Panelists will explore the current prospects of deriving renewable energy from the ocean in the annual Ken Norris Memorial Lecture at the Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory on Thursday, November 10, at 7 p.m. The event, "Renewable Energy from the Sea," is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, and admission is first come, first served.
The panelists represent a broad range of expertise in issues related to public policy and regulatory guidelines, the physical challenges involved in developing the technology to harness energy from the ocean, and understanding its potential impacts on the ocean environment and ocean life:
- John Laird, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, is a UCSC alumnus and former three-term member of the state Assembly.
- JoeBen Bevirt is an entrepreneur and founder of Joby Energy.
- Peter Nelson is the executive director of Collaborative Fisheries Research West, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing research partnerships between fishermen, managers, and scientists.
The moderator of the panel will be Gary Griggs, distinguished professor of Earth and planetary sciences and director of UCSC's Institute of Marine Sciences. Griggs is an expert on coastal geology, geologic hazards, coastal erosion, shorelines and beaches, and sea level rise.
This event is sponsored by Aptos-Creekside Pet Hospital and John and Enid Rusev. For more information, 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.
