Chattanooga, Tenn. (March 30, 2026) – Finding an empty office at the Tennessee Aquarium’s freshwater science headquarters is getting harder by the day.

In recent months, the Aquarium has made several additions to its freshwater science team in a concerted effort to improve its capacity for studying and protecting Southeastern aquatic life.

These specialists — all of them hired since late 2025 — add new capabilities to the Aquarium’s research and conservation work, some of them incredibly rare among zoos and aquariums.

• Research Scientist Dr. Jeronimo Silva is a seasoned ecologist who will focus on using genetics research to aid in species monitoring, animal health and disease surveillance. He will also apply his background in freshwater mussel research to expand the Aquarium’s participation in programs protecting these highly imperiled mollusks and studying the role they play as a bellwether of water quality.

• Conservation Veterinarian Dr. Leah Owens will supplement the efforts of the Aquarium’s veterinary team, but she will primarily work off-site at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. There, she will oversee the health of native species raised by Aquarium scientists or temporarily housed there prior to reintroduction. Her duties will also include research into the impacts of disease and human activity on aquatic wildlife and environmental health.

• Reintroduction Manager Stephen Nelson oversees the Aquarium’s many successful and long-running propagation and reintroduction projects targeting species like Lake Sturgeon and the endangered Laurel Dace, which scientists consider to be one of North America’s most-imperiled fishes. He is also a veteran herpetologist serving as leader for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program targeting the critically endangered Radiated Tortoise.

These new team members will further reinforce the Aquarium’s long-standing role as a leader in Southeastern freshwater science, says Stephanie Chance, the Aquarium’s former conservation manager and newly promoted director of conservation.

“The Aquarium has been looking strategically at how we can expand our scientific impact,” she says. “We are committed to living up to our name by expanding our conservation efforts to include waterways across Tennessee.

“I’m really excited to see us do more work statewide with more partners.”

The Aquarium has maintained a dedicated conservation program for 30 years. In 1996, it partnered with Tennessee River Gorge Trust and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to found the Southeastern Aquatic Research Institute (SARI), the predecessor of the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute.

Three decades later, the urgency to protect the Southeast’s unparalleled aquatic biodiversity is greater than ever, Chance says.

“The freshwater diversity of the whole United States — all of North America — is here in the Southeast,” she says. “We want the Tennessee Aquarium to be identified as a leader in freshwater science by having scientists at the helm who are seen as experts to call to when there’s any kind of freshwater issue nationwide. We want to be the ones to be called on as experts in the field when it comes to freshwater organisms.”

The coming months will bring opportunities for the public to meet the Tennessee Aquarium’s newly arrived conservation experts.

On Saturday, May 16, the second annual Laurel Dace Day celebration will take place in Spring City, Tennessee. This all-day festival in the city’s nature park celebrates the Laurel Dace, which scientists consider one of North America’s most-imperiled fish species. As part of a packed slate of activities, including a newly introduced 10K race, farmers market and live music, guests can visit educational booths staffed by Aquarium scientists to learn more about protecting imperiled wildlife.

Fans of baseball, fireworks and native wildlife are in for a grand slam when the Chattanooga Lookouts host the Rocket City Trash Pandas for Conservation Night on Friday, June 12. Part of the Lookouts’ first season in the newly opened Erlanger Park, this game is presented by the Tennessee Aquarium and will feature booths staffed by aquarium scientists and representatives from other conservation-focused organizations.

Further details about these events can be found at tnaqua.org/calendar

To learn more about the Tennessee Aquarium’s freshwater science expertise, visit tnaqua.org/conservation/

A full game schedule and additional information about the Chattanooga Lookouts is available at milb.com/chattanooga