Conference Welcome & Kick-Off
Plenary Presentation | Tuesday, October 21, 2018 | 8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Presenter: RADM David J. Hahn
Chief of Naval Research, Director of Innovation, Technology Requirements and Test & Evaluation (OPNAV N94)
A native of Tampa, Florida, Rear Adm. David Hahn graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with distinction in 1985, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Additionally, he holds a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University and has completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI program in International Security Affairs.
Prior to command, he served at sea aboard USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN 633), USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) and USS Springfield (SSN 761), deploying to the North Atlantic and Western Pacific, as well as conducting several strategic deterrent patrols.
Ashore, he served as flag lieutenant to superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; squadron engineer, Submarine Development Squadron (SUBDEVRON) 12; action officer, Joint Staff in the Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) Directorate; and legislative fellow on the staff of U.S. Senator John Warner.
Hahn commanded the USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) from September 2003 to January 2007. In command, he deployed to the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean and conducted an Engineered Overhaul in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Since becoming an acquisition professional in 2007, he has served as Joint Test and Evaluation test director and program manager, Advanced Submarine Research and Development and served as major program manager, Submarine Combat and Weapon Control Systems program.
Hahn’s first flag assignment was as the senior technical advisor to the deputy chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare/director of Naval Intelligence (OPNAV N2/N6).In November of 2016, he became the 26th chief of Naval Research with concurrent flag responsibilities as director, Innovation Technology Requirements and Test & Evaluation (OPNAV N94).
Hahn has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and various campaign and unit awards.
Join Rear Admiral Gallaudet as he facilitates a live simulcast conversation with crew members aboard two federal research ships: the Atlantis and the Okeanos Explorer:
The research vessel (R/V) Atlantis is owned by the U.S. Navy, Office of Naval Research, and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute for the oceanographic community. It is one of the most sophisticated research vessels afloat, and it is specifically outfitted for launching and servicing the Alvin human occupied submersible.
The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is “America’s ship for ocean exploration.” Dedicated to exploration and discovery, the Okeanos Explorer is currently the only federally funded ship dedicated to the systematic exploration of our largely unknown ocean for the purpose of discovery and advancement of knowledge.
Moderator: RDML Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., USN Ret.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Timothy Gallaudet, Ph.D., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 5, 2017, as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere for the Department of Commerce in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Dr. Gallaudet was previously a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, where his most recent assignment was Oceanographer of the Navy and Commander of the Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Command. During his 32 years of military service, Dr. Gallaudet has had experience in weather and ocean forecasting, hydrographic surveying, developing policy and plans to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, and assessing the national security impacts of climate change.
He has led teams of Navy Sailors and civilians performing such diverse functions as overseeing aircraft carrier combat operations, planning and conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts, assisting Navy SEAL Teams during high visibility counter‐terrorism operations, and developing the Navy’s annual $52 billion information technology, cyber security and intelligence budget.
Dr. Gallaudet holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and master’s and doctoral degrees from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all in oceanography.
Dr. Peter Haugan, Chair, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), will set the stage by describing the ways in which ocean science is changing the world. Specifically, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030 seeks to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for sustainable development of the Ocean. Moderated by Mr. Craig McLean (NOAA), panelists will describe how this new level of attention on ocean science is driving the blue economy around the world.
Moderator: Craig McLean
Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and Acting Chief Scientist, at NOAA
Craig McLean is the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at NOAA. He is also serving as the acting Chief Scientist for NOAA.
He is responsible for NOAA’s research enterprise including a network of research laboratories and programs including the Climate Program, National Sea Grant, Ocean Exploration, and Weather Research. Internationally, Mr. McLean serves as the U.S. Representative to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and as the Co-chair of the U.S. European Union Marine Working Group, and in the US-Canada-EU North Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance under the Galway Statement.
Mr. McLean has previously served in NOAA as Deputy Assistant Administrator of the National Ocean Service, Deputy Director of the National Marine Sanctuary System, and was the founding Director of NOAA’s Ocean Exploration program. He served in uniform for nearly 25 years in NOAA’s Commissioned Corps, retiring at the rank of Captain. Mr. McLean served aboard hydrographic, oceanographic, and fisheries research ships. Craig led NOAA’s innovation and planning for the Smithsonian Institution’s Sant Ocean Hall, and achieved a National Ocean Action Plan goal of securing a permanent, dedicated US ship for the ocean exploration, the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
Craig is also an attorney and has practiced marine resource law for NOAA. Mr. McLean is a Fellow of the Explorers Club, the Marine Technology Society, a 250th Anniversary Fellow of Rutgers University, and a past-president of the Sea-Space Symposium.
Panelist: Max Gruenig
President, Ecologic Institute US
Max Gruenig is the President of Ecologic Institute US and has been with Ecologic Institute since 2007.
