About the speaker:

Heather Liwanag is an Associate Professor of Biology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego and a Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is interested in the physiological adaptations of animals to their environment, and the evolutionary processes involved in those adaptations. Much of her research has focused on thermoregulation (the regulation of body temperature) and energetics (metabolic rates) in vertebrate animals, including seals, sea lions, and even lizards. She has been fortunate to work with an amazing group of people (Team B-030) on this recent project, studying the early development of Weddell seal pups in Antarctica.