From stranded marine mammals to the use of underwater robots for scientific research, the 2008 Coast Day Lecture Series touches on a variety of fascinating topics you won’t want to miss.
“This year’s Coast Day theme is “Coastal Challenges — Coastal Solutions,” said John Ewart, aquaculture and water quality specialist with the Delaware Sea Grant College Program and lead organizer of the 2008 event. “And the lectures we have planned this year speak in very interesting ways to some of those challenges and how scientists in our field are confronting them.”
The lectures will be held during Coast Day, the University of Delaware’s celebration of the sea, on Sunday, Oct. 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. Admission and parking for Coast Day are free.
The lectures kick off at 12:30 p.m. when UD Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences Art Trembanis presents “Diving Adventures in Bonaire with Three Autonomous Underwater Robots.” Trembanis will reflect on experiences from a Caribbean research trip during which scientists used underwater robots to study coral reefs.
The lecture series also will feature Yda Schreuder’s lecture “New Policy for New Weather” at 1:45 p.m. Schreuder, who is a Senior Policy Fellow in the Center of Energy and Environmental Policy and an associate professor in the Department of Geography, will review the issue of climate change and environmentally responsible approaches to energy use.
The series will wrap up at 3 p.m. with “Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles of the Delaware Coast,” presented by Suzanne Thurman, executive director of the Marine Education, Research, and Rehabilitation Institute Inc. (MERR). Thurman will discuss the natural history of different species and will highlight specific stranding and rescue events for various animals found on the coast.
Coast Day also will feature several additional special presentations. At 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., showings of “The ’62 Storm — A Shared Response” will take place. The video features firsthand accounts from people who lived through the damaging three-day Northeaster, often called “Delaware’s Coastal Storm of the Century,” that claimed lives, homes and property throughout the mid-Atlantic coast.
Two other events will include a talk on the state of Delaware beaches and the kid-friendly demonstration There’s Magic in the Atmosphere. Tony Pratt will address the topic of beaches in a lecture entitled “Delaware's Shoreline — Are We Ready for the Next Storm?” In his 1:30 p.m. talk, Pratt will discuss Delaware shoreline management strategies and how the beaches are expected to fare during future coastal storms.
The entertaining magic show, There’s Magic in the Atmosphere, will take place at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The show includes an array of glowing and exploding chemical magic tricks that will not only amaze audience members, but also will explain various marine-related phenomena.
Coast Day, which is sponsored by the University of Delaware's College of Marine and Earth Studies and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, attracted 13,000 visitors in 2007 to celebrate Delaware's coastal resources and experience marine research.
For more information about Coast Day, visit www.deseagrant.org/coastday or call 302-831-8083. Additionally, the day’s full lineup will be available through the event program, which will posted on the above web site beginning Sept. 22.
To learn more about the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, visit www.deseagrant.org. For more about CMES, visit www.ocean.udel.edu.