His work focuses on sustainable development in the energy and transport sector, as well as urban sustainability and resilient cities. In particular, he is leading the efforts by Ecologic Institute in the Energy Future Exchange (EFEX). He is also coordinating the Post-Carbon Cities of Tomorrow program (POCACITO).
In 2004, Max Gruenig received his degree in economics from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin, Germany). The main focus of his studies was natural resource economics and auction theory.
Max Gruenig has lived and worked in Germany, the United States, Iceland, and Japan. He is a native speaker of German and is fluent in English and French. He is a founding member of the European Institute for Sustainable Transport (EURIST), a member of the sustainability advisory board for NaturEnergiePlus and a member of the Consumer Research Network run by the German Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV).
Recently published:
Lombardi, P., Gruenig, M. (Ed.) 2016: Low-Carbon Energy Security from a European Perspective, Elsevier Academic Press.
O’Donnell, Brendan; Max Gruenig; Arne Riedel (Eds.) 2018: Arctic Summer College Yearbook. An Interdisciplinary Look into Arctic Sustainable Development. 1st ed. Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
Panelist: Peter M. Haugan
Chair of IOC/UNESCO and Research Director II at Institute of Marine Research | Professor of Oceanography at the Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen
Professor Peter M. Haugan is professor of oceanography at the Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen and adjunct Research Director at Institute of Marine Research, Norway. He is the elected chair of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC of UNESCO). He has more than 30 years of experience in marine scientific research and international ocean science coordination. Recent achievements include raising the attention to ocean science, related data and information exchange and services in the United Nations (UN) system and beyond. The preparation and subsequent proclamation of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and the launch of the first ever Global Ocean Science Report (2017) are highlights. Haugan takes a keen interest in the science-policy-society interface. His professional merits include 5 years as research engineer in the petroleum industry in the early 1980s, active contributions to seagoing and polar oceanography from the late 1980s, research on climate, carbon cycle and storage of CO2 from he 1990s, head of institutions, international coordination of marine research infrastructures and science-policy interface from 2000. He has broad academic interests and has also initiated and led research and education efforts in renewable energy including offshore wind.
Panelist: Scott McLean
Director, Ocean Networks Canada Innovation team
Scott McLean is the Director of Ocean Networks Canada’s Innovation team. McLean, a professional electrical engineer, brings over 25 years of ocean technology development experience to Ocean Networks Canada from Halifax, where he worked as chief technology officer and vice-president of research and development at a high-tech oceanographic company. McLean’s areas of expertise include oceanographic sensor and observatory technology development, technology transfer, commercialization, and economic development. From his experience in product development—from concept through to commercial realization—McLean has the proven ability to turn partnerships and technology transfers from Canadian and international organizations into successful commercial products. For his efforts, he has been awarded the Federal Partners in Technology Transfer award for exceptional and distinguished collaboration from the Government of Canada. McLean moved to Victoria in 2009 as Director of the Ocean Networks Canada Innovation Centre, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Ocean Observing Systems, focused on accelerating innovation in Canada’s ocean technology sector. Over the past eight years he has leveraged $11M in federal funding into an impact of over $130M on Canada’s GDP in support of the Blue Economy. In 2017, McLean was appointed as the Chair of the Board of the Ocean Technology Alliance Canada, which represents over 350 ocean tech companies and organizations in Canada. He also sits on the Board of the Association of British Columbia Marine Industries and the Oceans Research in Canada Alliance.
Panelist: Hiroyuki Nakahara
Managing Director, Research Institute for Ocean Economics
Hiroyuki Nakahara is Managing Director of Research Institute for Ocean Economics, RIOE, Japan. He has been working at RIOE for more than forty years as a researcher on ocean industry and ocean science and technology, as well as ocean policy, and lately he became Secretary General of RIOE before becoming current status.
He graduated from Sophia University in Japan, majoring international relations, in 1972, and got his Master of Marine Affairs degree from the Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies, IMCS, University of Southern California, 1983. In USC, he was a student of the director of IMCS, USC, Dr. Don Walsh who was the pilot of the deep submersible, TRIESTE which made the deepest dive to Mariana Trench in 1960, and was an only one Japanese student of late Dr. Arvid Pardo who made a famous speech on Common Heritage of Mankind in the UN in 1967.
Relating to the OCEANS Conference, he was the Executive Vice Chair of Local Organizing Committee of OCEANS/Techno-Ocean 2004, the very first OCEANS Conference held in outside of North America.
He is a Visiting Professor at Yokohama National University and Kobe University, and is a lecturer at the University of Tokyo, on ocean policy and industry. He is also serving as Secretary and Board Member of Japan Society of Ocean Policy from its start-up in 2008. He is now serving as a Board Member of Japan Hydrographic Association and Techno-Ocean Network. He worked as the Non-resident Auditor at JAMSTEC during 2010-2014.
