Dale Leavitt – is an Emeritus Professor of Marine Biology retired from Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI where he split his time between teaching and research/outreach. He completed his PhD in Animal Nutrition at the University of Maine, studying nutritional bio-energetics of the American lobster. Prior to his appointment at RWU in 2003, he spent twenty-two years starting as a Research Associate and evolving to Sea Grant Marine Extension Program Leader at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His entire professional career has focused on aspects of shellfish biology and culture, from physiological impacts of environmental contaminants to improved engineering of culture technology. Recent research projects included developing collaborative stock assessment strategies for the local quahog fishery, tracking quahog larval dynamics in Narragansett Bay through the application of hydrodynamic models, investigating various aspects of disease processes in bivalve mollusks, and applying alternative engineering technologies to standard shellfish culture methods. With his retirement from academia in July 2020, he continues as a principal in an engineering consulting company designing seawater systems for research/educational facilities and is a partner in a developing oyster farm located in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett, MA.