SC&E Faculty Speakers
Donald M. Baltz
Professor • Ph.D. (1980), University of California,
Davis • Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: The Spotted Seatrout in Louisiana—Habitat
Affinities; Spawning Site Selection by Spotted Seatrout in
Louisiana
Mark C. Benfield
Associate Professor • Ph.D. (1991), Texas A&M University
• Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: Why Are There So Many Fish Around Oil Platforms?;
Opening A Window Into the Ocean—New Technologies for
Sampling the Sea
James H. Cowan, Jr.
Professor • Ph.D. (1985), Louisiana State
University • Department of Oceanography & Coastal
Sciences
Speaker Topics: Artificial Reefs in the Gulf of Mexico—Are
They Doing What We Think They’re Doing?; Jellyfish as
Predators; Fish Eggs and Larvae in the Gulf of Mexico
John W. Day, Jr.
Emeritus Professor • Ph.D. (1971), University of
North Carolina • Department of Oceanography & Coastal
Sciences
Speaker Topics: Mississippi River Diversion; Use of Wetlands
for Water Quality Improvements
Dubravko Justic
Professor • Ph.D. (1989), University of Zagreb,
Croatia • Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topic: Implications of Global Climate Change for Coastal
Ecosystems Influenced by Large Rivers
Edward A. Laws
Professor and Interim Dean • Ph.D. (1972), Harvard University
• Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topic: Aquatic Pollution
Irving A. Mendelssohn
Professor • Ph.D. (1978), North Carolina State University
• Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: Wetlands Loss and Restoration—Oil Spill
Impact and Cleanup; Brown Marsh—Causes and Consequences
Edward B. Overton
Professor • Ph.D. (1970), University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
• Department of Environmental Sciences
Speaker Topics: LSU Intellectual Property & Small Business;
Energy Sources—Their Environmental Impact and Consumption
Coalition with GDP; The Strategic Oil Reserve— How it
Works; The Impact of Ozone on Everyday Life; Cyclical Warming—Its
Causes and Impacts
John C. Pine
Professor-Research • Ed.D. (1979), University of Georgia,
Athens • Department of Environmental Sciences
Speaker Topic: Vulnerability and Consequence Assessment for
Natural and Man-made Disasters
Ralph J. Portier
Environmental Sciences Distinguished Professor • Ph.D.
(1982), Louisiana State University • Department of Environmental Sciences
Speaker Topic: A Bioremediation Primer: or, How to Clean Up
Your Very Own Hazardous Waste Site
Margaret A. Reams
Associate Professor • Ph.D. (1990), University of Georgia,
Athens • Department of Environmental Sciences
Speaker Topic: Opportunities for Environmental Conflict Resolution
in Louisiana
Harry H. Roberts
Emeritus Boyd Professor , Coastal Studies Institute • Ph.D.
(1969), Louisiana State University • Department of
Oceanography & Coastal Sciences and the Coastal Studies
Institute
Speaker Topics: New Energy Source—Louisiana Continental
Shelf Coastal Issues; Natural Oil and Gas Seepage on the Louisiana
Continental Slope; Natural and Man-Induced Dynamics of the
Mississippi River Complex
Kenneth A. Rose
Professor • Ph.D. (1985), University of Washington •
Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topic: Fish and Shrimp Population and Habitat Dynamics
Lawrence J. Rouse, Jr.
Associate Professor • Ph.D. (1972), Louisiana State
University • Department of Oceanography & Coastal
Sciences, the Coastal Studies Institute, and the Coastal
Marine Institute (director)
Speaker Topics: The Earth from Space; Circulation in Louisiana
Coastal Waters; Land Loss and Restoration in Coastal Louisiana
Richard F. Shaw
Professor , Coastal Fisheries Institute •
Ph.D. (1981), University of Maine at Orono • Department
of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences and the Coastal Fisheries
Institute
Speaker Topics: Oil and Gas Platform Nurseries; Global Climatic
Change—How It Will Affect the Louisiana Coast
Gregory W. Stone
Morgan Professor and Director of WAVCIS • Ph.D. (1991),
University of Maryland •Department of Oceanography
& Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: Hurricanes—Impact on our Coast; Loss
of the Wetlands and Restoration; Coastal Erosion—Mitigation;
New Ocean Wave Technology—Ocean Observation Systems
R. Eugene Turner
Environmental Sciences Distinguished Professor • Ph.D.
(1974), University of Georgia • Department of Oceanography
& Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: Water Quality; The Dead Zone; Coastal Restoration
Robert R. Twilley
Professor, Ph.D. (1982), University of Florida • Department
of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: Development of Ecosystem Models to Forecast
the Rehabilitation of the Coastal and Wetlands Ecosystems
Jenneke M. Visser
Assistant Professor–Research • Ph.D. (1989),
Louisiana State University • Department
of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: Louisiana Seabirds—Disappearing Habitats
And Solutions; Coastal Restoration—What Is The Government
Doing To Address The Problem?; Nutria—An Exotic Species
and its Effects on Coastal Louisiana
Nan D. Walker
ExxonMobil Professor of Marine Geology and Director, Earth
Scan Lab • Ph.D. (1989), University of Cape Town,
South Africa • Department of Oceanography & Coastal
Sciences , Coastal Studies Institute, Earth Scan
Lab (Director)
Speaker Topics:Real–time Satellite Surveillance of
Storms and Ocean and Coastal Currents—LSU Earth Scan
Laboratory; The Atchafalaya—BayWatch Coastal Measurement
Program; The El Niño–Southern Oscillation—Global
Perspective
John R. White
Assistant Professor • Ph.D. (1999), University of
Florida • Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: The Many Functions and Values of Wetlands,
Nutrient Cycling in Wetlands, What is Oceanography ?
Charles A. Wilson
Professor • Ph.D. (1984), University of South Carolina
• Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Speaker Topics: Rigs to Reefs; Fishing Management and Science;
Mapping Fish Habitat of Louisiana
Vincent L. Wilson
Claiborne Gasoline Company Chair of Air Quality & Environmental
Toxicology • Ph.D. (1980), Oregon State University
• Department of Environmental Sciences
Speaker Topics: Developments in Rare Mutations & Cancer
Risk; Environmental & Human Biomonitoring by Rare Mutation
Detection; Toxic Exposures & Germ Cell Mutation—Disease
Risks Passed On To Our Children
