservation leadership award. [1]

Selected Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammerhead shark</span> Family of sharks

The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, named for the unusual and distinctive form of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a cephalofoil. The shark's eyes are placed one on each end of this T-shaped structure, with their small mouths directly centered and underneath. Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna, while the winghead shark is placed in its own genus, Eusphyra. Many different—but not necessarily mutually exclusive—functions have been postulated for the cephalofoil, including sensory reception, manoeuvering, and prey manipulation. The cephalofoil gives the shark superior binocular vision and depth perception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shark</span> Infraclass of predatory cartilaginous fish

Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha and are the sister group to the Batoidea. Some sources extend the term "shark" as an informal category including extinct members of Chondrichthyes with a shark-like morphology, such as hybodonts. Shark-like chondrichthyans such as Cladoselache and Doliodus first appeared in the Devonian Period, though some fossilized chondrichthyan-like scales are as old as the Late Ordovician. The earliest confirmed modern sharks (selachimorphs) are known from the Early Jurassic around 200 million years ago, with the oldest known member being Agaleus, though records of true sharks may extend back as far as the Permian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawshark</span> Family of fishes

A sawshark or saw shark is a member of a shark order bearing a unique long, saw-like rostrum edged with sharp teeth, which they use to slash and disable their prey. There are eight species within the Pristiophoriformes, including the longnose or common sawshark, shortnose sawshark, Japanese sawshark, Bahamas sawshark, sixgill sawshark, African dwarf sawshark, Lana's sawshark and the tropical sawshark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawfish</span> Family of fishes

Sawfish, also known as carpenter sharks, are a family of rays characterized by a long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged in a way that resembles a saw. They are among the largest fish, with some species reaching lengths of about 7–7.6 m (23–25 ft). They are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions in coastal marine and brackish estuarine waters, as well as freshwater rivers and lakes. All species are critically endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenie Clark</span> American ichthyologist, shark researcher and scientific scuba diver

Eugenie Clark, popularly known as The Shark Lady, was an American ichthyologist known for both her research on shark behavior and her study of fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. Clark was a pioneer in the field of scuba diving for research purposes. In addition to being regarded as an authority in marine biology, Clark was popularly recognized and used her fame to promote marine conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shark finning</span> Harvesting of fins from live sharks

Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark back into the ocean. This act is prohibited in many countries. The sharks are often still alive when discarded, but without their fins. Unable to swim effectively, they sink to the bottom of the ocean and die of suffocation or are eaten by other predators. Shark finning at sea enables fishing vessels to increase profitability and increase the number of sharks harvested, as they must only store and transport the fins, by far the most profitable part of the shark; the shark meat is bulky to transport. Many countries have banned this practice and require the whole shark to be brought back to port before removing the fins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smalltooth sand tiger</span> Species of shark

The smalltooth sand tiger or bumpytail ragged-tooth is a species of mackerel shark in the family Odontaspididae, with a patchy but worldwide distribution in tropical and warm temperate waters. They usually inhabit deepwater rocky habitats, though they are occasionally encountered in shallow water, and have been known to return to the same location year after year. This rare species is often mistaken for the much more common sand tiger shark, from which it can be distinguished by its first dorsal fin, which is larger than the second and placed further forward. It grows to at least 4.1 m (13 ft) in length. They have also been recently sighted in Irish and English waters.

