Events Calendar

USC Water Institute Seminar

Speaker: Chris Scholin, President/Chief Executive Officer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Talk Title: Fostering Science-Engineering Partnerships as a Means to Develop “Next Generation” Ocean Observatories

Abstract: David Packard founded the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in 1987 as an alternative to the traditional academic oceanographic research institution. He challenged us to develop and apply new methods, instruments, and analytical systems to address fundamental problems in ocean science and to identify new directions where innovative technologies will accelerate marine research. To achieve this vision, Packard created MBARI as an organization that is fundamentally based on a peer relationship between scientists and engineers, and one that enables ready access to the sea. In that light, over the past year, MBARI has cast a new strategic plan that will guide it for the coming decade. Emphasized are four major research themes – Exploration and Discovery, Ocean Visualization, Ecosystem Dynamics, and Ocean Biogeochemistry. Each theme focuses on different aspects of documenting the current state of the ocean and life within it against the backdrop of global change. In this presentation, I will provide a broad overview of MBARI and will highlight a number of ongoing projects that exemplify science-engineering partnerships stemming from our current research priorities.


Biography: Christopher Scholin is President/Chief Executive Officer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Chris received a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Biological Oceanography in 1993, a M.A. in Molecular Biology and Immunology from Duke University in 1986, and a B.A. with highest honors in Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1984. His research interests are centered on detection of water borne microorganisms including bacterioplankton, invertebrates, harmful algae and associated toxins using molecular probes and the Environmental Sample Processor. He currently serves on an External Advisory Committee for the University of Miami’s Oceans and Human Health Center, the Management Committee of the Center for Ocean Solutions, and the Board of Trustees of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Alliance for Coastal Technologies.


Host: Prof. Gaurav Sukhatme

Location: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) - Auditorium

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Kanak Agrawal