He is currently the Vice Chair of Marine Technology Society Japan Section, but he served as Secretary of MTS Japan Section from its beginning in 1988 till 2015. He was awarded as Fellow of MTS in 2001.
Moderator: Mr. Sam Scimemi
Director, International Space Station (ISS), NASA Headquarters
Mr. Scimemi is the Director for International Space Station (ISS) at NASA Headquarters within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. His duties consist of ensuring safe and productive onboard operations and utilization and implementing policy and programmatic direction. He regularly engages with the White House and Congress, as well as international space agency leaders around the world regarding human spaceflight issues. He has been instrumental in the development of NASA’s plans for human exploration beyond LEO and for the development of a commercial market in LEO. In addition, Mr. Scimemi is the NASA liaison to the ISS National Laboratory implementing organization, the Center for the Advancement of Science In Space (CASIS).
Mr. Scimemi has been a leader in human spaceflight for 30 years. He started his career at the Johnson Space Center in the Shuttle program 2 months prior to the Challenger accident. He has worked as a civil servant and in private industry. He has been employed at four NASA centers: Johnson Space Center, Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Headquarters. His experience spans human spaceflight, Earth and space science including programs such as Space Shuttle, Hubble, Space Station, SOFIA, NPP and many others. Most of his technical career has been spent in flight software and avionics development, testing and operations as well spacecraft level integration. He has been at NASA Headquarters since 2003.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from McNeese State University in 1984 and is a native of Louisiana.
Panelist: Dr. Paul M. DiGiacomo
Chief of Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division, NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research
Dr. Paul M. DiGiacomo is Chief of the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division in the NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR). He also serves as the NOAA CoastWatch/OceanWatch Program Manager and as the NOAA Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) Project Manager. Prior to joining NOAA in 2006, Paul served as Supervisor of the Earth Missions Concepts Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, as well as the Discipline Program Manager of the Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Program Office at JPL. Paul is a biological oceanographer, with expertise in water quality monitoring and coastal marine ecosystem dynamics. He has a B.S. from Penn State University and a Ph.D. from UCLA, both in Biology, and subsequently was a National Research Council (NRC) Resident Research Associate at JPL. Paul is active in numerous national and international working groups and panels, including serving as Co-Chair of the GEO Blue Planet Initiative, as Chair of the GODAE OceanView Patrons Group, and as lead for NOAA’s JPSS Ocean Environmental Data Records Team.
Panelist: Dr. James Goodman
President/CEO, HySpeed Computing LLC
Dr. Goodman is the founder and President/CEO of HySpeed Computing LLC, a technology company specializing in developing advanced algorithms and analytic tools for the scientific community. He previously worked as a consulting engineer, a software developer for decision support systems, and an academic researcher. His cross-disciplinary expertise includes remote sensing, image analysis, mathematical modeling, and high-performance computing using GPUs. Dr. Goodman maintains academic affiliations with the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and the University of Miami, where current research is focused on remote sensing of coastal ecosystems. He has successfully competed for grants from NASA, NSF and NOAA, and collaborated on a variety of projects with investigators around the world. He is also active in the scientific community, publishing research articles and leading sessions at international conferences.
Panelist: Dr. Eric Lindstrom
Physical Oceanography Program Scientist, NASA
Dr. Eric Lindstrom is Physical Oceanography Program Scientist in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C since 1997. He has degrees in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1977) and Physical Oceanography from University of Washington (1983). His scientific interests include the circulation of the ocean and air-sea exchange processes. Before coming to NASA he served as Director of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Project Office in NOAA. Recently he spent five years as the co-chair of the international GOOS Steering Committee.
Under Dr. Lindstrom’s leadership the NASA Physical Oceanography program has become a substantial contributor to the U.S. National Oceanographic Partnership Program and a more active participant with other agencies in developing the integrated global ocean observing systems of the future.
Panelist: Jennifer Lopez
Commercial Innovation, Technology Lead, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)
Jennifer Lopez is the Commercial Innovation, Technology Lead at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) identifying, developing, & fostering space-based commercial R&D & breakthrough innovations for the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory.
Research areas under her leadership include in-space manufacturing, IT & communications (e.g. AI, IoT, data applications, VR, AR, optical communications), robotics, electronics, and other emerging technologies. As Technology Lead, Ms. Lopez is responsible for the optimization of new technology advancements maximizing utilization of the ISS for terrestrial benefit, helping to pave the way toward commercialization in low Earth orbit and successful future orbiting platforms.
As Founding Member of NASA’s Datanaut Corps in the Technology & Open Innovation Division, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), she is shaping the direction of the program for NASA’s open data from NASA missions to research, answering challenges in technology, aeronautics, the Space Station, the solar system, Earth, and NASA’s Journey to Mars.
