Although the Harte Research Institute has been in existence for over six years, most of the first five have been devoted to preparing the real work of the Institute – the “heavy lifting” has now begun in earnest.

Much of the progress of the Institute has been keyed to the completion of our new building. Prior to its occupation in November 2005, we did not have space available to do the kinds of activities planned for HRI. Note: I didn’t use the word "completion" since there are areas of the building still being completed correctly. To attract the type of research personnel we are seeking, a major appeal is the availability of spaces that can be tailored to the needs of the faculty, and we now have that. The building is well designed and very attractive – stop by for a tour at any time.

In other places in this newsletter, we are displaying to you some of the new activities that have been generated in recent months at HRI. These can only be a sampling of what is happening here. Subsequent issues of HRI News will add to the display of our array of activities. The exciting thing is that we have more projects and activities than can be given in one newsletter.

Many of the programs we have been engaged in have been those that introduced us to the ocean and marine world. Our co-sponsorship of exploration projects such as Sustainable Seas, Pulley Ridge and 7.5 Fathom Reef are examples. Furthermore, our development of the “State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit 2006” was a bold venture for a fledgling operation which brought together the governors of four Gulf states, two from Mexico and two from the U.S., to share with the participants their desires and concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico. Our sincere appreciation to Texas Governor Perry for his co-sponsorship of this program and to the other governors for their participation. The proceedings of the Summit program are now available for those interested. By all measures, it has been judged a real success.

I will try to err on the side of brevity for our first newsletter – I have been accused of making the audience “drink from a fire hose.” Huge kudos for our Advisory Council since they have been so helpful and instrumental in our progress to date. Pleasant reading and we welcome feedback on the HRI News so that it will be as interesting and useful as possible to the reader.

- Bob Furgason, Executive Director