How New Technology Is Revealing the Secret Lives of Whales

Giants of Change: How New Technology Is Revealing the Secret Lives of Whales and Why Their Health Matters to Us All

Professor Lars Bejder, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology

Thursday, September 17, 2026

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Professor Lars Bejder’s lecture, “Giants of Change: How New Technology Is Revealing the Secret Lives of Whales and Why Their Health Matters to Us All,” will provide an overview of the latest research on how drones, artificial intelligence, satellites, and cutting-edge wildlife sensors enable scientists to measure whale health, track their epic migrations, understand the bonds between mothers and calves, and uncover how a changing climate and human activity are reshaping their lives. The lecture also offers a rare glimpse into one of the last great frontiers on our planet and explains why protecting whales is essential to the future of healthy oceans.

About Professor Lars Bejder, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology

Professor Lars Bejder joined the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2021 and serves as Director of the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, where he leads an internationally recognized team studying the ecology, behavior, health, and conservation of whales, dolphins, and pinnipeds.

With more than 180 scientific publications and book chapters, his research combines innovative technologies, including drones, non-invasive animal-borne tags, advanced statistical modeling, and long-term field studies, to better understand how marine mammals live and respond to environmental change and human activities such as tourism, shipping, and coastal development. His work provides critical scientific evidence to support conservation and sustainable ocean management.

Professor Bejder has advised leading national and international organizations, including the International Whaling Commission, the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, NOAA's Pacific Scientific Review Group, and government agencies in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.

Venue provided by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Parking Info

Green Visitor Stalls on Campus – $1 per hour (4pm – Midnight)

• Pay at pay station. Credit card only. Cash not accepted.
• Subject to special event restrictions.

Zone 20 (Lower Campus Parking Structure – Stan Sheriff Center) – $5 flat rate

• Pay at kiosk upon entry. Credit card only. Cash not accepted.
• If no attendant in Kiosk, please use Pay Station at Klum Gym.
• Hours valid: 5 AM – midnight
• Subject to special event restrictions.
• Guests should go up to the top floor, then walk over to the Arts building

In partnership with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

PRESENTED BY

Friends of the Waikīkī Aquarium

www.fowaquarium.org