Ms. Lopez serves on the Advisory Council of the Physics & Astronomy Department at Johns Hopkins University, a world leader in groundbreaking research in condensed matter physics, particle physics, astronomy, astrophysics, and is a 2017 National Geographic Emerging Explorer.
Panelist: Johnny Miller
Director of Business Development, Geospatial Solutions, Teledyne Brown Engineering
Johnny Miller is the Director of Business Development for Teledyne Brown Engineering’s Geospatial Solutions Division. Since joining Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE) almost 40 years ago, Miller has made valuable contributions in many areas of the organization.
Miller began his career in mechanical and electrical design working on various contracts for DoD, NASA and commercial customers. In 1982 he became part of the Space Programs division of TBE and was assigned to the Payload Mission Integration Contract. In this role he worked on the design and integration on several Space Shuttle missions and then later transitioned to support work on the International Space Station program. As an early adopter of Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology, Miller was promoted to the position of CAD Operations Manager for TBE’s Space Programs.
Other key positions he has held are Manager of Computer Services for Space Programs, Creative Director for Training and Multimedia Services, Director of Publications, and he is also currently Director of Media Services for TBE.
Miller earned a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) with a major in Management Information Systems. He is also a professional photographer and a supporter of several local charities and civic groups.
Moderator: RADM Michael J. Silah
Director NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, Director NOAA Corps
Rear Admiral (RADM) Michael J. Silah serves as the Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) and NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), the operational arm of NOAA.
As Director of the NOAA Corps and OMAO, Rear Admiral Silah is responsible for the operation of NOAA’s fleet of research ships and aircraft as well as commissioned NOAA officers and civilian personnel.
He was commissioned into the United States Navy in 1992 and served in Patrol Squadron Nine (VP-9) as the squadron’s safety officer, completing three deployments to Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf. He also served in Naval Force Aircraft Test Squadron (FORCE) before transferring to the NOAA Corps in 2002.
Rear Admiral Silah previously served as Commanding Officer of NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center (AOC). Under his command, AOC improved execution to over 90 percent and flew over 6,000 flight hours in support of NOAA missions. His team was recognized with Department of Commerce Silver and Bronze awards, a NOAA Unit Citation, and the Safety Management System Level 3 award–the highest possible distinction. He also led AOC during the relocation from MacDill AFB in Tampa to a new facility in Lakeland, Florida.
Earlier assignments include: Chief of Staff of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), Chief of Staff of OMAO, and aide-de-camp to the NOAA Administrator. Rear Admiral Silah has flown over 3,000 flight hours in the P-3, including over 1,500 hours as pilot-in-command, over 500 hours of Navy flight test, and nearly 150 hurricane penetrations.
Rear Admiral Silah holds a degree in economics from Duke and an MPA from Harvard. His awards include the Department of Commerce Gold Medal, NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Medal, NOAA Corps Commendation Medals, and NOAA Corps Achievement Medals. He is an active member in the prestigious Explorers Club, a group dedicated to promoting scientific exploration.
Panelist: Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor (MD)
NASA Astronaut
Dr. Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor began working with NASA as a Flight Surgeon in 2006. In 2009, she was selected as a NASA astronaut. During her NASA career, Dr. Auñón-Chancellor spent more than nine months in Russia supporting medical operations for International Space Station crew members in Star City. She also served as Deputy Crew Surgeon for STS-127 and is board certified in both Internal and Aerospace Medicine. She is currently a part of the Expedition 56/57 crew that launched to the International Space Station in June 2018.
Moderator: Dr. Paul A. Sandifer
Founding Director, Center for Coastal Environmental and Human Health, College of Charleston
Dr. Paul Sandifer is the Founding Director of the Center for Coastal Environmental and Human Health at the College of Charleston where he conducts research and advises graduate students on a part-time basis. He has a broad background in ecological and aquaculture research, natural resource management, science policy, and the intersection of environmental and human health. He is currently working on development of a community health observing system for the Gulf of Mexico and implementation of a new NIEHS-funded Center for Oceans and Human Health at headquartered at the University of SC. Prior to coming to the College in 2015, he worked nearly 12 years in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a Senior Scientist, Science Advisor to the NOAA Administrator, and Chief Science Advisor for the National Ocean Service and 31 years as a scientist, Marine Division Director, and agency Director, with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Paul has been a member of numerous boards, commissions, and committees including the US Commission on Ocean Policy, the Marine Board of the National Academy of Sciences, and the NAS Advisory Committee to the US Global Change Research Program. He is an Honorary Life Member of the World Aquaculture Society, a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Ecological Society of America, and Emeritus Member of the National Association of Marine Laboratories.
