Geologists view beach/dune environment on
Mustang Island during field trip.
Photo: T Hepner
Gibeaut leads barrier islands field trip
On April 19 HRI Endowed Associate Research Professor Dr. Jim Gibeaut and colleagues Tom Tremblay and Tiffany Hepner of The University of Texas at Austin led the field trip “Geo-environments of Mustang Island and North Padre Island, Texas: Status, Trends, and Environmental Management of a Barrier-Island System.” The trip was sponsored by the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM) and was part of the annual convention of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists that convened in San Antonio, Texas. Thirty-six geologists from around the United States, Canada, and as far away as Japan, Norway, and Europe visited a variety of environments and discussed geological processes and coastal management issues.

Shirley lectures on snow crab in Korea
HRI Endowed Chair Dr. Tom Shirley was an invited speaker at the 9th International Snow Crab and Marine Bio-Industry Symposium held in Uljin, Korea on March 29, sponsored by the Gyeongbuk Institute for Marine Bio-Industry. Dr. Shirley lectured on "Snow Crab Status & Perspectives in the USA" at the symposium and participated in the Uljin International Snow Crab Festival March 28-30.

Shirley, Kilgour write shipwreck book
HRI Endowed Chair Dr. Tom Shirley and HRI PhD student Morgan Kilgour are co-authors on a new book just released regarding their Gulf of Mexico research with Minerals Management Service (MMS) and NOAA regarding WW II shipwrecks in the northwestern Gulf. The book, entitled "A Study of Living History – Deep WW II Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico," was published in late 2007 by the PAST Foundation.
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McLaughlin speaks at global conference
HRI Endowed Chair Dr. Richard McLaughlin was an invited delegate and presenter at the 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands held April 7-11 in Hanoi, Vietnam. McLaughlin made a presentation on National Ocean Policies of the United States and participated in the working group that developed a policy statement on the Governance of Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

Montagna, Brenner travel to Mexico
HRI Endowed Chair Dr. Paul Montagna and Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Jorge Brenner attended the California Research Society Meeting in Ensenada, Mexico, where Dr. Montagna delivered a keynote address entitled “Lessons In Adaptive Management of an Inverse Estuary: Rincon Bayou, Nueces Delta, Texas.” Following the meeting, both participated in a workshop for “Arid and Seasonally Arid Estuaries,” which was designed to define the common links between estuaries of the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts that share little inflow.

Sunset over Sarasota Bay.
Photo: S Blakey
Tunnell leads SAML meeting in Florida
HRI Associate Director Dr. Wes Tunnell, who is President of the Southern Association of Marine Labs (SAML), recently led the SAML Annual Meeting in Sarasota, Florida. About 25 marine lab directors from across the southeast met for two days, one at the Pritzker Marine Research Center at New College of Florida and one at Mote Marine Lab.

HRI staff attends Rhode Island meeting
A large contingent of faculty, students and staff attended the annual Benthic Ecology Meeting held March 10-12 in Providence, Rhode Island. Attending were HRI Endowed Chair Dr. Paul Montagna, Dr. Jennifer Beseres Pollack, and Terry Palmer. HRI Research Associate Dr. Lee Smee and graduate students Scott Large, Keith Johnson, and Jackie Staggs presented at the meeting. HRI will sponsor the 2009 meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Cruz, McLaughlin present poster in DC
HRI Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Ivonne Cruz and HRI Endowed Chair Dr. Rich McLaughlin attended a conference in Washington, DC, in April called "Linking Knowledge with Action for Sustainable Development." They presented a poster called "Governance for Sustainable Development in the Gulf of Mexico – Integrating Knowledge from Tradition, Practice, and Research."

Stunz honored with award, grant
HRI Endowed Associate Research Professor Dr. Greg Stunz was nominated for the TAMU-CC Scholarly and Creative Activity Award this spring, and he was recently notified that he won a State of Texas Advanced Research (ARP) Program Award. His ARP grant is titled “Habitat fragmentation in marine ecosystems: Impact of habitat loss to marine fishes” for $150,000 with Dr. Joan Holt at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute for 24 months (June 2008-June 2010).