Today: Whitehouse To Be Honored With Award

Release courtesy of the University of Rhode Island and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s office.

WHO:  The University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography is hosting U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) as he is honored by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership with the Admiral James D. Watkins Award.

WHAT: Whitehouse is being presented with the award in recognition of his dedication to the oceans and ocean science.  Most notably, Whitehouse is a founding co-chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus; led the Senate effort to establish a National Endowment for the Oceans; and helped pass the Estuary Restoration Act.

There will be a series of events to commemorate this special occasion:

• 2 p.m. - Lecture by Dr. Robert Gagosian, President of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership on Oceanography Amidst a Fiscal Cliff
• 3 p.m. - Tour of the GSO Inner Space Center
• 4 p.m. - Award Presentation

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 4 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: The Lecture and Award Presentation will take place in the Corless Auditorium, Watkins Building, on the URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus.

WHY: This distinguished and meritorious award is named after Admiral James D. Watkins (1927-2012), who dedicated his life to public service with extraordinary influence on the marine science community and ocean policy.  Watkins chaired the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (2001-2004), served as the Chief of Naval Operations (1980-1986), Secretary of Energy (1989-1993), President of the Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI) (1993-2000), founding President of the Consortium for Ocean Research and Education (CORE) (1994-2001), and established the National Ocean Science Bowl competition in 1998.

The James D. Watkins Award is presented only when the highest standard of merit has been proven and recognizes those who have distinguished themselves as champions of ocean science through sponsorship of legislation, development of sound ocean policy, or promoting federal investment to advance the field of oceanography.

The Watkins Award is conveyed by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership; a Washington-DC based nonprofit organization that represents more than 100 of the nation’s leading public and private ocean research and education institutions, aquaria and industry.  The Consortium for Ocean Leadership was established in 2007 through the merger of JOI and CORE, with the mission to shape the future of ocean science and technology through research, education and sound ocean policy.

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