Panelist: Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney
Chief Executive Officer, American Security Project (ASP) and United States Marine Corps (Retired)
Brigadier General Stephen Cheney is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Security Project (ASP), an educational non-profit focusing on national security issues. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he has over 30 years’ experience as a Marine. His career included a wide variety of command and staff positions with the operating forces and the supporting establishment. His primary specialty was artillery, but he focused extensively on entry-level training, commanding at every echelon at both Marine Corps Recruit Depots, to include being the Commanding General at Parris Island. He served several years in Japan and has deployed extensively throughout the Middle East and Asia.
Other selected highlights of his military career include tours as Deputy Executive Secretary to Defense Secretaries Cheney and Aspin; ground plans officer for Drug Enforcement Policy in the Pentagon; liaison to the Congressional Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces; and Inspector General of the Marine Corps.
Following his Marine career, Steve was the Chief Operating Officer of Business Executives for National Security (BENS) in Washington, D.C., where he received the CIA’s Agency Seal Medal for significant contributions to the Agency’s intelligence efforts. He next became President/CEO of the Marine Military Academy, a private boys’ prep school in Harlingen, TX.
As CEO of ASP he has spoken on national security issues at the following: the Association of Opinion Journalists Annual Conference; BBC; Al Jazeera America; the Univ. of Central Florida; the World Affairs Councils in Orlando, FL and Chicago, IL; the “24 Hours of Reality: The Dirty Weather Report” in NYC; the WorldBoston Young Leaders Conference in Boston; The Weather Channel; Chatham House London; Sky News; CNN; Fox News; The Economist; and testimony for the House, Senate, and EPA.
He is a graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the National War College, and the Univ. of Southern California. He was a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, where he remains a member. He was a member of the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board from 2013 – 2017 and of the Foreign Affairs Policy Board from 2015 – 2017. He is a non-executive director of Alexium International.
Panelist: Dr. Anne D. Cope, Ph.D., P.E.
Senior Vice President, Research & Chief Engineer, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Dr. Anne Cope is the senior vice president, research and chief engineer at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. She is responsible for overseeing the FORTIFIED building standards program as well as developing and guiding the research programs at the IBHS Research Center in Richburg, South Carolina. She leads IBHS’s team of engineers, scientists and others who conduct research about the performance of full-scale homes and commercial structures, building materials and construction practices during natural catastrophe conditions, including hurricanes, wildfires, severe thunderstorms, and hail storms, and implement in real-world communities through IBHS’s FORTIFIED program.
Prior to joining IBHS in 2009, Dr. Cope was a project manager and structural engineer with Reynolds, Smith & Hills, Inc., designing projects for NASA, Department of Defense and commercial launch operations. Dr. Cope’s research encompasses topics ranging from the full-scale simulation of wind effects on buildings to detailed studies of the vulnerabilities of buildings to natural hazards and the development of damage prediction models. She is also a proud veteran of the United States Army.
Dr. Cope earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Clemson University, and her doctorate from the University of Florida. She is a registered professional engineer in Florida and South Carolina.
Panelist: The Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Jr.
Professor, American Government and Public Policy, The Citadel
Executive in Residence, Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities, College of Charleston
Distinguished Fellow, Pew Charitable Trusts
Joe Riley is widely considered one of the most visionary and highly effective governmental leaders in America. He served ten terms as Mayor of the City of Charleston from 1975 to 2016.
He graduated from The Citadel in 1964 and the University of South Carolina Law School in 1967, and served in the S.C. House of Representatives from 1968 to 1974.
In his time as Mayor, Charleston transformed from a decaying urban center to a top cultural destination. He is known for his innovative redevelopment projects, carefully crafted to add to the overall quality of life in the city. He diffused racial tensions by working closely with the African American community. The crisis leadership that he demonstrated after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 gained national praise for getting the city quickly cleaned up and running.
Today, Riley is professor of American Government and Public Policy at The Citadel and Executive in Residence at the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Pew Charitable Trusts, working on smart solutions for flood-prone communities and the national government, and the first Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Urban Land Institute. Riley is also currently working to build the International African-American Museum, a $75 million project scheduled to break ground in 2018.
Under his leadership, Charleston increased its commitment to racial harmony and progress, achieved a substantial decrease in crime, experienced a remarkable revitalization of its historic downtown business district, supported the creation and growth of Spoleto Festival USA, added significantly to the City’s park system including the highly celebrated Waterfront Park, developed nationally acclaimed affordable housing, and experienced unprecedented growth in Charleston’s size and population.
Mayor Riley led a city government with an impressive record of innovation in public safety, housing, arts and culture, children’s issues, and economic revitalization and development. The City of Charleston is recognized as one of the most livable and progressive cities in the United States.
