2010 Meetings

BA Cornell College of Iowa, 1958; MS, 1960 and PhD, 1962 Aquatic Ecology Purdue University, Post doctorate, Duke University Marine Laboratory 1962-3, General Electric Company and Battelle Memorial Institute Richland, Washington 1963-70, Faculty in Marine Science, University of South Carolina 1970-2002.

His research emphasizes the age and growth of recreationally and commercially important fishes in fresh water, estuarine and oceanic ecosystems and environmental resource policy and management. His laboratory developed several key methods for the use of otoliths to age larval, juvenile and adult fishes, and especially pelagic fishes. His laboratory is well recognized for training international researchers in these methods. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in introductory biology, zoology, ecology, biology of fishes and science and public policy. He was a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow in the Faculty of Fisheries of Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Japan in 1977 and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Nagasaki University Faculty of Fisheries, Nagasaki, Japan in 1985. He regularly works with his colleagues in Japan on fish ecology, fishery resources and habitat utilization. In 1999, he was Visiting Professor of Fisheries Ecology at the University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. Dr. Dean and his students have conducted research projects on the ecology of tuna and swordfish in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean and he collaborates with colleagues in Italy, Japan, France, Netherlands, Greece and Turkey. He has more than 100 publications in the refereed literature and numerous technical reports. Dr. Dean was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Cornell College of Iowa in 2003.

His service on numerous advisory committees dealing with natural resource issues, and the role of science in the development and implementation of natural resources policies at the domestic and international level enables him to bring a unique perspective to his students and to policy makers. Dr. Dean served on the Committee on Technology and Marine Habitats and the Committee to Identify High-Priority Science to meet National Coastal Needs for the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. He served on the South Carolina Coastal Council (1979-83), and was a member of the South Carolina Coastal Council Blue Ribbon Committee for Coastal Zone Management (1987). He served three terms on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 1987-90 and 1999-2006. He chaired the Highly Migratory Species committee as well as serving on several other committees of the council and was the council delegate to the US ICCAT Advisory Committee. He served four terms on the United States Advisory Committee for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and was chairman 1992-96. Upon completion of his third term on the SAFMC, he was appointed to their external Science and Statistics Committee. Professor Dean was appointed to the South Carolina Heritage Trust Advisory Board (1991-97) and was a member of the Advisory Board of the Land and Water Division of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources from 1992-2007. For over 20 years, Dr. Dean was the convener of the session on Natural Resources and the Environment for Leadership South Carolina. He serves as a consultant to several seafood and restaurant companies, including the Ponte Vecchio Ristorante in Boza, Italy, Trattoria Lillicu in Cagliari, Italy, and Blue Marlin in Columbia, South Carolina. He has recently been appointed to the Frenzy Sport Fishing Team, Columbia, SC and Costa Rica to develop scientific principles for their recreational fishing business. He helped form and is currently a member of the Steering Committee of the South Carolina Sustainable SeafoodInitiative. The South Carolina Supreme Court appointed him to the South Carolina Commission on Judicial Conduct from 2001-2011. The South Atlantic Regional Fisheries Management Council has recently appointed him to a three year term on the Information and Education Advisory Committee.

Although retired, he remains active in several IUCN Specialist Groups, including the Tapir Specialist Group in which he continues to serve as that group’s Red List Authority.  In recognition for his work, Mr. Shoemaker was made an Honorary member of the AZA.  Mr. Shoemaker has authored over 125 refereed and professional papers, and over 100 popular articles.  Prior to attending graduate school, Mr. Shoemaker served in the U.S. Army for two years, including a seven-month of tour in Vietnam. 

      The coastal geology of South Carolina is complex, formed by the combined processes of sea level rise, sediment supply, waves, and tides. The presentation consists of two parts. Part I describes the general processes and landforms of the coast, explaining the history of how the South Carolina coast evolved and how processes such as waves, tides, sediment supply, and sea level rise have combined to produce the modern coastal features such as barrier islands, deltas, estuaries, tidal flats, and salt marshes. We include discussion of the impacts of hurricanes, changes in sediment supply that are both natural and man-made, the beach cycle, and methods to control erosion. Part II describes in more detail the coastal geomorphology of each of four compartments:  the Grand Strand; the Delta Region; the Barrier Islands; and the Low Country. Explanations are provided for key features of the coast such as Carolina bays, capes, barrier islands, and tidal inlets.

Dr. Miles O. Hayes

Dr. Miles O. Hayes is a coastal geomorphologist and sedimentologist with 50 years of research experience. He has authored more than 250 articles and reports and three books on a range of topics relating to tidal hydraulics, river morphology and processes, beach erosion, barrier island morphology, oil pollution, and petroleum exploration.

Based on extensive field experience throughout the world, he has developed innovative techniques regarding environmental protection, oil-spill response and shoreline processes. Three of the original concepts proposed and developed by Hayes are: 1) importance of hurricanes to barrier island and nearshore shelf sedimentation; 2) the effect of tides on shoreline morphology and sedimentation patterns; and 3) the environmental sensitivity index (ESI) for mapping shorelines (with co-author Michel), which has been applied worldwide.

Hayes' teaching experience includes a range of both undergraduate and graduate courses while a Professor at the Universities of Massachusetts and South Carolina. Seventy-two graduate students received their degrees under his supervision, most of whom are now leaders in their respective academic, government and industry positions. He is presently chairman of the Board of Research Planning, Inc. (RPI), a science technology company located in Columbia, S.C.

Dr. Jacqueline Michel

Dr. Jacqueline Michel is an internationally recognized expert in oil and hazardous materials spill response and assessment with a primary focus in the areas of oil fates and effects, non-floating oils, shoreline cleanup, alternative response technologies and natural resource damage assessment. She has participated in research projects in 33 countries.

