Yopak ZoMBIE Lab

Brick-by-Brick visiting!
2022-06-01 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
A group of 4th and 5th grade boys from Brick-by-Brick are getting a tour of the ZoMBiE Lab! They’ll be checking out some brains from the collection and looking down the microscope at some shark noses.

Russell speaks at the GSS
2022-04-22 01:00 - 16:00
ZoMBiE MSc student presents his work at the UNCW’s Graduate Student Symposium. He wowed the crowd with his work exploring how rearing environment affects brain development in Pacific Salmon. Learn more about Russell’s work here.

UNCW Showcase of Student Research and Creativity
2022-04-09 11:30 - 17:00
ZoMBiE Dylan Marshall is presenting his poster at the annual UNCW Showcase of Student Research and Creativity. Curious about neurogenesis in sharks? Come on by!

University of Delaware, SMSP Seminar Series
2022-03-04 11:30 - 12:30
Dr.Yopak gave a talk at the University of Delaware’s School of Marine Science & Policy’s Lewes/Newark Spring 2022 Colloquia Speaker Series. Be prepared to discuss some brains, stains, and climate change…

Oklahoma State University, CHS Research Days
2022-02-14 08:00 - 2022-02-18 17:00
Dr. Yopak was invited to be a Keynote Speaker for the Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences Research Days, which are a week long event showcasing student and faculty research.

Talk at NCSU
2021-11-11 15:30 - 16:30
On the (virtual) move again! Dr. Yopak is giving a talk for the NC State University Biology, Ecology and Evolution Seminar Series on all things brain evolution in cartilaginous fishes.

Planet Ocean Seminar
2021-11-10 18:30 - 19:30
Tune in to hear Dr. Yopak give a talk for the Planet Ocean Seminar Series! Check out all past and future speakers here: https://uncw.edu/cms/eventspoarchive.html

Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society
2021-11-07 08:00 - 2021-11-21 17:00
ZoMBiE member Victoria Camilieri-Asch is giving a virtual talk at this year’s AES entitled, “Multimodal imaging and analysis provide new insights into the organization of olfactory inputs in a shark model species.”

Florida Atlantic University
2021-09-24 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Yopak was invited to present some of the lab’s recent for at Florida Atlantic University’s Marine Science Seminar Series!

OCS Virtual Chat
2021-08-03 10:00 - 11:00
Super excited to be joining forces with former ZoMBiE Victoria Camilieri-Asch to lead a chat with other Oceania Chondrichthyan Society members entitled “The sensory world of chondrichthyans – from brain to behaviour.” Want to learn more about OCS? https://www.oceaniasharks.com.au

Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society
2021-07-21 - 2021-07-27
Still virtual and undaunted. ZoMBiE Emily Peele presents work with former honors student Krista Laforest on Ontogenetic shifts in brain organization of the Atlantic sharpnose shark, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae

Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics
2021-07-13 18:30 - 20:00
Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics (SVSM) is a cost-free, state-funded program for academically talented students who may pursue careers based in science and mathematics. The program brings rising juniors and seniors together for four weeks of intensive study on university campuses including UNC Wilmington. Dr. Yopak will be giving a talk entitled, “Are Sharks Smart? Exploring the Brain of Sharks and Their Relatives” and sharing her career path and how exactly someone gets “into” shark brains.

New Zealand Marine Sciences Annual Meeting
2021-07-05 - 2021-07-08
ZoMBiE Derek Sauer is presenting at the NZ Marine Science Society meeting in Tauranga, New Zealand on Inner ear morphology and directional hearing in sharks

UNCW MarineQuest Coastal GEMS
2021-06-24 10:30 - 12:00
Dr. Yopak will give a talk on her work, we’ll take some shark quizzes, and then Build-A-Brain together with the UNCW MarineQuest program Coastal GEMS (Girls Exploring Marine Science)! Age 11-14 and interested in sharks? Learn More about Coastal GEMS here: https://uncw.edu/marinequest/summerenrichment/intermediateprograms/seagems.html

Alayna Mahon Honors Defense
2021-04-29 10:00 - 11:00
Drumroll please: ZoMBiE Lab honors student Alayna Mahon is defending her thesis, “Sexual dimorphism in brain size in cartilaginous fishes” She’s worked so unbelievably hard and pivoted to a fully virtual project and defense. We are so proud of your hard work!