Riley has held numerous national leadership positions and received many awards and distinctions. President Barack Obama presented him with the 2009 National Medal of the Arts for cultivating Charleston’s historic and cultural resources to enhance public spaces, and for revitalizing urban centers throughout the U.S. as the founder of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. The American Architectural Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2010 created the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Award for Leadership in City Design in his honor. He received the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 2004 Olmsted Medal; Governing Magazine named him their Public Official of the Year in 2003 for “leveraging the power of urban design and civic space.” The American Architectural Foundation honored him in 2002 with the Keystone Award for exemplary leadership to those who use architecture to transform their communities. He was named one of the 2004 Giants of Design by House Beautiful Magazine and received the first U.S. Conference of Mayors President’s Award in 2000 for outstanding leadership.
In 2000, he was honored as the first recipient of the Urban Land Institute’s J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development, and also in 2000, was honored with the Arthur J. Clement Award in Race Relations for his battle to remove the confederate flag from the S.C. Statehouse. Riley received the 1994 Thomas Jefferson Award for “his exceptional leadership and ‘Jeffersonian’ vision in redefining the promise and, ultimate the future, of our nation and its cities.”
He has received the Seaside Prize from the Seaside Institute for exemplary leadership and contributions to high-quality urban design throughout America. He received the Outstanding Mayors Award from the National Urban Coalition, the Distinguished Citizen Award by the National Association of Realtors.
He served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1986-87 and has received honorary degrees from ten colleges and universities.
Panelist: David E. Rivers, M.A., DHL
Associate Professor and Director, Public Information and Community Outreach (PICO), Medical University of South Carolina
David E. Rivers, DHL, serves as Professor and Director of the Public Information and Community Outreach at the Medical University of South Carolina. He has served the University in a number of capacities since January 1995.
During the past forty years, he has held senior-level positions in the City of Atlanta government, the Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia State University, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Energy and the District of Columbia Government.
Dr. Rivers received his Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Affairs from Georgia State University and his Master of Arts degree in Political Science/Public Administration from Georgia State University, where he has completed course work for the Ph.D. in Political Science. He is also a graduate of the National Urban Fellows Program in Public Administration from Yale University. He is a graduate of the Riley Institute Diversity Leadership Program at Furman University and received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Allen University. In addition, Dr. Rivers served three years in the U.S. Army.
Dr. Rivers serves as Board Chairman of the National Urban Fellows in New York, NY. He also serves as Chairman of the James E. Clyburn Research and Scholarship Foundation. He is also President of the Jonathan Green Foundation. Dr. Rivers is Vice Chairman of the Sea Island Comprehensive Health Care Corporation. He is a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, American Water Works Association, Water Environment Federation, and the 100 Black Men of Charleston, SC. Dr. Rivers is a Board Member of the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, SC; My Brothers Keeper, Charleston, SC; National Council of La Raza ~ California State University Center for Latino Community Health in Monterey Bay, California; Allen University Board of Trustees in Columbia, SC; the Congressional Black Caucus Institute’s 21st Century Council Executive Committee; Advisory Board Member of Charleston First Reliance Bank; and the Trident Urban League. He has also served as a Board Member of the Community Foundation and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance. In addition, he was elected citywide to serve as a Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Charleston in 2003 and was re-elected in September of 2009 and 2015 unopposed, where he serves as Vice Chairman.
Panelist: Mark J. Wilbert
Chief Resilience Officer, City of Charleston, Office of the Mayor
Mark Wilbert is the Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Charleston, SC. As Chief Resilience Officer, his efforts have focused on leading city staff members in developing and implementing a plan for addressing the consequences of flooding and sea level rise in a thriving city of approximately one hundred and fifty thousand residents and almost six million visitors annually. Prior to assuming his current role in 2018, Mark served as the Emergency Management Director for the City of Charleston for 5 years. Mark served on active duty in the United States Coast Guard for 35 years, retiring as a Captain in 2013. During his career he was involved in planning and responding to numerous weather related disasters, 9-11 related events and several large incidents, including the G-8 Summit in 2004 and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010.
