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BIDDEFORD, Maine

James Sulikowski discusses “Shark Week” on WCSH’s “207”

James Sulikowski and University of Miami researchers
James Sulikowski and University of Miami researchers

James Sulikowski, Ph.D., professor of Marine Sciences at the 91ֱƵ, spoke about his tiger shark research on WCSH’s program “207,” airing June 28, 2016.

Sulikowski discussed his appearance on “Tiger Beach,” the premiere episode of this year’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. The show followed the journey of Sulikowski and research collaborator Neil Hammerschlag of the University of Miami as they traveled to a region in the Bahamas where tiger sharks are known to congregate. Their team of researchers, including 2015 91ֱƵMarine Sciences graduate Carolyn Wheeler, set out to discover why so many tiger sharks gather there.

To study the sharks’ reproductive behavior, the team used 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.

 

To learn more about the 91ֱƵ’s Center for Excellence in Marine Sciences, visit www.une.edu/research/msc

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

 

About the 91ֱƵ

The 91ֱƵ 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.