This week Kadie interviews the hosts of the popular Sharkpedia podcast, Meghan Holst and Amani Webber-Schultz. 

Meghan is a third-year PhD student at UC Davis in the Graduate Group of Ecology where she is pursuing a PhD in ecology studying the broadnose sevengill shark in San Francisco Bay. Meghan is equally passionate about conservation science as she is about social justice and science communication work. In 2021, Meghan co-founded the 501(c)3 non-profit, Minorities In Aquarium & Zoo Science (MIAZS), and now maintains an executive directorship pursuing the mission to advance aquarium and zoo science by diversifying the professionals and their perspectives within it.

Amani is a PhD student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology studying shark functional morphology and swimming kinematics. She is a co-founder and the Chief Financial Officer for the 501(c)3 non-profit Minorities in Shark Sciences, which is dedicated to fundraising for and creating a welcoming space for gender minorities of color in shark sciences. Outside of school, Amani also works as a research assistant at the Field School in Miami where she assists with the Intro to Shark Research Skills course.

Meghan and Amani co-host a science podcast, Sharkpedia, where the primary authors of elasmobranch research are interviewed to communicate their science and strategies to the general public.

Listen in to hear about where Amani and Meghan's love of sharks began, their perspectives on running non-profits, and some of the upcoming episodes they have planned for the Sharkpedia Podcast!

Main point(s): Sharks are important, we should appreciate them more than we fear them & science doesn't need to be a competition.

You can follow Sharkpedia on Instagram @SharkpediaPod, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you regularly listen to podcasts! You can reach Meghan and Amani on various social media platforms @megholst and @curly_biologist, respectively.

Find out more about MISS and MIAZS from their websites, misselasmo.org and miazs.org.

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Thanks as always to Andrew Gialanella for the fantastic intro/outro music.

The Fisheries Podcast is a completely independent podcast, not affiliated with a larger organization or entity. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by the hosts are those of that individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of any entity with those individuals are affiliated in other capacities (such as employers).