As part of our involvement in the New York Harbor. I read "The Great Bridge: The epic story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge" by David McCollough. It was a wonderful read, providing historical context and delving into the fascinating story of the three Roeblings who were key to the effort:

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In the spring of 2014, Charles Darwin University in Australia's Northern Territory signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows us to exchange staff for extended periods. The goal is to increase our shared capacity for synthesis and communication of river and coastal management science. To begin flexing the cooperative spirit of the MOU, I will be traveling to Darwin (with family in tow) this January 2015 for about 3+ months.

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There are many changes ahead in 2015, including new leadership in academia, government and science, management strategies for the 2014 Chesapeake Watershed Agreement, a major Conowingo research effort, and new staffing at the Chesapeake Bay Program. Academic leadership. The Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, Brit Kirwin, is retiring after his distinguished tenure and his successor has been named, Bob Caret.

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Often the focus on science communication is the data visualization or the words or phrases chosen about a topic. But another important aspect of communicating science, both informally and formally is the use of hand drawn sketches. These sketches can be very simple black and white lines to complex color drawings. These sketches can be created using a stick to draw something in the dirt or sand, or chalkboards and whiteboards, or modern tablets and computers that have drawing applications.

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ADDENDUM … This blog was posted three weeks ago on Christmas Day, and since that time I have received extreme praise as well as extreme condemnation. I was striving for neither of these reactions. For those people who felt that this parody was in poor taste or felt that it was an affront to them, I apologize. It was intended as a whimsical parody of a holiday favorite.

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Alex Fries and I traveled to Brunswick, Georgia to facilitate a workshop on a coastal Georgia report card for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Coastal Resources Division. Where is Brunswick, Georgia, you ask? Brunswick is approximately 1 hour north of Jacksonville, FL off the I-95 corridor. Caroline Donovan facilitating the workshop (top) and the workshop participants working on conceptual diagrams (bottom).

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As part of our collaborative Harbor School project with the Billion Oyster Project--Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) team, I visited the New York Aquarium in December 2014, two years following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. The Aquarium is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society who also run four New York City zoos (Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo).

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Tracey Saxby and I were in Corvallis, Oregon this week for the "Within Our Reach" conference on Willamette River restoration. The conference is supported by the Myer Memorial Trust (MMT) and is the brainchild of Pam Wiley, the Willamette River Initiative Director for MMT.

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As part of the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference entitled 'One Planet One Ocean', I had the opportunity to travel around Barcelona. This was my first trip to Catalonia and Barcelona and I found it to be a fascinating city with amazing things to see, eat and drink. I will highlight some of the features of this vibrant coastal metropolis.

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This is a continuation of my blog on the several themes that emerged at the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference, entitled ‘One Planet One Ocean’. Oceanic plastics. The realization that 28 million pieces of plastic enter the ocean every day was staggering.

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