The narrow sawfish, also known as the pointed sawfish or knifetooth sawfish, is a species of sawfish in the family Pristidae, part of the Batoidea, a superorder of cartilaginous fish that include the rays and skates. Sawfish display a circumglobal distribution in warm marine and freshwater habitats. Their extant biodiversity is limited to five species belonging to two genera. The sawfishes are characterised by the long, narrow, flattened rostrum or extension on their snout. This is lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged in a way that resembles the teeth of a saw and are used for killing prey. It is found in the shallow coastal waters and estuaries of the Indo-West Pacific, ranging from the Persian Gulf to southern Japan, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It is the only living member of the genus Anoxypristis, but was previously included in the genus Pristis. Compared to Pristis, Anoxypristis has a narrower rostral saw with numerous teeth on the distal part and no teeth on the basal one-quarter. It reaches a length of up to 3.5 m (11 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Largetooth sawfish</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The largetooth sawfish is a species of sawfish in the family Pristidae. It is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical coastal regions, but also enters freshwater. It has declined drastically and is now critically endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smalltooth sawfish</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The smalltooth sawfish is a species of sawfish in the family Pristidae. It is found in shallow tropical and subtropical waters in coastal and estuarine parts of the Atlantic. Reports from elsewhere are now believed to be misidentifications of other species of sawfish. It is a critically endangered species that has disappeared from much of its historical range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longcomb sawfish</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The longcomb sawfish, narrowsnout sawfish or green sawfish is a species of sawfish in the family Pristidae, found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific. It has declined drastically and is now considered a critically endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scalloped hammerhead</span> Species of shark

The scalloped hammerhead is a species of hammerhead shark in the family Sphyrnidae. It was originally known as Zygaena lewini. The Greek word sphyrna translates into "hammer" in English, referring to the shape of this shark's head, which is its most distinguishing characteristic. The shark's eyes and nostrils are at the tips of the extensions. It is a fairly large hammerhead, but is still smaller than both the great and smooth hammerheads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Widder</span> American oceanographer

Edith Anne "Edie" Widder Smith is an American oceanographer, marine biologist, author, and the Co-founder, CEO and Senior Scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks</span>

The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks is an international instrument for the conservation of migratory species of sharks. It was founded under the auspices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashanti Johnson</span> American geochemist and chemical oceanographer

Ashanti Johnson is an American geochemist and chemical oceanographer. She is the first African American to earn a doctoral degree in oceanography from Texas A&M University.

Austin Gallagher is an American marine biologist, explorer, author and social entrepreneur, best known for his research on sharks. He is the founder and CEO of Beneath The Waves, a non-profit organization focusing on ocean conservation. He is a National Geographic Explorer, has been the lead on more than 50 global scientific expeditions, and has published over 125 scientific papers spanning research on the migrations of ocean giants, deep-sea exploration, and marine policy.

The Save Our Seas Foundation is a philanthropic organization founded in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23 September 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Cristina Márquez</span>

Melissa Cristina Márquez is a Puerto Rican marine biologist and science communicator. She studies chondrichthyan fishes, including great white sharks.

