The Institute’s Ocean Environment Lecture Series offers monthly presentations by international experts on issues facing our oceans today – from endangered marine species and habitats to declining fisheries, global climate change, ocean acidification, and the impacts of chemical pollution on marine mammals worldwide. The aim of this series is to increase public awareness and understanding of the importance of healthy oceans and to inspire a closer connection with the sea.
Lectures are held at the Center for Marine Studies, 55 Main Street, Blue Hill, Maine from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. A reception honoring the speaker begins at 6:00 p.m. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. For information, call us at (207) 374-2135 or email info@meriresearch.org.
Featured Lecture:
In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson: Can Our Oceans Survive?
Dr. Susan Shaw and Cherie Mason
Summer 2012 Lectures:
November Lecture
Humbling the Sea: Overfishing the Gulf of Maine in the Age of Sail
Friday, November 9, 2012
Lecture at 6:45pm / Reception at 6:00pm
Jeff Bolster, Ph.D.
Overfishing is not a contemporary problem. Its origins go all the way back to the age of sail, long before the factory trawler created a massive industrialized enterprise. Will the Gulf of Maine fishery recover? When will the cod return? The future of this fishery, says marine environmental historian Dr. Bolster, depends on appreciating the deep historical record. Without a perspective of time we have no understanding of the magnitude of the restoration challenges we face.
October Lecture
Plastics at Sea: Science on a Tall Ship
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Lecture at 6:45pm / Reception at 6:00pm
Kara Lavener Law, Ph.D.
10% of the world’s plastic ends up in the oceans but what do we really know about its impact? Is the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” really twice the size of Texas? Does plastic break down? Does it sink to the bottom or remain on the surface? What are microplastics? And how does this debris affect the ocean environment from microscopic plankton to large marine mammals? Dr. Law will bust some myths about ocean plastics and set the record straight. Read More >
September Lecture
In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson: Can Our Oceans Survive?
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Susan Shaw, DrPH
Fifty years after Rachel Carson published Silent Spring and exposed the devastating harm caused by synthetic pesticides like DDT, marine toxicologist Dr. Susan Shaw continues Carson’s legacy with a lecture on the chemical pollution that continues to threaten marine and human life today. She is joined by Cherie Mason -- author, journalist and wildlife advocate who campaigned successfully for the expansion of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. Read More >
August Lecture
Beyond the Obituaries: Success Stories in Ocean Conservation
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Nancy Knowlton, Ph.D.
Distinguished marine biologist Dr. Nancy Knowlton’s research on coral reef organisms has taken her to the Caribbean, Brazil, the eastern Atlantic, and the Pacific. She has witnessed their disturbing decline, but not all news about the oceans is depressing. Her talk will focus on the good news – how marine environments from California to Chesapeake Bay have improved through protection and active restoration. Read More >
July Lecture
Storytelling: Proof that Scientists Evolved from Humans
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Randy Olson, Ph.D.
Randy Olson, Ph.D. is the talent behind the provocative “mockumentary” Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy and other films on science and scientists. The Harvard-educated marine biology professor turned filmmaker and author is on a mission to engage public interest in science subjects that are usually communicated in a boring manner. Combining fact, fiction and high entertainment value, his storytelling stimulates important conversation. Read More >
June Lecture
The Ocean Health Index: Evaluating the Human-Ocean Connection
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Steve Katona, Ph.D.
Often called the “Dow Jones” of ocean health, the Ocean Health Index establishes a global standard for measuring and tracking the condition of the world’s oceans, and assessing their ability to meet human needs today and in the future. Dr. Steve Katona, educator, ocean conservationist and marine scientist, discusses our intertwined relationship with our oceans and whether we are on track to ensure the optimal survival of both. Read More >
May Lecture
Journey Into Climate: The Golden Age of Climate Research and the Unmasking of Human Innocence
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Paul A. Mayewski, Ph.D.
Internationally acclaimed climate scientist and explorer Paul Mayewski has travelled to some of the Earth’s most remote and challenging places to study climate change. He has led more than 50 expeditions worldwide – from the Antarctic to the Himalayas to the Andes. A pioneer in climate research, he has witnessed first-hand the dramatic impacts of climate change over his decades-long career, but he also speaks of the remarkable success of global initiatives to address the problem.Read More >
Winter/Spring 2012 Lectures:
April Lecture
Give Science a Chance: Communication Under Conditions of Uncertainty
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Baruch Fischhoff, Ph.D.
Poor communications jeopardize public understanding of complex, and sometimes uncertain, science. Opposing scientific research, conflicting expert opinions and mixed media messages are confusing to the general public. Dr. Baruch Fischhoff, risk communications expert and professor of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, discusses how improving science communications can help people make informed decisions on issues that impact their health and environment. Read More >
March Lecture
Dirty Bottoms: The Industrialization of Aquaculture
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Inka Milewski
The environmental damage from net pen aquaculture is cause for great alarm in scientific and coastal communities alike. According to Inka Milewski, marine biologist and science advisor to the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, "Salmon farms operate like industrial feedlots in coastal waters." Join Milewski, an expert on the impacts of salmon farms on the coastal environment, to hear the facts, to learn from Canada's experience along the Bay of Fundy, and to see what solutions, if any, are possible. Read More >
February Lecture
Is Fish Safe to Eat?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
David O. Carpenter, MD
Director, Institute for Health and the Environment
School of Public Health, SUNY, Albany
How much, how often and what kinds of fish should we eat? Health benefits have been attributed to consuming omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils in fish. However, toxic chemicals in fish may adversely affect these health outcomes. Join David Carpenter, M.D., public health physician and director of the Institute for Health and Environment at SUNY, to get the facts. Dr. Carpenter is a leading expert on contaminants and human health, with a particular focus on metals, persistent organic pollutants and ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. Read More >
January Lecture
The Penobscot Undammed: Restoring the River
Thursday, January 26, 2012.jpg)
Stephen M. Coghlan, Ph.D.
A thousand square miles of river habitat will open up when the Veazie and Great Works dams on the Penobscot River come down. With the construction of a fish bypass on a third dam, 11 species of sea-run fish will be able to return to their historic spawning grounds. This is a significant step in addressing more than 100 years of damage to the river’s fragile ecosystem. Dr. Steve Coghlan from the University of Maine’s Department of Wildlife Ecology will discuss the impacts of dam removal and answer the question: Can we restore the Penobscot to its historic natural state? Read More >
For past lectures, visit our Archive, located in the right column