Narwhal discoveries @ Redpath Museum
Innovative Research Cracked Open
In Auditorim 
Join explorer, Harvard scientist, and Smithsonian researcher Dr. Martin Nweeia as he shares new research and the wonders of the narwhal’s incredible tusk. Sponsored by the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal, Dr. Nweeia’s talk will deal with both Arctic science and social science. Dr. Martin Nweeia is one of the world’s foremost experts on narwhal tusks. He’s also a practicing dentist and a clinical instructor at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. As unusual as it may seem for a dentist to study narwhals, his profession comes in handy when studying medium-sized toothed whales. Dr. Nweeia will share his knowledge on the real-life unicorns of the sea and present new research and discoveries on these phenomenal mammals. There is definitely much more to their tusk than it appears!
Biography: Dr. Martin Nweeia is a practicing dentist, research scientist, explorer, professor and expert on the functional significance of the narwhal tusk and Inuit knowledge. The National Science Foundation scientist, National Geographic Explorer, Harvard/Smithsonian/Case Western Reserve scholar has published landmark studies on narwhal tusk sensory function, combining cutting edge science with Inuit knowledge. He has appeared in Canada on the Daily Planet, Decouverte Canadian Discovery, CBC Radio and TV and in Canadian Geographic as well as four documentaries from National Geographic and two from the BBC. As a principal investigator for Narwhal Tusk Discoveries, The Narwhal Genome Initiative, Narwhal Qaujimajatuqangit and Narwhal HoloLens, he has brought together 47 institutions in twelve countries. Four museum exhibits have featured Dr. Nweeia’s research including the Arctic Voices exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature, and most recently the Smithsonian’s Narwhal: Revealing and Arctic Legend currently open until 2019.
Educated at Trinity College Hartford, Dr. Nweeia went on to earn his doctorates of dental surgery and dental medicine from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Nweeia is currently lecturer at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, clinical assistant professor at Case School of Dental Medicine, and research associate in vertebrate zoology at the Smithsonian Institution and Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He was awarded two fellowships from the Smithsonian, and previously led dental studies on the Ticuna Indians of the Colombian Amazon, the Kogi Indians of the High Sierras of Colombia, and the Yap Islanders of Micronesia before traveling on 15 expeditions to the Canadian High Arctic collaborating with teams from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.