Marine biologist Dr. Reuben Shipway will present a summary of his research into the life cycle of wood-eating marine invertebrates (such as gribbles and shipworms) and their microbial symbionts, at 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday August 6, at the Warwick Public Library, 600 Sandy Lane, Warwick. 

Dr. Shipway is a Lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. His studies include advanced imaging, microbiology and omics to understand how these animals eat wood and the role they play in various ecosystems - from deep sea wood falls to mangrove forests, seagrass roots to historic wooden shipwrecks, and coastal constructions like piers and sea defenses. His interest is in the chemical, enzymatic and mechanical processes of wood digestion in these animals, and especially the cultural impact of shipworms, how they have changed and continue to change history, and how we can protect our underwater cultural heritage from shipworm biodegradation. 

Dr. Reuben Shipway completed his BSc and his PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Portsmouth (UK) and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Microbiology Department, University of Massachusetts (USA), and the Ocean Genome Legacy Center (Northeastern University, Massachusetts, USA). 

The August 6 presentation is sponsored by the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, and Dr. Shipway is a participating scientist in RIMAP's studies of local shipwrecks. The presentation is free and open to the public.