WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER TO LEAD WORKSHOP, PRESENTATION MARCH 10

HATTIESBURG - The following fifth and sixth graders were winners of the Discovery Young Scientists Award at the Region I Science Fair Saturday held at The University of Southern Mississippi's Reed Green Coliseum.

Students in grades 5-8 are selected at each of the regional fairs and the state fair to compete in the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge program. Each of the young scientists will send an abstract of his or her project to Science Service in Washington, D. C. for this competition. Four hundred semifinalists will be chosen in August, then 40 finalists in September. These 40 will go to Washington, D. C. to compete for $40,000 in scholarships.

Beat Four: Stephanie Hudson.
Collins: Darius Pope.

Forrest County schools:
Ryan Odom, Dixie;
LaShawn Johnson, Destiny Steele, Earl Travillion;
Colin Parker, Rawls Springs;
Morgan Nash, Seth Maxie, North Forrest.
Franklin Elementary School: Justice Coleman.

Hattiesburg Public Schools:
Ellen Goertzen, Thames;
Lawrence Lightfoot, Hawkins;
Ta'nija Williams, Lillie Burney;
Donald Woods, Grace Christian;
Erin Lowery, Thames;
Gerard Hinton, Woodley;
Astony Fairley, Hawkins;
Endia Mickey, Thames;
Christopher Bedenbaugh, Woodley.

Jones County/Laurel:
Brett Moss, Immaculate Conception;
Lindsay Ishee, Sharon Elementary.
Leakesville: Ahmed Malik, Dalee Kimble, Kyle Wallace, Emily Ysassi, Malorie Brewer, Jordan Deerman.
McLaurin: Latara Jones, Antoine Ross, Trenneshia Chambers.
Morgantown: Jamika Watkins, Anastasia Hutchins.
Oak Grove: Josie Burks, Kara Cunningham, Josh Larson, Aaron Guillat, Mary Katherine Nobles, Kylan Bosarge, Jacob Weiss.
Nicholson: Lane Balch, Jessica Carver.
Pearl River: Geoffrey Chin, Allen Smith. Petal: Marley Montague, W.L. Smith.
Presbyterian Christian: Zach Hayes, Brantley Hudson, Michael Simms, Jackson Ross.
Purvis: Robert Marzoni.
Quitman: John Mark Harris.
Raleigh: Jessica Wells.
Roseland: Tabitha Omeara, Lyndsey Smith, Emmage Aguillard, Vince Leleux.
Sand Hill: Cruise Bristow.
Seminary: Cole Rogers.

Simpson County:
Mendenhall: Kameron Westmoreland, Cody Shows, Shelby Bennett;
Magee: Hayden Holbrook, Houston Everett, Jordan Worrell, Adam Hubbard; Ashley Cheatham; Kayla Alexander,
Simpson Central Southside: Tyler Kelly.
Sumrall: Douglas Hatten, Josh Morris, Ashton Pace.
Taylorsville: Brandon Lightsey, Zachary Evans, Hannah Ainsworth.
Tylertown: Hayley Kraft, Taylor Magee, Stuart Pigott.
Westside: Mary Pollitz, Matthew Lander, Lane Archer.
Other Discovery Award winners include: Elaina Spradley, Ayesha Uqdah, Clara Mohamed, Jeremy Dunn.

OCEAN SPRINGS -- Award-winning wildlife photographer Tom Ulrich will lead two photographic events at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory on Wednesday, March 10.

He will present a nature photography workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and then a talk and slide show called "Wildlife Images 2003" at 7 p.m., both at The University of Southern Mississippi GCRL.

Admission to the evening event is free and will be held in the Caylor Auditorium at GCRL. The veteran photographer will feature photos from his 2003 photographic safaris abroad and in North America. He will answer questions and sign his books during the reception following his slide show.

The registration fee for the all-day workshop is $50 per person, payable to GCRL. Registration includes a continental breakfast, light lunch and snacks. Participation is limited to 20. Though the workshop is geared toward beginners, Ulrich tailors the experience to meet needs for all degrees of skill.

"The beginners will definitely benefit from the workshop, but I always help the more advanced get something out of it also," Ulrich said. "I lead many photo trips and always find a wide range of levels."

Ulrich said participants do not need to bring their photographic equipment unless they need an explanation about some aspect of their equipment.

Topics include a brief review of the principles of photography, relationships between shutter and aperture settings, fundamental elements of composition, use and timing of fill-in flash, digital versus film photography, techniques of close-up photography, and a brief discussion of slide etiquette, the photography business and marketing.

Ulrich grew up in South Chicago, graduated with a degree in biology from Southern Illinois University and taught for four years before launching his career as a freelance photographer. He has supported himself with nature photography for the past 29 years.

His library of more than 300,000 transparencies includes birds and mammals from all over the world. His photographs have been featured in publications such as National Wildlife, Audubon, National Geographic, Montana Outdoors and Life.

He has published six nature books, including Mammals of the Rockies, Birds of the Northern Rockies, Once Upon a Frame and his 2002 release, Photo Pantanal. Dr. William E. Hawkins, GCRL executive director, said Ulrich brings the scientific and artistic worlds together.

"Tom earns his living photographing wildlife all over the world," Hawkins sad. "He is an outstanding observer and a biologist. His approach to photography is to capture his subjects exhibiting their natural behavior."

The GCRL is home to the university's Department of Coastal Sciences, the Center for Fisheries Research and Development, and the Gulf Coast Geospatial Center. The J.L. Scott Marine Education Center and Aquarium is also a unit of the laboratory. The GCRL is part of the Southern Miss College of Science and Technology. For more information, call the laboratory at (228) 872-4200.

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