Special Guest Speaker

Andy Szabo

Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Andy moved from the whale-impoverished shores of Lake Ontario to the west coast of British Columbia to pursue his passion for marine mammals and marine biology.  Andy received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Victoria, and was subsequently awarded his doctorate through the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University.  His graduate work focused on the maternal behavior and foraging ecology of Southeast Alaskan humpback whales; however, he has also participated in studies focused on other marine mammals, including blue, fin, grey, sperm and killer whales.

Andy is presently the director of the Alaska Whale Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to marine mammal research and conservation.  As well, he is a courtesy faculty member at Oregon State University's Marine Resource Management Program, where he has the privilege of advising several graduate students.  In addition to his interests in whales and marine biology, Andy is an avid birdwatcher and has traveled around North, Central and South America and the British Isles in search of various species.