Since 1982, she has been a member of the Scientific Support Team to the U.S. Coast Guard provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Under this role, she is on 24-hour call and provides technical support for an average of 50 spill events per year. She leads shoreline assessment teams and assists in selecting cleanup methods to minimize the environmental impacts of the spill.

She has written more than 150 manuals, reports, and scientific papers on coastal resource impacts, mapping and protection. As a member of the Ocean Studies Board at the National Academy of Sciences for four years, she served on four National Research Council committees (chairing two), and is a Lifetime Associate of the National Academies. One of the original founders of RPI, which started in 1977, she now serves as the company president.

Dr. Asbury (Abby) Sallenger leads the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards that examines coastal-erosion hazards arising from extreme storms throughout the United States (see: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/). This research utilizes airborne lidar to survey hundreds of kilometers of coast both before and after extreme storms to detect change. The effort began in the late 1990s, focusing on the intense winter storms that impacted the U.S. west coast during the 1997-98 El Nino. Since then, we have investigated the impacts of 12 hurricanes that have made landfall on the U.S. east and Gulf of Mexico coasts, including 2005’s Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Dr. Sallenger received both his BA in Geology and PhD in Marine Science from the University of Virginia. He is the former Chief Scientist of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Center for Coastal Geology in St. Petersburg, FL and is presently a research oceanographer at the Center. 

I have also included below information about a prestigious award that he received from the USGS.  We expect to have copies of his book available for a book signing too. 

Hurricane and Coastal-Change Expert Abby Sallenger Wins USGS Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Communication

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) oceanographer Asbury (Abby) H. Sallenger recently received the USGS Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Communication. The award was announced on August 31, 2007, and conferred in a formal ceremony at USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia, on September 27. Below is the citation for the award.

"The Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Communication honors a USGS scientist who demonstrates great skill in presenting complex concepts to nontechnical audiences. This lifetime achievement award honors the recipient's skill and enthusiasm for conveying science in multiple media.

"This year we recognize USGS oceanographer Asbury H. Sallenger. The substantial impact and national recognition of the USGS coastal program is widely recognized as a direct result of Sallenger's efforts—particularly his skills as a communicator. Whether it is a briefing on the Hill, a presentation to the research or local community, or an interview with the media, Sallenger knows how to communicate the value of USGS science and its relevance to the audience in question. He has become the voice of the USGS with respect to hurricanes and coastal change. With an unassuming, can-do manner, Sallenger attends to multiple demands in the face of a hurricane and its aftermath, and he has done so repeatedly—during a single season and year after year—responding to the surge of media requests for interviews, taking reporters into the field, and keeping managers and support personnel informed. His ability to communicate the value of the science reaches from the personal level, inspiring more than 10 of the technicians who have worked for him to continue their education through the doctorate level, to the national level, inspiring major media networks to return for additional, in depth interviews."

To learn more about the scientific work of Sallenger and his research team, visit "Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms" and "National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards."

The Shoemaker Awards Competition was established in 1997 in memory of Eugene M. Shoemaker to recognize extraordinary examples of communicating and translating complex scientific concepts and discoveries into words and pictures that capture the interest and imagination of the American public. Shoemaker, a USGS astrogeologist considered the founder of the science of lunar and planetary geology, was an effective and prolific communicator, as well as an innovative scientist and researcher. One of his greatest assets was his ability to communicate scientific concepts to nonscientists in a way that could be easily understood and appreciated. Today, many USGS employees carry on his enthusiasm, giving voice to all our science programs.

Speaker: Dr. Brian Helmuth
Topic: "Living under the sea: an Aquanaut's view of Science and Exploration."

Modern marine science requires equal parts of high technology equipment and in knock, down, drag out, in the field exploration.  Brian Helmuth will discuss some of the underwater projects that he and his collaborators have undertaken, focusing in particular on the Aquarius underwater habitat, the only civilian facility in the world devoted to scientific research.  Living 60 feet underwater, scientists (aquanauts) live in an open habitat on the bottom of the ocean for missions lasting up to 10 days, and thus are able to greatly extend their working time on the surrounding reefs.  Brian will present a brief history of technical diving, including saturation and mixed gas techniques, and will talk about some of the work that he and his group have undertaken using these methods on Caribbean coral reefs.
 
Dr. Brian Helmuth is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.  Helmuth’s research explores the effects of climate and climate change on the physiology and ecology of marine organisms. Specifically, he uses thermal engineering techniques, including a combination of field work, remote sensing and mathematical modeling, to forecast the impacts of climate change on coastal marine animals such as mussels and seastars. He has also used similar techniques to examine the impacts of temperature and water flow on tropical corals. A major goal of this approach is to predict where, when, and with what magnitude the effects of climate change are most (and least) likely to occur. To date his work has centered primarily on tropical coral reefs in Florida, the Caribbean and Central America, and on temperate rocky intertidal systems in the United States, Europe and South America.  Helmuth’s work has shown some surprising results, and has suggested that our expectations of where to look for the effects of climate change in nature can be more complex than previously anticipated. His work suggests that unless we know where and when to look for impacts of climate change, many early impacts could go unnoticed.  Helmuth received his PhD in 1997 from the University of Washington in Seattle, and spent two years as a post-doctoral research associate at Stanford from 1997-1999.  Since 1999 he has served on the faculty at USC.  Helmuth is a Fellow of the Aldo Leopold Leadership program, which trains select scientists to interact with policy makers and the public.  He regularly works with K-12 teachers throughout South Carolina and in 2003 was named Marine Educator of the Year by the South Carolina Marine Educators Association.  He has published over 45 peer-reviewed journal articles and is regularly invited to speak at Universities and symposia throughout the world.