A panel of four marine scientists from UC Santa Cruz will discuss a decade of ocean discoveries in the annual Ken Norris Memorial Lecture at the Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory on Thursday, October 7, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event, "A Decade of Marine Science: Lessons Learned," are now on sale at the Seymour Center ($6 general admission; $4 for members).
In keeping with the upcoming celebration of the Seymour Center's 10th anniversary on October 10, the theme of the discussion will be the "top ten things we've learned about the ocean over the past ten years." The panelists are experts in a broad range of ocean-related subjects:
- Mark Carr, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is an expert on coastal biology, marine protected areas, conservation, and fisheries.
- Mary Silver, professor emeritus of ocean sciences, is a leading authority on plankton, the biological productivity of the oceans, harmful algal blooms, and biological oceanography.
- Sharon Stammerjohn, assistant professor of ocean sciences, studies ocean circulation and the effects of climate change in the Arctic and Antarctic.
- Gary Griggs, distinguished professor of Earth and planetary sciences and director of UCSC's Institute of Marine Sciences, is an expert on coastal geology, geologic hazards, coastal erosion, shorelines and beaches, and sea level rise.
"The last decade has produced revolutionary changes in how we investigate the oceans, in our understanding of how they work, and in the state of ocean health, as well as breakthroughs in developing new approaches for protecting the sea," Griggs said.
The moderator of the panel will be Mike Jung, publisher of the Santa Cruz Sentinel and a member of the Friends of Long Marine Lab Board of Directors. For more information about this event, please call the Seymour Center at (831) 459-3800.
Overlooking the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Seymour Center is a "living classroom" featuring aquariums, exhibits, touch tanks, whale skeletons, full-scale elephant seal models, the Ocean Discovery Shop, and unsurpassed ocean vistas. The aquariums and exhibits feature the everyday tools of ocean exploration and focus on research conducted by scientists locally and around the world. Interactive stations provide hands-on learning experiences, and docents lead tours and bring marine science to life. The Seymour Center is located at the end of Delaware Avenue in Santa Cruz.