Our Speakers:
Christine Williams
Christine Williams started keeping fish while she was still a fetus. While the aqueous environment did lend itself to the hobby, it limited her to freshwater species, and so she decided to be born several weeks early. Through sign language, she demanded that her parents convert her crib into a reef aquarium and thus started her illustrious career in marine ornamentals. After completing her studies in biochemistry and molecular microbiology she went to work at "œAnimal ER" where unfortunately she was not filmed for the Animal Planet channel (though her feet did make a cameo during a rescue segment). She frequently lectures on reef topics including marine animal disease, fish husbandry, human-tank zoonosis, and fish cognition.
Todd Gardner
Todd Gardner is a professor of marine biology at Suffolk County Community College in Riverhead, NY. His life and his career have both been shaped by his passion for marine life and he has written numerous scientific and popular articles about his research and experiences collecting, keeping, and culturing marine organisms.
In 1993 he graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and marine science. After graduation he spent a year working for Blue Earth Films, assisting in the production of a National Geographic Explorer feature film about coastal marine life. Todd spent the next 3 years working at C-quest, the world's largest marine ornamental fish hatchery, where he worked on developing technology for the production of new marine species. In 1998 Todd left commercial aquaculture to pursue a Master of Science degree in biology at New York's Hofstra University where he completed a thesis on the early nutrition of the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus.
Between graduate school and professorship, Todd spent eleven years working as an aquarist at The Long Island Aquarium where, in addition to standard aquarist responsibilities, he started and managed a breeding program under which he was able to raise an impressive list of marine fish species, including the first ever Liopropoma carmabi, L. rubre and Lipogramma klayi. To date, he has raised more than 50 species, many of which have been industry firsts. As he settles into his new professional home at Suffolk County Community College, he is developing a marine science lab with a heavy emphasis on tropical marine aquaria and aquaculture, which he hopes will inspire his students to look at marine biology as something more than "œthat annoying science elective standing in the way of graduation."
Eric Stenn
Eric Stenn is the CEO and President ofAlgaGen. AlgaGen is a marine biotechnology company specializing in microalgae. Their focus is identifying and producing products from aquatic systems that benefit human and animal health. They are a Florida based company, operating profitably for 13 years. The oldest microalgae company in Florida.
They produce a human grade spirulina product called ZIP-100. It is perfect for athletes, "on-the-go" health conscious and re-cooperating individuals. They are the leading producer of Live Feeds for aquaculture and aquarists around the world.
