Gills Club Host Sites

How it started…

When AWSC began offering Gills Club events, they were exclusive to Cape Cod and Florida. As Gills Club grew and we saw an interest from members around the country who wanted to get involved, we looked for opportunities to expand. That is why we were excited to engage with partners and develop host sites for events to take place in other regions.

Meet the amazing women who run our host sites

The AWSC has developed partnerships with aquariums, education facilities, and academic institutions to develop host sites. Locations where Gills can get together, to attend a facilitated educational event, at no cost to them or their family. We are grateful to the individuals who are leading these events and providing this experience to the ocean stewards of tomorrow!

Harley Archer, Conservation Education Manager at WAVE Foundation at Newport Aquarium

I graduated with a degree in Biology with a concentration in oceanography in May 2021 from Miami University in Ohio. After a conservation education internship with WAVE Foundation in 2019, I knew that conservation education was my calling. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had experiences in wildlife rehabilitation and  environmental education, including a year living in sunny Naples, Florida. I now run the outreach conservation education program, WAVE on Wheels, at WAVE Foundation.

I love running the Gills Club program at WAVE. While we are close to the Ohio River, we are far from the ocean. Connecting our next generation of ocean conservationists to sharks has been such a rewarding experience for me. I love planning the activities and topics and executing them. I have been running this program for 3 years now, and one of the best parts of it is seeing my returning members grow confident and passionate about sharks and helping protect them. We’re also fortunate enough to run the program on grant funding, which allows us to take a yearly summer trip with two Gills and their guardians on a shark trip. We’ve been to Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and Bimini Shark Lab so far!

My name is Lauren Horstmyer, and I am a Master’s student in the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State University, as well as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. My current research focuses on studying the interactions between sharks and fisheries, with an emphasis on assessing the post-release mortality of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) caught as bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery.

In Fall 2024, I had the privilege of helping to establish a Gills Club host site in Oregon, an experience that has been incredibly rewarding. I am passionate about working with Gills Club because it offers a unique and impactful opportunity to inspire the next generation of shark scientists, especially young women. Through this platform, I have the privilege of helping to foster an environment where women gain the confidence to pursue opportunities in the field. Gills Club allows me, along with other members of our lab, to serve as female role models in a field that has traditionally been dominated by men. It is an honor to be part of a community that empowers young women to believe in their abilities and encourages them to pursue their scientific aspirations without hesitation.