Mote to host lecture series in 2010

From the dolphins of Sarasota Bay to the adventures of a photographer on a National Geographic expedition, Mote Marine Laboratory's lecture series will take you to some interesting places.

Mote's annual Special Lecture Series begins Monday, Feb. 8, 2010, and runs each Monday through March 15.

The first lecture will feature Dr. Randy Wells, manager of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program at Mote. The research program will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2010.

Here are the rest of the speakers:

• Feb. 15: Alison Kock, a shark biologist at the Save Our Seas Shark Centre. Kock studies the behavioral ecology of great whites in South Africa.

• Feb. 22: Brian Skerry, a photojournalist with National Geographic magazine. The award-winning Skerry has worked for the magazine since 1998, covering a wide range of subjects and stories. He specializes in underwater photography and typically spends eight months a year in the field.

• March 1: Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D., co-founder of Wildcoast, a nonprofit organization dedicated to marine conservation and education, and a board member of seaturtles.org, which tracks satellite-tagged sea turtles. Wallace is also founder of the Sea Turtle Conservation Network of the California and is devoted to the investigation and conservation of endangered Pacific species and to working with the fishermen affected by turtles' endangered status.

• March 8: Lionel Olmer, former Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade during the Reagan administration. Olmer is an avid undersea explorer who will share his adventures.

• March 15: Billy Causey, southeast regional director of the National Marine Sanctuary Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Causey has been the lead NOAA official in the development of the management plan for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, including the creation of the nation's first comprehensive marine zoning plan.

All lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in Mote's Immersion Cinema, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota. Cost is $25 per person. Mote Members pay $10. Tickets will be available online beginning in January.