8:30 a.m. Brief Announcements8:40 a.m.-9:20 a.m.
Mathew Kirwan, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Assistant ProfessorAs an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Sciences at VIMS, Dr. Kirwan integrates studies on how coupled physical, biological, and anthropogenic processes influence the formation and survival of large scale landscapes, and patterns of response to climate change. He works mainly in salt marshes and other coastal environments, where knowledge of these ecogeomorphic feedbacks is often important for human welfare and ecosystem management. Kirwan’s work currently focuses on applying concepts of ecogeomorphology to better understand: 1) carbon-climate feedbacks in the coastal zone, 2) the response of wetlands to sea level rise, enhanced CO2, and elevated temperatures, and 3) how humans influence wetlands through upland land use change and its effect on wetland migration and sediment delivery to the coast.
9:20-10:00 a.m.- Ben Halpern, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Ben Halpern, Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)
As Director of NCEAS, Dr. Halpern oversees a number of solutions-oriented projects based on synthesis science that integrate multiple datasets to answer big-picture ecological questions. He is a professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and Director of the Center for Marine Assessment and Planning (CMAP) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Halpern has led several broad research programs including a global synthesis of where marine protected areas (MPAs) meet conservation and fisheries objectives, a range of reproducible science initiatives, and and development and global application of the Ocean Health Index.