WhaleTimes Board of Directors and Volunteers

Musgrave visiting Florida classroom, sharing secrets of the deep sea.

WhaleTimes’ Board of Directors share their love and fascination of with the ocean through writing, researching, and teaching.

RUTH A. MUSGRAVE, WhaleTimes Director: Ruth created WhaleTimes, Inc. in 1995 with a goal of connecting kids to the ocean. Today Ruth is still the driving force behind WhaleTimes’ creative team. In her usual unusual approach to science, WhaleTimes continues to achieve its goals of connecting kids with ocean animals, research, and the researchers while raising awareness of conservation issues through programs such the wildly popular Hagfish Day.

Musgrave is also an award-winning  nonfiction writer known for her entertaining and creative approach. Ruth is the author of 60-plus children’s books. Her latest books include several in the fantastic DK Super Readers series such as BIOLUMINESCENT ANIMALS,  DEEP-SEA CREATURES, GREAT WHITE SHARKS, and PREDATOR PREY.  Her other books include BBC Earth Do You Know: UNDERWATER PREDATORS (Ladybird);  MISSION SHARK RESCUE (National Geographic Children’s Books) and EVERYTHING SHARKS (National Geographic Children’s Books).

Musgrave is also the contributing writer for National Geographic Little Kids Magazine — an exciting magazine for 3 to 5 year olds.  (www.ruthamusgrave.com).

Tammy climbing aboard a deep-sea submersible

 

TAMARA FRANK, PhD: Tamara Frank is an active ocean researcher and a professor at NOVA Southeastern University. She’s originally a California girl. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Long Beach and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Not only is Dr. Frank an active ocean researcher and explorer,  she routinely visits schools around the country to share her research with students, in hopes of motivating kids to become scientists, too. When she’s not exploring the deep sea, Tammy lives happily in Florida with her sweet pups, Tucker,   Peanut, and Ziggy.

CHRISTY PETERSON: Christy Peterson helped create curriculum for Creep into the DEEPEND and Journey into Midnight: Light and Life Below the Twilight Zone (NOAA-OER). She is actively involved in participating in WhaleTimes programs such as school visits, teacher training workshops, and special events like World Ocean’s Day at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Christy also writes nonfiction for children and young adults.  Peterson has also written more than 30 books and articles for young readers, as well as “Nanoland,” a museum exhibit for Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and resources for parents and teachers. Christy is the author of WhaleTimes’ first book in print, SEASONS IN THE SEA: A YEAR IN THE GULF OF ALASKA.  Peterson’s other books have earned starred reviews: INTO THE DEEP: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE QUEST TO SAVE THE OCEAN (April 2020) from Twenty First Century Books received a starred review from School Library Journal, as well as positive feedback from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. EARTH DAY AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT: STANDING UP FOR EARTH! (March 2020) also published by Twenty First Century Books earned a starred review from Kirkus, as well as buzz from School Library Journal and Booklist.  Her latest book, SEASONS IN THE SEA:  A YEAR IN THE GULF OF ALASKA is a WhaleTimes Publication that highlights the research of Dr. Petra Lenz (University of Hawaii-Manoa). (www.christypeterson.com)

Marsh Myers is an educator, remote content creator, writer, artist, videographer, photographer, and social media expert based out of Corvallis, Oregon.
Marsh has extensive experience working with non-profit areas of public education, community outreach, and conservation. He has had the honor to work with such prestigious organizations at the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum, Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Animal Cruelty Taskforce of Southern Arizona, and Oregon Coast Aquarium.  Marsh was the innovator and administrator of the aquarium’s Oceanscape Network (www.oceanscape-aquarium.org), a distance-learning platform for teens and young adults. Under his supervision, Oceanscape partnered with WhaleTimes, Inc., on numerous projects including a year-long public awareness program about the vaquita.
Marsh is the author of many fantastic young adult novels including HIS LIFE ABIDING (2013), THE MEN IN THE TREES (2014),  MY SUMMER (WITH ROBOTS) (2018) and a historical memoir entitled THE RIVER YEARS: A MEMOIR FROM THE MUDDY BANKS OF LEE’S FERRY (2022). His third book in the Quinton’s Curious Mind Series, MY SUMMER (AND THE SONG OF CICADAS) will be out in 2024. (https://www.marshmyers.com/)

WhaleTimes’ newest team member, Teresa Klepinger, is an author and educator. She wrote the mini-books and fact sheets for Discovering Deep-Sea Coral Virtual Research Mission. And recently visited schools in Naples and Fort Myers, FL schools to share the same exciting research. Teresa is the author of fourteen animal science nonfiction picture books, including the ten volume Animal Showdowns series. Tereesa is also the author of two writing prompt books to jumpstart kids’ storytelling imaginations.