WHOI announces 2025 Ocean & Climate Outreach Series
Screenshot June 26, 2025
WHOI and the Yawkey Foundation bring together scientists and community to look at the impacts of our changing ocean
Woods Hole, Mass. (June 26, 2025) – Looking for a fun, free, interactive way to learn more about the ocean this summer? Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) proudly presents the 2025 Ocean and Climate Outreach Series in partnership with the Yawkey Foundation. The 2025 Ocean and Climate Outreach Series, now in its fourth year, brings together scientists, policymakers, and the general public to engage in discussions, presentations, and interactive activities focused on our changing oceans. The events aim to foster dialogue, educate attendees, and inspire collective action to address pressing environmental challenges. Members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend any of these events. Events are free and open to the public, but we encourage pre-registration at events: events.whoi.edu/yawkey-climate-2025
Genes, Crabs, and Cobia: How Science Shapes Coastal Management
When: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm EST
Where: Redfield Auditorium (45 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543)
Experts from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) team up to share how genetic research is advancing the management of marine species, featuring compelling case studies on cobia, a type of game fish, and invasive green crabs. This conversation will highlight how these research efforts directly inform real-world conservation decisions—protecting ecosystems, guiding sustainable fisheries, and connecting local work to broader Atlantic coastal trends. The discussion will also explore the intersection of land and marine stewardship. Please join us for a reception following the presentation.
Finding Nemo on the Lawn
When: Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 7 pm EST
Where: Redfield Lawn (45 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543)
When young clownfish Nemo is unexpectedly captured from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and taken to a dentist’s office aquarium, it’s up to Marlin, his worrisome father, and Dory, a friendly but forgetful regal blue tang fish, to make the epic journey to bring him home. Please join us with a blanket, picnic, and lawn chairs for a free family-friendly screening of Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo. The movie will start at dusk, and there will be free popcorn, trivia, and prizes.
Out of Plain Sight Screening and Panel Discussion
When: Tuesday, July 29, 2025, 8:15 pm EST
Where: Redfield Auditorium (45 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543)
From Pulitzer Prize-finalist Rosanna Xia and Academy Award-winning L.A. Times Studios, Out of Plain Sight is a cinematic exposé of an environmental disaster lurking just off the coast of Southern California. A haunting tip prompts a Los Angeles Times reporter (Xia) to discover that as many as half a million barrels of toxic waste had been dumped into the ocean, just off the coast of Southern California. Join us for a film screening and panel discussion with Xia, WHOI scientist Dr. Chris Reddy, and UC San Diego Professor David Valentine. This screening is part of the Woods Hole Film Festival.
Life on the Rocks Book Talk
When: Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 5:30 pm EST
Where: Redfield Auditorium (45 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543)
Join us for a book talk event with ocean scientist and author Juli Berwald. Honored as a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, Juli’s book, ‘Life on the Rocks,’ is an ode to reefs and the undaunted scientists working to save them against almost impossible odds. Following her book talk, join Juli and WHOI microbial ecologist Dr. Amy Apprill for a compelling discussion on the coral reef crisis and techniques developed at WHOI to help save our reefs.
Jaws on the Lawn
When: Friday, September 5, 2025, 7 pm EST
Where: Redfield Lawn (45 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543)
When a shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down. Please join us with a blanket, picnic, and lawn chairs for a screening of this Cape Cod summer classic film, co-hosted by WHOI, Yawkey Foundation, and the Woods Hole Film Festival. There will also be popcorn, trivia, and prizes! The movie starts at dusk.
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About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. WHOI’s pioneering discoveries stem from an ideal combination of science and engineering—one that has made it one of the most trusted and technically advanced leaders in basic and applied ocean research and exploration anywhere. WHOI is known for its multidisciplinary approach, superior ship operations, and unparalleled deep-sea robotics capabilities. We play a leading role in ocean observation and operate the most extensive suite of data-gathering platforms in the world. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide—both above and below the waves—pushing the boundaries of knowledge and possibility. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.
About the Yawkey Foundation
The Yawkey Foundation is dedicated to perpetuating the philanthropic legacy of Tom Yawkey and Jean Yawkey, whose eight decades of quiet generosity supported individuals and families in the communities that were closest to their hearts – Massachusetts and Georgetown County, South Carolina. Having awarded more than $600 million to-date in charitable grants to organizations focused on health care, education, human services, youth and amateur athletics, arts and culture, and conservation and wildlife, the Yawkey Foundation is committed to preserving and sustaining the charitable values of the Yawkeys by investing in nonprofits that provide resources, opportunity, and dignity to the vulnerable and underserved.
Tom and Jean Yawkey had a deep appreciation for nature and a passionate desire to preserve our natural resources. The 24,000-acre Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in Georgetown, South Carolina perpetuates their commitment to conserving and protecting wildlife and natural resources through pioneering waterfowl, wetlands and wildlife management activities. The protected natural preserve was bequeathed to the State of South Carolina under Tom Yawkey’s will in 1977 in what is considered one of the most outstanding grants to wildlife conservation efforts in North America.
For more information, please visit www.yawkeyfoundation.org