Dr. Scott A. Eckert joined the Principia College Faculty in 2010 after spending more than 30 years as a research scientist working on large marine vertebrates, such as sea turtles, whale sharks and penguins. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Biology and Natural Resources Department. Dr. Eckert obtained his B.S. in Biology from Principia College, and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in Zoology. He is world renowned for his expertise on leatherback turtles, studying the important role these wide-ranging oceanic reptiles play in the marine environment. His long career as a research scientist has led him all over the world including projects throughout the eastern and western Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, and two summers in Antarctica. For 10 years Dr. Eckert has taken his students to Trinidad to work on his leatherback sea turtle conservation project, and he has helped lead three other Principia abroads to Dominica, Peru and Ecuador.