Tides, sunlight, storms, and biological activity shape Nantucket Harbor over hours, days, and seasons. Sherman will invite the audience to join her in investigating what three years of continuous buoy monitoring have revealed: how tidal and daily biological cycles differ, what happens when potentially stressful conditions converge, and how scientists decide whether an apparent pattern is real and useful. By following one particular investigation from an intriguing hypothesis to evidence that ultimately did not support it, she will show how scientists work amid uncertainty, and why good science sometimes means letting go of a compelling idea and asking a better question.

Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Sherman is Senior Marine Science Advisor at the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA), a role she assumed in summer 2025. In this position, she has shaped the MMA’s Nantucket Harbor buoy program into a rigorous, decision-relevant monitoring effort focused on harbor biodiversity. She established verification procedures for continuous sensor measurements, cross-checked buoy data with other regional monitoring records, and strengthened data collaboration with partner organizations. She also advises on program design and provides public outreach talks that translate sensor records into ecological meaning.