Jennifer (Jennie) Dee Janssen is an aquarist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. Since 2003, she has worked at the Tennessee Aquarium Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Georgia Aquarium, and the National Aquarium, and she is a research associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Science, whose mission is to advance aquarium and zoo science by diversifying the people and perspectives within these fields. She has been recognized with numerous awards including the Top 10 of the Blooloop 50 Zoo & Aquarium Influencer List in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "Meet Jasmin Graham". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  2. ↑ Donnelly, Claire; Chakrabarti, Meghna (July 18, 2024). "The marvelous and misunderstood world of sharks". WBUR. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ "My Journey to Shark Science". WOMEN IN OCEAN SCIENCE. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  4. ↑ "Marine Biology - College of Charleston". cofc.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  5. ↑ "Graham - M.I.S.S | Coastal and Marine Laboratory". marinelab.fsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  6. ↑ "Shark Hero Talks: Jasmin Graham". Sharkophile. 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  7. ↑ "Women Doing Science: Jasmin Graham ~ Shark Scientist". azuraco.com. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  8. ↑ "About Jasmin". The Safina Center. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  9. ↑ Ogden, Lesley Evans (2021-02-10). "Can These Hedge Trimmers With Fins Avoid a Brush With Extinction?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  10. ↑ Graham, Jasmin; Kroetz, Andrea M.; Poulakis, Gregg R.; Scharer, Rachel M.; Carlson, John K.; Lowerre-Barbieri, Susan; Morley, Danielle; Reyier, Eric A.; Grubbs, R. Dean (2021-01-28). "Large-scale space use of large juvenile and adult smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata: implications for management". Endangered Species Research. 44: 45–59. doi: 10.3354/esr01088 . ISSN   1863-5407.
  11. ↑ "Welcome | LSAMP MarSci-LACE". www.marscilace.org. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  12. ↑ Scales, Helen (2020-07-06). "Why we need sharks: the true nature of the ocean's 'monstrous villains'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  13. ↑ Wu, Katherine J. (2020-10-13). "Coronavirus Vaccine Makers Are Not Mass-Slaughtering Sharks". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  14. ↑ Yuhas, Alan (2021-07-20). "Don't Call Them 'Shark Attacks,' Scientists Say". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  15. ↑ Wu, Katherine J. (2020-06-23). "They Wanted You to Bet on Sharks. The Odds Were Not in Their Favor". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  16. ↑ Ogden, Lesley Evans (August 9, 2021). "Recreational hot spot off Florida coast may have hammerhead shark nursery". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  17. ↑ Bittel, Jason (2020-07-28). "Helping kids overcome their fear of sharks and other 'scary' animals". National Geographic. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  18. ↑ Duong, Tiffany (2020-07-20). "Black Women Shark Scientists Create Network to Encourage People of Color". EcoWatch. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  19. ↑ "Meet the Founders of MISS". Discovery. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  20. ↑ Norton, Kara (July 30, 2021). "Meet the women diversifying shark science". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  21. ↑ "Mote Biologist Jasmin Graham on the Need for Diversity in Science". Sarasota Magazine. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  22. ↑ Michaelson, Rob (August 6, 2021). "Scientists Watched 32 Years of Shark Week — and Didn't Like What They Saw". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  23. ↑ Andy Dehnart (2020-08-04). "Shark Week and Sharkfest's experts are mostly white men. Why? And does it matter?". reality blurred. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  24. ↑ "National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD Partner With Minorities in Shark Science (MISS) to Make Waves for SHARKFEST 2022". www.businesswire.com. 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  25. ↑ Sylvia Earle, Liz Taylor, Jasmin Graham, Amani Webber-Schultz, Carlee Jackson, and Jaida Elcock (October 30, 2020). Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) Founders Dive In. Ocean Elders. Event occurs at 34:45. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  26. ↑ "Jasmin Graham participates in UNESCO's "Making Waves for Ocean Science: Empowering Women and Girls in the Ocean Decade" online event". The Safina Center. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  27. ↑ Jasmin Graham (February 12, 2021). Making waves for ocean science: Empowering women and girls in the Ocean Decade. UNESCO. Event occurs at 25:32. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  28. ↑ "Cosmic Queries - Sharks". StarTalk (podcast) (Podcast). August 17, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Monday, Neil deGrasse Tyson Answers Shark Questions with Shark Scientist Jasmin Graham". StarTalk Radio Show by Neil deGrasse Tyson. 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  30. ↑ "Building A Shark Science Community For Women Of Color : Short Wave". NPR.org. July 19, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  31. ↑ "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Bizarre Chondrichthyans with Jasmin Graham". Skype a Scientist (Podcast). April 22, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Elasmobranchology (MORE NEW SHARK STORIES) with MISS_Elasmo Shark Scientists". Ologies (podcast) (Podcast). July 16, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Episode 49 – Barstool Chat with Jasmin Graham, Marine Biologist". Science on Tap. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  34. ↑ "My Journey in Shark Science with Jasmin Graham". Shark Kids. August 18, 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  35. ↑ "34. Jasmin Graham: Hammerhead Sharks, Critically Endangered Sawfish, and Equality in Marine Sciences" (Podcast). So you want to be a marine biologist. August 12, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Small Tooth Sawfish Movement Patterns with Jasmin Graham". Sharkpedia (Podcast). July 19, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  37. ↑ "E. 42 with Jasmin Graham for Minorities in Shark Sciences". Conservation Cast (Podcast). October 15, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Women Doing Science: Jasmin Graham ~ Shark Scientist". azuraco.com. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  39. ↑ "Meet the Judges - Ocean Conservancy Annual Photo Contest". Ocean Conservancy. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  40. ↑ DiLonardo, Mary Jo (July 15, 2021). "Marine Life Shines in Ocean Conservancy Photo Contest". Treehugger. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  41. ↑ Review of Sharks Don't Sink
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.