EVENT: National Workshop on Marine eDNA - Capstone Event, Baird Auditorium, NMNH, June 5

As part of the Smithsonian’s Life on a Sustainable Planet Initiative and Ocean DNA Initiative, the National Museum of Natural History, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, will host the culmination of the 3rd National Workshop on Marine eDNA on June 5 in Baird Auditorium starting at 10:00 am. This biennial workshop serves as a mechanism to bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the application and implementation of environmental DNA technologies. This rapidly advancing approach is revolutionizing how we explore, measure, and monitor biodiversity in ecosystems.

Join us as Smithsonian Institution’s Undersecretary of Science, Dr. Ellen Stofan, welcomes and introduces keynote speaker, Dr. Enric Sala, leader of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas Program. Pristine Seas is employing eDNA sampling at its sites to set baselines and demonstrate what healthy ocean ecosystems should look like. Working with local stewards and communities, this program is inspirational and provides an example of how we can engage people and nature to deliver science to inform management.

After Dr. Sala’s presentation, there will be a set of short presentations by agency and industry representatives about how they foresee the power and impact of environmental DNA in their day-to-day operations. Audience Q&A will follow.

The workshop is timed with Capitol Hill Ocean Week as well as the release of the new National Aquatic eDNA Strategy to promote adoption and dissemination. This short 2-hour event is a great opportunity for non-expert, interested parties to learn about this rapidly evolving technology, how it is being currently used, and how government agencies, industry, and communities are meeting the moment, now and for our future.

Please RSVP HERE, for in person or virtual attendance.

Note: If you have registered for the eDNA workshop, there is no need to RSVP again as your attendance on June 5 is already recorded.