ARCS Honolulu Scholar Alum Chris Lowe is one of the shark scientists inspired by Jaws who were interviewed for a New York Times article on the 50th anniversary of the film. The mechanical shark looked fake, but the marine biologist role was intriguing, the California State Long Beach researcher says of the movie that was filmed in his hometown. When it comes to sharks, the 1975 hit was both a curse for the fear it created and a blessing for the interest it generated, Dr. Lowe says. “People are looking at them differently based on all the things we’ve learned about them. I think people respect them more.”

