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Future of Our Oceans: The Wave of Change

SUMA Ocean SPS Events

Overview

Our oceans play a vital role in supporting biodiversity and regulating the earth’s climate. Yet, they face unprecedented threats across the planet. Join us for an insightful panel featuring distinguished experts as they dive into the most pressing issues impacting our marine ecosystems today. The discussion will highlight groundbreaking and innovative projects that are driving meaningful change and shaping the future of our oceans.

The Future of Our Oceans: The Wave of Change is sponsored by Columbia’s M.S. in Sustainability Science program, cosponsored by Columbia’s M.S. in Sustainability Management program, and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in partnership with the Coral Restoration Consortium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
 

Moderator:

Sonya Dyhrman, Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Sonya Dyhrman is Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at Columbia University and a member of the Biology and Paleoenvironment Division at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. She is an oceanographer who specializes in leveraging new genomic approaches to study marine microbes and how their activities support ocean ecosystem health. From Long Island Sound to Antarctica, her work combines field studies with laboratory experiments to query the vast network of microbes in the ocean and forecast what those networks will look like in the future. In addition to her research program, she is a devoted educator in both a formal and informal context, developing outreach materials that have reached millions of children with math and science content, teaching Columbia undergraduates about ecosystems, and sharing her work with policy makers at the UN Climate Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings.
 

Panel:

Dr. Ajit Subramaniam, Lamont Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Ajit Subramaniam is a Lamont Research Professor at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and a microbial oceanographer with expertise in biogeochemical cycles, remote sensing, bio-optics, and phytoplankton physiology. He is interested in advancing our ability to observe the ocean and in expanding our understanding of how the marine ecosystem works and can be managed. He has served as the program director for the Marine Microbiology Initiative at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and a program director in the Biological Oceanography Program at the U.S. National Science Foundation. He has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center in Charleston, SC, the University of Maryland in College Park, and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Ajit earned his Ph.D. in Coastal Oceanography and M.S. in Marine Environmental Science from SUNY, Stony Brook. He has a bachelor's degree in physics from The American College in India.

Subramaniam was elected as a member-at-large of the Board of Directors of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography in 2018 and reelected to that position in 2021. He was awarded a Mercator Fellowship by the University of Rostock and the Baltic Sea Research Institute, Germany, in 2017 and the Climate and Life Fellowship at LDEO in 2021. He currently serves on the National Academy of Science panel for the Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences. Subramaniam is a sustaining fellow of the Association for Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.

Dr. Tali Vardi, Executive Director of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC)

Dr. Tali Vardi is the Executive Director of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC), the global community of practice for the field of coral restoration - connecting scientists and practitioners, and providing the gold-standard of products to move the field forward. Tali brings 25 years of experience and has authored over 20 publications in the fields of habitat restoration, coral reef ecology and intervention science, as well as international policy, advocacy, and community building. Prior to running the CRC, she spent 11 years as a coral scientist at NOAA, before which she earned her PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Tali started her career right here in New York City - working with the Parks Departments’ Natural Resources Group. Tali is a mom, swimmer, SCUBA diver, big laugher, and has recently started learning how to harmonize Bluegrass music.

Richard Vevers, Director of Room 71, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Richard Vevers is the Director of Room 71, a breakthrough communication initiative at the world’s leading independent ocean science institution Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Richard is a fellow of The Explorers Club and is best known for his leading role in the Emmy Award-winning documentary Chasing Coral on Netflix, and his work has been featured in numerous publications and documentaries. He was the founder of The Ocean Agency, a highly successful ocean conservation nonprofit accelerating ocean science and conservation through the power of creativity and collaboration. Before diving into ocean and coral reef conservation, Vevers first worked at some of the top London advertising agencies and then as an artist and underwater photographer. This background has guided his unique creative and business-thinking approach to ocean conservation. His imagery, revealing what is happening to our oceans, is some of the most viewed underwater imagery of all time, and his ideas, projects, and public speaking have made him a leading voice in the fight to save coral reefs. His major successes include: 1) inventing the camera that took Google Street View underwater, 2) pioneering virtual reality ocean education, currently available to over 90 million kids, 3) leading the most comprehensive underwater photographic survey of the world’s coral reefs with over 1 million images captured and analyzed (XL Catlin Seaview Survey), 4) revealing the crisis facing coral reefs due to climate change in the Netflix Original Documentary, Chasing Coral, 5) Developing a science-based global plan for targeting coral reef conservation efforts called 50 Reefs.

 

RECEPTION

Light refreshments will be served at this event.
 

This event is free and open to the public.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

For further information please contact Lili Csorba, lcsorba [[at]] climate [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (SUSCI/ SUMA).

 

For additional information about program offerings at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, please contact an Admissions Counselor at 212-854-9666 or inquire [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu .

 

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Please notify the office at least 10 days in advance if you require closed captioning, sign-language interpretation or any other disability accommodations. Alternatively, Disability Services can be reached at 212.854.2388 and disability [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu.

 

For questions about health and safety, please visit Columbia University’s Hub for Emergency Preparedness for the latest policies, as they are subject to change.