Sarah Rheinsmith MSc Defense!
2021-04-20 15:00 - 17:00
Drumroll please: ZoMBiE Lab MSc student Sarah Rheinsmith is defending her thesis, “Ontogenetic shifts in the nervous system of the sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka.” Just goes to show – a pandemic can’t keep a ZoMBiE down. We are so proud of you!

UNCW MarineQuest Sea GEMS
2021-03-20 13:00 - 17:00
Dr. Yopak gave a talk on her work and lead lead her Build-A-Brain Activity as part of the UNCW MarineQuest program Sea GEMS (Girls Exploring Marine Science)! Age 11-14 and interested in sharks? Learn More about Sea GEMS here: https://uncw.edu/marinequest/summerenrichment/intermediateprograms/seagems.html

SICB Annual Meeting
2021-01-03 08:00 - 2021-02-28 17:00
The ZoMBiE’s go virtual: Emily, Sarah, and Rachel all presented their research at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology’s virtual conference this year.
Learn more about SICB: https://sicb.org

Rachel Zino Honors Defense
2020-11-25 10:00 - 11:00
Drumroll please: ZoMBiE Lab honors student Rachel Zino is defending her thesis, “The effects of temperature on peripheral nervous system development in cartilaginous fishes.” She’s worked hard and pivoted to a fully virtual defense. We couldn’t be more proud!

Dr. Yopak speaks for Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics
2020-07-14 18:00 - 21:00
Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics (SVSM) is a cost-free, state-funded program for academically talented students who may pursue careers based in science and mathematics. The program brings rising juniors and seniors together for four weeks of intensive study on university campuses including UNC Wilmington. Dr. Yopak will be giving a talk entitled, “Are Sharks Smart? Exploring the Brain of Sharks and Their Relatives” and sharing her career path and how exactly someone gets “into” shark brains. Then, we’re going to design our own sharks and build some brains….

Dr. Yopak speaks for the Ocean First Institute
2020-07-09 08:00 - 17:00
Dr. Yopak is giving a webinar for the Ocean First Institute (https://www.oceanfirstinstitute.org). Ever wondered if sharks are smart? Hope to see you there… (if you missed it, check out the talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w18L_3N1_2Y&list=PLHXqq6BqX2kcnH8wUK42n-9av9Y1e9KzP)

JBJC For Evolutionary Neuroscience Meeting
2019-10-17 08:00 - 2019-10-18 17:00
ZoMBiE’s take Chicago! Grad student Emily Peele presents some of our recent work on ontogenetic shifts in the brain of the Atlantic sharpness shark.
Learn more about JBJC: https://www.jbjclub.org

Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society
2019-07-24 - 2019-07-29
The ZoMBiE lab is hitting the road and heading to Snowbird, Utah for the Joint Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society and the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. We’ve got two talks and one poster scheduled – safe to say brains might be taking over the meeting. Hope to see you there!

UNCW MarineQuest "Shark Trek"
2019-07-15 13:00 - 17:00, 2019-07-01 13:00 - 17:00
Are you aged 10-12 with an interest in sharks? Dr. Yopak is going to be leading a shark dissection and walking you through anatomy of the brain as part of the UNCW MarineQuest program “Shark Trek:! Spaces are limited – check out the MarineQuest website for more details and to register.

Shark Awareness Day at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island
2019-07-14 10:00 - 15:00
Head on out to check out Shark Awareness Day at the NC Aquarium, which takes a closer look at these amazing animals.
From Shark Trivia to Ring-a-Toss, participants can play fun games, win prizes and find out more about sharks. Dr. Yopak will be speak about all of the things we can learn about a shark but studying its brain.

UNCW MarineQuest Sea GEMS
2019-07-11 13:00 - 15:00, 2019-07-03 18:00 - 20:30
Are you a girl aged 12-14 with an interest in sharks? Dr. Yopak is going to be giving a talk on her work and leading a sharpnose shark dissection as part of the UNCW MarineQuest program Sea GEMS (Girls Exploring Marine Science)! Spaces are limited – check out the MarineQuest website for more details and to register.

Dr. Yopak speaks for Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics
2019-07-09 07:00 - 20:00

In the Field!
2019-07-08 - 2019-07-13
ZoMBiE’s take to the seas! Lab members Emily Peele and Krista Laforest are heading south to Georgia Southern University to collect tissue for their projects. Stay tuned for what they find…
