Jan Straley

WhaleFest 2036

About the Speaker

Moving to Alaska nearly 40 years ago was a gamble for Jan and John Straley.  They arrived with undergraduate degrees in fisheries and creative writing, respectively.  Being young and naïve, having moved to a place with boundless chances to follow paths of opportunity was sheer luck.   Jan literally fell into marine mammal research and with huge support from John has developed a program researching the behaviour and population dynamics of large whales, which now includes interactions with fisheries.  Jan is a Professor of Marine Biology at the Sitka campus of the University of Alaska Southeast and has received broad recognition for her research and efforts in science education with a focus on mentoring young women in science. John has written and published books of poetry, mystery and essays.  Together they recently published a book of essays about Ed Ricketts and how place shapes life.  Living in a place where you can study whales at your doorstep and where the landscape is a character in every novel has helped immensely in their success.  Balancing life and work has not been easy but following a passion is a family trait, captured by their son now a standup comic.  For Jan a diagnoses of Parkinson’s 8 years ago, has added additional challenges but with the support of family, friends and community she has worked (slowly) towards new adventures and accomplishments in her career.