Request a Speaker

What: Mote Marine Laboratory's Speakers Bureau offers presentations to community groups and organizations. 

Why: It is part of Mote's public outreach to promote conservation and sustainable use of our oceans.

Who: The speakers are a highly trained, established group of Mote volunteers and staff, when available.

When:  Mondays through Fridays 

Length: Presentations will be 45 minutes to one hour, not including Q&A at the end.

Cost: An honorarium is welcome.

Virtual technical requirements: All virtual presentations will be hosted through Mote's Zoom account. Zoom presentations will require a 15-minute tech rehearsal to be scheduled prior to event.

In-person technical requirements: Our speakers use a PowerPoint format for their presentations. The host group is responsible for supplying audio/video equiptment at the presentation site. Please make sure you have a video projector, screen, microphone and speaker system. Presenters will bring their own laptops but may need assistance from someone onsite to hook up to your equipment. 

Where: Ordinarily, we are only able to present in person to community organizations within approximately 30 miles of Mote Marine Laboratory's campus on City Island, Sarasota. Requests outside of this will be considered if a Speakers Bureau volunteer is willing to present farther away.

How: Complete the Speakers Bureau request form to determine if a speaker is available for your event. Requests must be made at least six weeks prior to the preferred date and are subject to a Speaker's availability. We ask that your in-person audience size be no less the 25 people due to the amount of preparation, travel and presentation time (no restriction for virtual presentations).  Requests will usually be confirmed within two weeks of submission.

Request a Speakers Bureau presentation

Note to schools: Schools or camps looking for a visit from Mote Education should visit the Mote in Your Classroom page instead of this one.

Topics overview:

  • Mote Marine Laboratory Overview — Dive with us as we explore Mote Marine Laboratory, a world-class, independent research institution based right here in Sarasota, FL. Learn about the history of this unique organization, it's research and the exciting work going on at Mote's campuses here in Florida with impacts affecting our oceans around the world.
  • Aquaculture — Join us for a compelling virtual visit to MAP (Mote Aquaculture Research Park) where we are working to advance the science of aquaculture to enable sustainable farming of marine species for food and to restore declining fisheries. Aquaculture plays a key role providing seafood and conserving our fisheries resources. This presentation will address the role of aquaculture in producing high-quality seafood and fishery resources using environmentally friendly technologies.
  • Corals — Coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystems in the ocean and provide significant environmental, biologic, recreational and economic value. Florida’s Coral Reef has lost all but 2% of its living coral cover in recent decades and is struggling to survive amid growing environmental pressures. Mote’s Coral Reef Restoration Program develops and applies science-based strategies with the goal of restoring depleted coral reefs in our lifetime. In August 2020 the first time in Florida or Caribbean waters, restored massive corals were observed spawning—part of sexual reproduction that could result in the next generation of coral offspring—thanks to Mote Marine Laboratories innovative efforts to restore Florida's Coral Reef.
    Ocean Wildlife Conservation and Rehabilitation — Sarasota waters are teaming with wildlife, which is affected by both human and environmental influences. Mote's research programs study both wild and resident animals, working with a variety of organizations dedicated to better understanding their behavior, physiology, and the factors that affect them in the wild. By researching these wonderful creatures, we learn how to better protect them in the wild. Discover the current scientific research and conservation issues affecting charismatic local marine animals.
  • Sea Turtles — For 40 years, Mote's Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program has coordinated conservation efforts for 35 miles of Sarasota County shoreline. Learn about these ancient animals, their current threats, and how you can help. 
  • Sharks — Sharks have been a focus of Mote's research since the Lab started in 1955 by the "Shark Lady" herself, Dr. Eugenie Clark. Today Mote has the only Center for Shark Research designated by the U.S. Congress. Naturally, we have multiple research programs that are either fully or partly focused on sharks and their relatives, rays and skates. Hear about the critical importance of these fishes to marine ecosystems, their current challenges, and the exciting research around these legendary animals.