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Dr. L. Scott Quackenbush Named Executive Director of
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Jan 18, 2008
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The Board of Directors of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) has named Dr. L. Scott Quackenbush the Executive Director of the Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, the state of Alabama’s marine science education and research institution.
Dr. Quackenbush is currently the Director of Humboldt State University’s Marine Lab in northern California, where he is also associate dean for marine science programs. His previous professional experience includes chair of the biological science departments at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Florida International University.
He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, his master’s degree at the University of West Florida, and his doctorate at Florida State University.
The DISL was formed in 1971 by the State Legislature to minimize duplication of marine science programs among Alabama’s four-year colleges and to promote the study of marine science. There are currently 21 public and private colleges and universities in DISL’s consortium.
As Executive Director of the DISL, Dr. Quackenbush will be overseeing numerous educational, research and outreach programs that serve the state of Alabama, the region and the nation. The DISL’s educational programs includes students from Ph.D. to kindergarten level; its research initiatives span the disciplines of paleoecology to oceanography to biogeochemistry, in field sites as near as Mobile Bay to as far away as Antarctica. The DISL also encompasses the Estuarium, a public aquarium that greeted over 66,000 visitors in 2007. The DISL plays a visible role in Alabama’s coastal policy as the host of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.
The Executive Director of the DISL also serves on the Board of Forever Wild, which provides for the purchase of public recreational lands for general recreation, nature preserves and state parks. Since its inception in 1992, over 100,000 acres of lands and wetlands have been purchased.
“I am very pleased that the Board of Directors has asked me to become the next Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab,” Quackenbush said. “[Retired Director] Dr. George Crozier has set an ambitious course for the DISL for the past 30 years, and his accomplishments on behalf of the citizens of the state of
Alabama are noteworthy.
(more)
“I hope to maintain the programs he has developed, and expand additional opportunities for the faculty, students and staff that are the heart of the DISL. In particular, I would like to encourage students and faculty from outside Alabama to participate in the research and educational programs at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. By raising the national visibility of the lab, we can recruit new participation that will benefit the lab and its programs.
“The oceans and marine environments have come under increasing pressure from human activities in the past decades, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab has been at the forefront of both research and education to help understand these changes. I look forward to a bright future for the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the participating universities to continue their leadership in these areas for the benefit of Alabama and the nation,” he concluded.
Dr. Quackenbush plans to commence work at the DISL in July 2008. Dr. John Dindo is currently serving as Interim Director.
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