The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has announced the topics for its upcoming After Hours lectures, which will be held Aug. 25 and Sept. 29 online and in-person at Watermen’s Hall on the VIMS campus at Gloucester Point.

The first lecture will be on the impact of winter phytoplankton blooms on striped bass. Dr. Nicole Millette, assistant professor at VIMS, will discuss how phytoplankton, or microscopic plants, and other environmental conditions impact the number of striped bass in the upper Chesapeake Bay each year.

The September lecture will be given by Dr. Molly Mitchell, VIMS research assistant professor, and Joe Rieger, deputy director of restoration at the Elizabeth River Project (ERP), where they will discuss the Elizabeth River Environmental Justice Tool.

This tool, developed through collaboration between ERP and VIMS, allows planners to deliberately focus on equity for historically marginalized communities within the Elizabeth watershed. Combining social and envir...