Penguin pandemonium - Dr Peter and Lisa Fretwell

Peter and Lisa Fretwell will discuss penguin history, evolution, behaviours and habitats, followed by an up-to-date synopsis on how emperor penguins are reacting to recent Antarctic sea-ice loss.

About the speakers

Lisa E Fretwell BA MA PGCE currently teaches Art History, stained glass, drawing and felt making classes in Cambridgeshire.

Previously, Lisa has exhibited her work in New York, had a touring exhibition around the UK, and exhibited in Gallery and non-Gallery venues in Hertfordshire, Leicester, London and Northamptonshire. In recent years, Lisa has exhibited her work in the Open Studios events with Cambridge Art Makers in Linton.

Lisa was involved in the publishing of a book called Antarctic Atlas, in 2020 which includes her hand drawn illustrations. She sold some original illustrations with Bonham's Auctioneer's from her book, Antarctic Atlas, at St. Bride's Foundation, London in June 2023.

Lisa illustrated and edited a new book entitled, The Penguin book of penguins to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of Penguin books, and everything penguin!

Peter Fretwell is a senior scientist in the Mapping and Geographic Information Centre (MAGIC) at British Antarctic Survey (BAS). He leads the Wildlife from Space group and has over the past decade published several ground-breaking remote sensing and GIS studies that have increased our understanding of a range of Polar environments.

He has led a number of groundbreaking, influential and novel studies on species including emperor penguins, whales and albatrosses. The research led to Peter to creating the ‘Wildlife From Space’ group in 2022, an internal group withing BAS that has won around a dozen research grants in the last five years, funding new high-profile studies on a range of polar wildlife.

These projects have employed multiple early career research scientists and many PhD students. He has published over 100 scientific papers and previously wrote the award winning Antarctic Atlas. He has recently published the Penguin Book of Penguins with his wife Lisa.

Booking information

Monday night lectures are open to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership.

Attending in-person

• All Fellows and Members wanting to attend in person must pre-book a free ticket. You will receive an e-ticket with a QR code that will be scanned on arrival. Your ticket can be shown on a mobile phone or printed. If you do not have a smartphone, we can find your name on the door list instead.
• Doors open at 5.30pm. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road. The lecture will begin at 6.30pm.
• Monday night lectures are held in person in the Ondaatje Theatre. The bar will be open in the Map Room before and after the lecture. Please be advised all payments are card only.
• The Ondaatje Theatre is fitted with a hearing loop. For the best quality sound we recommend sitting on the outside rows of the front seating section.
• There is step free access to the theatre. Wheelchair spaces can be booked in advance. If you have any questions about the venue, please contact events@rgs.org

Watch online

• You do not need to pre-book to watch the lecture online.
• All Monday night lectures are livestreamed via our website so you can watch them from wherever you are.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

These lectures are also recorded and uploaded to our website solely for members to catch up on whenever they like. If you would like to receive a weekly reminder email about the upcoming Monday night lecture, please sign up to our Updates about our Monday night lectures newsletter.

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

These lectures are also recorded and uploaded to our website solely for members to catch up on whenever they like. If you would like to receive a weekly reminder email about the upcoming Monday night lecture, please sign up to our Updates about our Monday night lectures newsletter.