Moderator: Dr. Claudia Benitez-Nelson
Associate Dean for Instruction, Community Engagement, & Research, University of South Carolina
Dr. Claudia Benitez-Nelson is a Distinguished Professor in the School of the Earth, Ocean & Environment and currently serves as the Associate Dean for Instruction, Community Engagement, & Research in the College of Arts & Sciences. She is a diverse scientist, with expertise ranging from radiochemistry to harmful algal bloom toxins and is highly regarded for her cross-disciplinary research. Over the past two decades, Dr. Benitez-Nelson has authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific articles, including lead author publications in the journals Science and Nature. She has been continuously supported by substantial, multi-year research and education grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, among others. Her many research honors include the Early Career Award in Oceanography from the American Geophysical Union in 1996, Fulbright and Marie Curie Fellowships in 2008, and was named a National Academies of Science/Humboldt Foundation Kavli Fellow in 2012. Dr. Benitez-Nelson is also highly regarded as a teacher and mentor, having received the National Faculty of the Year Award from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2005 and the University of South Carolina’s Mungo Teaching Award in 2006. In 2013, Dr. Benitez-Nelson was named the University of South Carolina’s Distinguished Professor of the Year and in 2014 received the Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring from the Biogeosciences Section of the American Geophysical Union. In 2015, Dr. Benitez-Nelson was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At the University of South Carolina, Dr. Benitez-Nelson has served as both the Undergraduate Director and Director of USC’s Marine Science Program, doubling undergraduate enrolment and increasing the number of faculty. She is regularly called upon by national and international scientific and policy agencies for her expertise and currently serves or has served as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Geoscience Directorate of NSF, the EPA Science Advisory Board, and the National Academy of Science’s Ocean Studies Board. Dr. Benitez-Nelson earned a B.S. in chemistry and oceanography from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint Program in 1999.
Panelist: Dr. William Brown
Chief Environmental Officer, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
William Yancey Brown is the Chief Environmental Officer of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the Department of the Interior, where he oversees science and regulation for protection of the environment in energy and non-energy minerals development on the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States. He is a graduate of the Escola Americana do Recife (High School), University of Virginia (BA Biology, with highest distinction), Johns Hopkins University (MAT), University of Hawaii (PhD, Zoology), and Harvard Law School (JD). He was born in Artesia, California.
Dr. Brown’s formerly served as nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution; Science Advisor to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt; President & CEO of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts; President & CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia; President & CEO of the Bishop Museum in Hawaii; Vice President of the National Audubon Society; Vice President of Waste Management, Inc.; Senior Scientist and Acting Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Fund; Executive Secretary of the U.S. Endangered Species Scientific Authority; and Assistant Professor, Mount Holyoke College.
Panelist: Dr. Lisa Clough
Head of Ocean Section, National Science Foundation
Lisa Clough is the Head for the Ocean Section within NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences. The Ocean Section is comprised of NSF’s Biological and Physical Oceanography teams. Prior to working in OCE, Lisa had been the Program Director for Antarctic Integrated System Science at NSF for ~four years. A coastal oceanographer by training, Lisa spent ~20 years at East Carolina University, in North Carolina, achieving the rank of full professor of Biology, and serving as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research for two years. She has numerous publications, most recently focused on coastal Arctic and North Carolina ecosystems. She is very interested in combining traditional and scientific ecological knowledge in order to comprehensively understand marine ecosystems. Her outreach activities have included three years as the chair of the UNOLS Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee. She was also a trustee for SURA (Southeastern Universities Research Association) and a member of the Board for NCABR (North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research), and PTRF (the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation). She is a recipient of both the Arctic and Antarctic Service Medals, and the Distinguished Public Service Award from the U.S. Coast Guard. Lisa’s Ph.D. is in Coastal Oceanography, awarded by Stony Brook University in 1993. She did her undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, majoring in Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences. She lives in Falls Church, VA with her husband and their two children.
Panelist: Dr. Tom Drake
Office of Naval Research, Head, Ocean Battlespace Sensing Department
Dr. Tom Drake heads the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Ocean Battlespace Sensing Department—one of six science and technology (S&T) departments at ONR. The Ocean Battlespace Sensing Department is responsible for Navy and Marine Corps S&T in ocean and meteorological science, undersea warfare, mine warfare, space technology and marine mammals. It comprises two divisions and 14 programs spanning sensing systems and geophysical processes and prediction. The department has also built and cares for six oceanographic research vessels. Drake is currently the U.S. national representative for the Maritime Systems Group of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP), coordinating technology among the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Since 2013, Drake has served as the director of ONR’s Ocean, Atmosphere and Space Research Division. He is responsible for planning, execution and management of integrated basic research, applied research and advanced technology development of ONR S&T programs in physical oceanography, marine meteorology, ocean acoustics, Arctic and global prediction, littoral geosciences and optics, marine mammals and biology, and the space environment. The Ocean, Atmosphere and Space Research Division provides advanced, high-resolution environmental observations and prediction capabilities in support of anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare and naval special warfare missions.
Drake entered the Senior Executive Service in 2013. He joined the Federal Civilian Service in 2003 as program officer for the Coastal Dynamics program at ONR, directing work in nearshore processes, sediment transport and wave dynamics. In 2006, he also assumed direction of the Marine Geosciences program, directing marine geophysics and geology research, in addition to elements of the ONR Sea Mine Burial program.
This panel discussion will present a vision for the future of autonomous and remote observation platforms and technologies. Economic, sustainability, and security concerns will drive developments in autonomous and remote ocean observations in the coming decade. The discussion will span components, platforms, systems, and broad underlying trends in computing and communication technologies. Panelists will present their vision of the coming evolutionary and revolutionary changes that will drive paradigm shifts.
