People's U., Marine Biology, Class 1: Fantastic Fishes

February 19, 2026
7:00pm - 8:00pm

With over 30,000 species of fish, the incredible diversity of fishes is accompanied by amazing variation in anatomy and physiology. First, what is a fish? Do all fish have a bony skeleton? gills? fins? Second, how does the amazing diversity in form and function allow fishes to occupy almost every aquatic environment on the planet? Please bring a unlined piece of paper, pencil and die to this discussion as we will be creating our own fishes.

Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Ripley Stueckle earned a M.A. in marine biology from the Boston University Marine Program located in Woods Hole, MA and a PhD in biology from West Virginia University. Dr. Ripley’s research primarily focuses on the reproductive physiology of fishes and the influence of environmental factors, particularly endocrine disruptors, on parental investment, embryonic development, and behavior. Her research has taken her down the coast of Baja California to study barnacle recruitment to the eelgrass beds of the Chinocoteague Bay to study brood pouch function in pipefishes and seahorses. Recent projects have investigated sound production in cichlid mating and the smallmouth bass fish kills of the Potomac River.