About Dr. Mike Polito
Penguinologist
Dr. Mike Polito is an assistant professor at the Louisiana State University and a guest investigator at the world-renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He has over 13 years of experience living and working in field camps, research stations and aboard ships in Antarctica. Working with the Penguins Lifelines project he monitors Antarctic wildlife using camera trap-ping, volunteer photos and population genetics.
In addition, by using the principle of “you are what you eat”, Mike and his students track penguin diets by studying the chemical signatures of penguin eggshells and feathers to track how they are affected by climate change and marine fisheries. He believes in protecting the world’s wild places and making science accessible to the public so that we all can be good stewards of the environment. www.oceanography.lsu.edu/politolab/
