OCEAN LECTURE SERIES

"Ten Things Everyone Should Know about the Oceans"
• Dr. Shirley A. Pomponi

About the Lecture - 2007

Recent reports by the Pew Ocean Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy emphasize the value of the oceans and coasts to our nation. More than half of the U.S. population lives in coastal communities, and about half of the nation's gross domestic product is generated in those regions. The oceans support a variety of beneficial uses, such as food production, energy and mineral resources, transportation, recreation and tourism. But we continue to pollute our coastal waters and overexploit our fisheries.

A vision for the future where our coasts are attractive places to live, work, and play, where we protect sensitive habitats and threatened species, where improved forecasting of hurricanes and other threats saves lives and money, and where we embrace a collective commitment to stewardship of our ocean planet requires that we manage our resources, invest in science and technology, and create an informed and educated citizenry. The Ocean Science Lecture Series addresses this latter need. The first lecture in the series will highlight some basic Ñ and perhaps little-knownÑfacts about the ocean, how we explore and exploit it, and how it affects our lives

About the Speaker

Dr. Shirley Pomponi is Harbor Branch's President/CEO. She holds a B.A. in Biology from the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS). She joined Harbor Branch in 1984.

Shirley has held numerous positions in advising federal ocean policy, including appointments to the Florida Oceans and Coastal Resources Council and the federal Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel. She chairs the National Research Council's Ocean Studies Board and serves on the board of governors of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE), the board of directors of BIOFlorida, the board of trustees of Midwest Research Institute, the Women Divers Hall of Fame, and the U.S. Committee for the Census of Marine Life.