Albion College Science Explorations

Nick Whitney with one of his research subjects, a newborn whitetip reef shark, at the University of Hawaii Manoa.

Albion Alumnus Shark Research Featured on National Geographic TV This Week
Aug. 17, 2005

Photos courtesy of Nick Whitney

Albion alumnus Nick Whitney, '00, gets some national exposure this week, as his whitetip shark research is featured on the National Geographic “Dangerous Encounters” series. The show, "Dangerous Encounters: Dens of Danger” will air several times on the National Geographic Channel between Thursday, Aug. 18 and Friday, Aug. 26 (specific local times listed below).

Whitney releasing a shark off the coast of Oahu.

“The show should feature us photographing whitetips, tissue-sampling with a speargun, and riding around on dive scooters,” says Whitney. “We had a really good time and a great crew doing the filming, so hopefully the segment will reflect that.”

Whitetip reef sharks, says Whitney, aren’t very aggressive, but nonetheless, he was pleased to have National Geographic’s interest in his research. “I tried to talk about our research project as much as possible during filming, so hopefully some of that survived the editing process,” he notes.

In addition to catching and tagging sharks throughout the year, Whitney also manages a database of whitetip shark photographs that he gets from hobby and tourist divers. Whitetips have distinctive individual markings, and Whitney and his crew can use the photographs to track the movements of individuals. (A detailed story of Whitney’s research is available at http://whitetip.hawaii.edu).

Whitney performs a simple surgery in order to fit the shark with an electronic transmitter.

A native of Jackson, Mich., Whitney has lived in Hawaii since 2000, studying whitetip reef sharks, tunas, and tiger sharks. He is married to Holli Mezeske Whitney, '99, and is a doctoral candidate in Zoology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“Dangerous Encounters: Dens of Danger” airs on Jackson Comcast Digital Ch. 109, Lansing DirectTV Ch. 276, Lansing Dish Network Ch. 186, and Marshall Millennium Digital, Ch. 74. Jackson Comcast Digital Media NG Channel: Thursday, Aug. 18, 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, 1 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, 5 a.m.

Want another "shark tale?" Check out senior Amy Hupp's Summer 2005 research with Albion professor Jeff Carrier.

More Albion Explorations, 2004-06

Lisa Colville, '07, Tracks Treelines in California (September 2006)
Catherine Fontana, ’07, Adds to Environmental Research a National EPA Fellow (July 2006)
Lesley Simanton, ’09, Shines in Stellar Astronomy Training Program (July 2006)
Leeanne Jagusch, '05, Does Environmental Education with Disney (June 2006)
Giovanni DiMatteo, ’06, Receives International Graduate Scholarship in Mathematics (April 2006)
Paul Roberts, ’07, Wins National Undergraduate Research Prize (January 2006)
Research Partners Project Studies Bird Behavior (November 2005)
World Orchid Authority Mark Chase, '73, Discusses Taxonomy with Albion Audience (September 2005)
Science Symposium Day Two Highlights (September 2005)
Harvey Lodish Keynotes Science Symposium (September 2005)
Whitney, '00 Featured on National Geographic Show (August 2005)
Another Albion Shark Tale - Amy Hupp, 06 (July 2005)
Kids Participate in Albion College Bird Research Project (June 2005)
Palenske Prepares for Move-In (May 2005)
Sweet Treats for a Favorite Number on Pi Day (March 2005)
Dean McCurdy Receives $20,000 for Environmental Research (February 2005)
Carrier's Shark Book Wins Prestigious ALA Award (January 2005)
The Physics of Music Explored in First-Year Seminar (December 2004)
Math, Computer Science Students Finish First in Two Competitions (October 2004)
Randy Rottenbiller, '78, Named USPHS Physician of the Year (August 2004)
CSI: FURSCA Style (July 2004)
FURSCA Summer Research Sampler (June 2004)

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Explorations 2003-04