At the 2026 National Water Safety Summit, PhD candidate Carmen Dobszewicz served as a panel speaker on shark bite mitigation, sharing insights from her PhD research on electric shark deterrents. Carmen discussed how non-lethal technologies, such as personal electric deterrents, can contribute to beach safety as part of a multi-layered risk management approach, complementing other measures that help people enjoy coastal environments more safely.
A key message of the presentation was that effective beach safety and marine conservation can be achieved together. As a non-lethal mitigation tool, electric shark deterrents offer an example of how emerging technologies can reduce the risk of shark-human interactions while supporting healthy marine ecosystems and fostering long-term coexistence between people and wildlife.
Social Dynamics and Environmental Change 