Panelist: René GARELLO
Professor, Télécom Bretagne
René GARELLO, professor at IMT Atlantique, Fellow IEEE, head of the program ICTO (ICT and OCEANS) within the CNRS research unit LabSTICC.
René Garello was born in 1953. He received the Ph.D. degree in Signal Processing at the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG) in 1981. From 1982 to 1984 he worked as a Research Associate at Aeronomy Lab, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at Boulder, Colorado (USA). He joined the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Bretagne (formerly Telecom Bretagne), Brest, France in 1985. In 1988, he became Professor in this engineering school in the field of signal processing and image processing and in 1995, Prof. Garello obtained his Habilitation (HDR; Habilitation to Supervise Research).
His main research interests lie in Remote Sensing, 2D signal processing, statistical and spectral analysis applied to ocean surface features detection and characterization. For the last two decades, he has worked in the development of signal and image processing tools for the interpretation of radar signals and the extraction of sea surface features, either natural (wind, waves, currents) or manmade (ships, pollution). These application fields were supported by several European projects and industrial contracts. Prof. Garello has authored or co-authored more than 40 papers, a hundred and thirty conference communications and three books. He had supervised more than 30 PhD students. For all his works, Prof. Garello was elevated to the grade of Fellow of the IEEE, class of 2006, “for contributions to signal processing applied to remote sensing of the ocean”.
At IMT Atlantique, Prof. Garello was the head of the research team TOMS (Traitement, Observation et Méthodes Statistiques – Processing, Observations and Statistical Methods) within the CNRS unit Lab-STICC before creating the ICTO (ICT for Ocean) program. He is the director of the Scientific Interest Group Bretagne Télédétection (Brittany Remote Sensing) and leader of the project VIGISAT, a satellite radar receiving ground station for which he obtained twice a multi-million € grant (2009-2014; 2015-2020).
Prof. Garello was an elected IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society AdCom member from 1999 to 2001, from 2003 to 2005 and in 2005 for a new three-year term. In 2005, he was elected Vice-President Conference Operations and then re-elected in 2006 and 2008. In the beginning of 2001, he headed the Committee for defining a new set of Conference Policies and Procedures in order to insure continuity between successive OCEANS conferences. This committee (called JOAB – Joint OCEANS Administrative Board) defined several new approaches and came up with the concept of two Oceans-a-year (every year in Northern America, every other odd year in Europe and every other even year in Asia-Pacific). Prof. Garello was the General Chairman of the first OCEANS of the new Two-Oceans-a-year concept: OCEANS’05 held in Brest, France in June 2005. He received the OES Service Awards in 2006 for developing and implementing the two OCEANS conference policy. In 2012, Prof. René Garello was elected President of the IEEE OES for a two-year term and re-elected by acclamation in 2014.
Panelist: Carl Gouldman
Director, U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Office
Carl Gouldman took the helm as Director of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Program in February 2017. Prior to becoming the director, Carl served as the Deputy Director of the program since June 2014 and has been in NOAA since 2000. U.S. IOOS is a coordinated network of people and technology that work together to generate and disseminate continuous data on our coastal waters, Great Lakes, and oceans.
Before NOAA, Carl spent 3 years in the education department at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation where he led field programs teaching students about bay ecology and conservation. He holds a B.S. in political science from Duke University and a Masters (MEM) in Coastal Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke.
Panelist: William J. Kirkwood
Senior Research and Development Engineer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
William (Bill) has been with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) for 26 years. During that time Bill has been Mechanical Engineering Supervisor, Associate Director of Engineering and Director of Engineering before taking on the Senior Research and Development Engineer role in 2014. Over the 26 years Bill has been program manager and lead engineer on a number of vehicle systems such as the ROV Tiburon and the Dorado AUV systems. Bill developed the AUV Tutorial for the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society. Bill’s current focus is developing underwater instrumentation for science to look at hydrates and anthropogenic CO2 ocean acidification issues doing closed loop control around pH and in situ laser Raman spectroscopy. Bill is also an Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara University as well as Assistant to the President for the Oceanic Engineering Society.
Panelist: Jay Pearlman
Director, Four Bridges
Jay S Pearlman is a Director of FourBridges and was a Professor (Adjunct) in Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Colorado. His background includes sensors, remote sensing and information systems. For the last decade, he has been working with IEEE France on research and development activities in sensor innovation and applications including interests in interoperability, facilitating cross-discipline research and creation of an ocean observation best practices system. He has also been addressing information infrastructure though his work with the Research Data Alliance and EarthCube and is currently preparing material for a 2030 ocean vision. Dr. Pearlman is a Fellow of the IEEE and has more than 100 publications and 25 US and international patents.