Kerncrest Audubon Society– Sam Woodman is a biologist and data manager for the Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division. After growing up in Ridgecrest and graduating from Burroughs in 2012, he became involved in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries while earning a B.S. in Computational Biology from Harvey Mudd College in 2016. He has since been involved in various efforts at NOAA, including fieldwork in the Antarctic and the California Current and developing software tools for processing model predictions and shipboard or aerial survey data. His current interests include streamlining data collection systems in the field and improving data access and usability.
The Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division is a branch of the NOAA Fisheries government agency. The AERD studies interactions between the environment, Antarctic krill, and fish, predators that depend on krill and fish for food, and commercial fisheries. The division uses advanced technologies (e.g., autonomous gliders, unmanned aerial systems, i.e., hexacopters, and animal-borne video cameras) to collect data in the Southern Ocean and at two seasonal field camps in the Antarctic.
Sam will present his work with the AERD, focusing on life at the Cape Shirreff field camp, studying pinnipeds and seabirds and trends and behaviors observed in these populations.
The season’s first meeting September 21 at 7:00 PM at the Maturango Museum.
