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Founder and Director
Dr. Adam Pack preparing to document the underwater behavior of humpback whales in Hawaiʻi
Dr. Adam A. Pack
Aloha! I am Dr. Adam A. Pack. I created the University of Hawaii at Hilo Marine Mammal Laboratory in 2008, dedicating it to the scientific study and conservation of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals, and the education and training of future generations of marine mammal scientists. I began studying dolphins and whales in 1983 first as an undergraduate intern, then as a graduate student, and then as Associate Director of the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Currently, I am a Full Professor at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UH Hilo) with a joint appointment in the Departments of Psychology and Biology. I am also the chair of the Psychology Department, a cooperating faculty member of UH Hilo’s Master of Science Degree Program in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, and co-creator of the UH Hilo LOHE Bioacoustics Laboratory. Beyond UH Hilo, I am the former chair of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, an associate editor of the journal Marine Mammal Science, and co-founder and current president and director of The Dolphin Institute, a not-for-profit Hawaiʻi-based organization dedicated to dolphins and whales through education, research and conservation.
Recently, I was featured in a recent interview with NOAA fisheries, discussing my work with whales. My work with humpback whales was also recently featured in the PBS Television Documentary "Mystery of the Humpback Whale Song" for the PBS series "Changing Seas." The program presents my laboratory's collaborative research with Dr. Marc Lammers of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to investigate whether the acoustic characteristics of each male humpback whale song reflects that singer's fitness and fertility. The documentary also highlights our work studying the association of humpback whale energetics, dive patterns, acoustics and behavior by deploying suction cup acoustic and data recorders on humpback whales in different behavioral roles.
Please contact me,
Staff and Students
Patricia Alvarez
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Patricia Alvarez
Dawn McSwain
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Dawn McSwain
Whitney Springer
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Whitney Springer