Download Harbor Branch Executive Director Presents “Our Changing Oceans

Harbor Branch Executive Director Presents “Our Changing Oceans"
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University continues the Ocean
Science Lecture Series on Wednesday, April 13, with a presentation titled "Our Changing
Oceans," by Margaret Leinen, Ph.D., newly appointed executive director of Harbor Branch and
associate provost of marine and environmental initiatives. Leinen will present at 4 and 7 p.m.
Both lecture times are followed by a meet-the-speaker reception. The event will be held in the
Johnson Education Center auditorium on the Harbor Branch campus, located at 5600 N. U.S. 1
in Fort Pierce. There is no charge to attend.
Leinen will give an overview of some of the large-scale changes in our oceans that are happening
as a result of climate change and ocean acidification. “Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and research during that time shows that our global
oceans have undergone remarkable changes -- more extensive than we would have thought
possible 40 years ago -- and that the ocean is continuing to change in ways that will affect
climate, sea level and ocean ecosystems,” said Leinen. “How will these changes affect us? And
what opportunities do we have to deal with the changes?”
Last month, FAU welcomed Leinen as the new executive director of Harbor Branch and
associate provost of marine and environmental initiatives. Most recently, she led the Climate
Response Fund, a non-profit organization she founded that works to foster discussion of climate
engineering research to ensure that its techniques are adequately understood and regulated prior
to use.
Before working in the non-profit and private sectors, Leinen served at the National Science
Foundation (NSF) as assistant director for geosciences and coordinator of environmental
research and education. She provided executive leadership for one of the seven units of the NSF,
oversaw a budget of $700 million, led government-wide planning for climate research and co-led
government planning for ocean research. Leinen has also been in academic leadership positions
at the University of Rhode Island, serving as vice provost for marine and environmental
programs and as dean of the graduate school of oceanography. She received her doctorate in
oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, her master's degree in geological
oceanography from Oregon State University and her bachelor's degree in geology from the
University of Illinois.
For more information about the Ocean Science Lecture Series, contact Jill Sunderland at 772242-2506, or email [email protected].