Jennifer (Jenny) Purcell received her PhD in 1981 from the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by postdoctoral appointments at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and Assistant Professor at Oregon State University to Full Professor the University of Maryland. She currently is a Marine Scientist at the Shannon Point Marine Center of Western Washington University. She is the author of over 115 publications, editor of four symposium volumes, and associate editor of Marine Biology. She has studied the trophic interactions and population dynamics of pelagic cnidarians and ctenophores in many regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans. She explores the roles of jellyfish as predators and competitors of zooplanktivorous fish and climate effects on the formation of jellyfish blooms. (April 2016) Read more about her work here. Jenny's Sitka Activities

• KCAW morning interview
• Natural History Seminar talk
• 4th Grade Bioblitz jellyfish expert
• Earth Day parade
• Promoted citizen science through the JellyWatch website and app, and the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) network
• Led a "jellyfish cruise" and identification lab with local biologists and naturalists
• Shared her love of jellies with local students, including the high school Ocean Science Bowl club and KGH's 5th grade Super Science Club
• Met with numerous local fishermen to discuss impacts of jellyfish blooms on Sitka's fisheries
• Advised SSSC's aquarists and biologists on how to maintain a successful jellyfish tank
• Called out on the street as "the Jellyfish Lady!" by passing Sitkans