Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist: Jasmin Graham’s journey to flourish outside traditional confines of academia

WHAT: The New England Aquarium is hosting shark scientist and environmental educator Jasmin Graham for a book signing of her new memoir, Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist. This uplifting story highlights her challenging journey to flourish outside the traditional confines of academia and is inspired by her innate connection to nature’s most misunderstood animal – the shark.

Sharks have been on this planet for over 400 million years, so there is a lot they can teach us about survival and adaptability. For example: how do sharks, which unlike other fish are denser than water, stay afloat? They keep moving. Whan Graham started to feel that the traditional path to becoming a marine biologist was pulling her under, she remembered this important lesson. If navigating the choppy waters of traditional academic study was no longer worth it, then that meant creating an ocean of her own. Graham joined with three other Black women to form Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), an organization dedicated to providing support and opportunities for other young women of color. She became an independent researcher; a rouge shark scientist, seeking ways to keep these extraordinary creatures swimming free.

Graham’s memoir sits at the intersection of science and social justice and serves as a guidebook to how we can all learn to respect and protect some of nature’s most misunderstood and vulnerable creatures – and grant the same grace to ourselves.

WHEN: Monday, August 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Program Schedule:

• 6:30 p.m.: Passed hors d’oeuvres and cash bar
• 7:00 p.m.: Jasmin Graham remarks on her book and personal journey
• 7:15 p.m.: Book signing and networking session

WHERE: In person at the New England Aquarium’s Simons Theatre, 1 Central Wharf, Boston. Books will be available for purchase at the event. Please register in advance.

WHO: Jasmin Graham is a marine biologist in the field of elasmobranch ecology and evolution, currently specializing in smalltooth sawfish and hammerhead sharks. She is the co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), and a recipient of the WWF Conservation Leadership Award and the Safina Launchpad Center Fellowship. Graham earned a B.S. in Marine Biology and a B.A. in Spanish from the College of Charleston and an MSc. in Biological Science from Florida State University through the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

Graham serves on the Board of Directors as well as the Equity and Diversity Committee for the American Elasmobranch Society. She is project coordinator for the MarSci-LACE project, which is focused on researching and promoting best practices to recruit, support, and retain minority students in marine science. She has been featured on Dive In with Sylva Earle and StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, among other podcasts and webinar series. She was an organizer for the 2020 Black in Marine Science Week and is a member of Black Women in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Science (BWEEMS)

MEDIA CONTACT: Hannah Boutiette, 413-717-7759, hannah@teakmedia.com