Savannah State University Receives $100,000 Gift to Support Dolphin Research

_{Photo caption: From left, Leslie Garcia, marine sciences student, Ms. Robin Perrtree, Dr. Tara Cox, SSU President Dr. Jermaine Whirl, Adrian Scott, vice president for university advancement, and Mehki Harper, marine sciences student.}

Submitted by Savannah State University

Nov. 5, 2025 – Savannah State University (SSU) has received a generous $100,000 donation from Ms. Robin Perrtree, a 2011 graduate of SSU’s master’s program in marine sciences, to support the SSU Dolphin Sciences Lab (SSUDS Lab).

Led by Dr. Tara Cox, the SSUDS Lab has been collecting data on Savannah’s local dolphin population since 2009. Using photo-identification—a non-invasive method of tracking individual dolphins over time—the lab has built a long-term dataset that allows researchers to explore complex questions about the local dolphins, including their social relationships, habitat ranges, travel patterns, and calving frequency.

Notably, Ms. Perrtree, who is the SSUDS Lab manager, was Dr. Cox’s first graduate student and discovered that Savannah’s dolphins are among the most persistent “beggars” in the world.

“My grandparents, Marjory and James Russell, highly valued education and supported my path after college as I started out as an unpaid intern conducting dolphin research and eventually came to SSU for my master’s degree,” said Perrtree. “I’m proud to have my grandmother’s estate help support the continued research and education that we conduct here in the SSU Dolphin Sciences Lab every day.”

“We are grateful to Ms. Perrtree for this very generous donation to our marine sciences program,” said SSU President Dr. Jermaine Whirl. “Her support will allow the program to continue its legacy of being the only one of its kind based in Southeast Georgia, with direct access to estuarine, coastal, and open-ocean research environments.”

Beyond its groundbreaking research, the SSUDS Lab is committed to training a diverse scientific workforce. Students at all levels participate in lab and fieldwork, as well as present their research at regional, national, and international scientific conferences. This early exposure helps bridge the gap in minority representation within marine mammal science.

Ms. Perrtree’s contribution will ensure that this legacy continues—empowering the next generation of marine scientists to lead in the biology and conservation of marine mammals, particularly Savannah’s local dolphin population.

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About Savannah State University
Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public Historically Black college or University in Georgia and the first institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah. Students select majors from 30 undergraduate and four graduate programs in five colleges — Business Administration, Education, Sciences and Humanities, Engineering Technology and Computing, and Media, Arts and Communication. For more information, visit savannahstate.edu.

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