A Rhode Island native, Mark Hall graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Biology in 1986 and started Biomes as a traveling marine life show for schools in 1988. He opened the Biomes Center for school field trips in 1996. His interest in marine life is life long and he started his first business at the age of 14, called Marine Biological Supply Co., which supplied educational specimens to high school and college science classrooms around the country. Emily Lydon is a graduate of LaSalle Academy in Providence and a marine science major at the University of Rhode Island. She had been a volunteer with us for two years, and is now employed by the center as aquarist and outreach specialist. Graham Hall is now a graphic design major at New England Tech. He created and maintains the Biomes Center website, and is in charge of any IT-related issues at Biomes Inc. Dan Savitt is our invaluable fish collector, specializing in obtaining many of our tropical stray species. He is also a rehabilitator of sick and unwanted pet reptiles and provides his expertise in helping to keep our reptiles healthy. He has been collecting specimens for Biomes since 1990. Dan is also a surgeon at a local hospital. The Biomes mascot, Creole is a rescue from Kentucky. She is half black-and-tan coonhound and half Catahoula leopard hound.