Wonder Woman of the Week: Michelle Jewell
- Jul 27, 2022
- 1 min read
Once again it is Shark Week on Discovery Channel- and that means we are spotlighting a badass ichthyologist outstanding (or out-swimming) in her field. Michelle Jewell is an applied ecologist with a Bachelor's from Michigan State and a Master's from University of Cape Town. Jewell's specialization in studying predatory behavior made her a perfect fit in researching sharks in the wild, but that doesn't mean she only studies hunting behaviors. Several specials of sharks have unique cultures, and Jewell has become a leading expert in the field (or ocean?) in studying shark social behavior.
Since Shark Week began in the 1980's teams working to create documentaries for the Discovery Channel have often faced unbalanced leadership with men far outnumbering women in leading research teams. Michelle Jewell is one of those women representing countless faceless women in the field of shark research and STEM fields in general. Jewell's leadership of a documentary research expedition on the massive stage that is Shark Week makes a massive impact for young women and girls interested in becoming marine biologists and ecologists to help them see that women can not only be a valuable asset to a research team but the leader one a vital research expedition.
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