News Releases

USM Hosts National Marine Educators Conference July 23-27
Event will feature international ocean experts and local celebs

July 20, 2007

Portland, ME – Over 500 teachers, researchers and marine educators from across the nation will gather at the University of Southern Maine in Portland this Monday through Friday, July 23-27 for a conference to share ideas and innovations in marine education. Guest speakers from New Zealand to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute on Portland’s waterfront will appear during this weeklong event.

Keynote speaker Ron O’Dor, senior scientist of the international Census of Marine Life, will discuss current findings of the global Census project. The project is a 10-year initiative of scientists in over 70 nations to assess the diversity, distribution and abundance of life in the world’s oceans. O’Dor is from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is currently based in Washington D.C.

Closer to home, the Gulf of Maine Area program (the regional project of the Census of Marine Life) will feature Chief Scientist Lewis Incze of USM’s Aquatic Systems Group, housed at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Incze will discuss current initiatives to develop an integrated, ecosystem-based approach to management of the Gulf of Maine.

The conference will also feature presentations by:
- Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic Gold Medalist and clean ocean activist
- Linda Greenlaw, best-selling author of "The Hungry Ocean"
- Bill Curtsinger, National Geographic Underwater Photographer
- Bob Steneck, School of Marine Science, University of Maine
- Joe Payne, Casco Baykeeper

Entertainment will include Maine humorist Tim Sample and a Rachael Carson theatrical performance by nationally renowned artist, Kaiulani Lee, as well as field trips and a bayside lobster bake. Teachers will receive 1.5 CEU, through USM's Office of Continuing Education. This event is co-sponsored by the Gulf of Maine Marine Educators Association (GoMMEA).

To register or find out more information, the conference Web site is www.gommea.org/downeast2007/schedule.html.

The University of Southern Maine serves 10,500 students on campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn. Founded in 1878, USM offers 50 undergraduate programs, 25 master's degrees, two doctorates, and a Juris Doctor. http://www.usm.maine.edu/

>more news releases