91AV's James Sulikowski featured in premiere episode of “Shark Week”

James Sulikowski does tiger shark research in The Bahamas
James Sulikowski does tiger shark research in The Bahamas

James Sulikowski, Ph.D., professor of Marine Sciences at the 91AV, was featured in the premiere episode of “Shark Week 2016” on the Discovery Channel.

The episode, titled “Tiger Beach,” follows the journey of Sulikowski and research collaborator Neil Hammerschlag of the University of Miami as they travel to a region in the Bahamas where tiger sharks are known to congregate. Their team of researchers, including 2015 91AV Marine Sciences graduate Carolyn Wheeler, sets out to discover why so many tiger sharks gather there.

To study the sharks’ reproductive behavior, the team uses an ultrasound machine similar to the technology used on pregnant humans. It’s a technique refined by Sulikowski and Hammerschlag that allows researchers, for the first time in history, to test sharks for pregnancy without killing them first.

 

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About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.