Discovery Lecture - Science Using Museum Specimens

Using museum specimens to look into the past and to inform the future
By Dr. Bill Ludt, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

to receive free parking and join us before the lecture for a special members-only reception with the speaker!

Learn about the behind-the-scenes of natural history museums and the science conducted using scientific collections. Dive into the importance of museum collections, why we maintain them, and what they are used for, with a specific focus on the fish collection at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This presentation includes information about traditional uses of museum collections and stories of new species discoveries and efforts to untangle the fish Tree of Life. Surprising new uses of museum specimens will also be shared with a fascinating example of using preserved fishes to understand the impacts that microplastics have had on our local southern California marine ecosystems over the past 80 years.
Dr. William (Bill) Ludt is the Associate Curator of Fishes at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, a position he has held since 2019. He holds a B.S. from the University of Arizona, a M.S. from the University of Texas at Austin where he worked primarily at the UT Marine Science Institute, and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. Prior to starting at the NHMLA he was the first Collette Postdoctoral Fellow in Systematic Ichthyology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. His research aims to determine the factors that have influenced the biodiversity of fishes that we see on our planet and determine how patterns of fish biodiversity have changed over time.

Host or Publisher Cabrillo Marine Aquarium