MSRC celebrated its 37th anniversary this past weekend with a homecoming- a homecoming that welcomed back alumni from as far away as California, Texas and Florida for two days of festivities. It was also a homecoming for the weekend’s honored guest, Dr. Jerry Schubel -the man whose 20 years of leadership was instrumental in creating the MSRC we know today. Dr. Schubel served as D
ean and Director of MSRC from 1974 to 1994 overseeing much of the growth that took MSRC from a small, nascent program to one of the world’s leading academic institutions in the marine and atmospheric sciences. He now serves as CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA.
The anniversary events began on Friday afternoon when Dr. Schubel presented a public lecture as part of Stony Brook University’s (SBU) Provost’s Lecture Series. Over 100 people gathered to hear Dr. Schubel’s seminar: “Long Island, NY & Long Beach, CA: Bicoastal observations of two of the world’s great laboratories for exploring possible futures.” Dr. Schubel highlighted the on-going need to fully use available scientific information in decision-making. He proposed the creation of regional alternative futures forums to harvest and apply research knowledge to real world problems.
A sold-out banquet at Sunwood was held on Friday evening in honor of Dr. Schubel. State Senator Ken LaValle, State Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, SBU President Shirley Strum Kenny, and Provost Robert McGrath joined MSRC alumni, faculty, and staff for the celebration. At the banquet MSRC’s current Dean and Director, David Conover, announced the formation of the Jerry R. Schubel Graduate Fellowship. The Fellowship will serve as a lasting tribute to the countless contributions Dr. Schubel made to MSRC. Once the endowment goal of $500,000 is reached, the fund will generate approximately $25,000 annually to fund an outstanding MSRC graduate student whose research thesis and public outreach proposal best exemplify Dr. Schubel’s vision of a contemporary marine scientist. The Simons Foundation kicked off the fundraising with a $250,000 challenge grant that will be matched dollar for dollar until the fundraising goal is reached.
The celebration concluded on Saturday with Alumni Day that included presentations by several outstanding alumni and a barbeque for almost 200 people, including approximately 45 alumni and their families, current students, faculty, and friends of MSRC. The alumni talks focused on how their graduate education at MSRC prepared them for countless and varied employment opportunities. Cynthia Decker (Ph.D. 1991), for example, is currently the Deputy Chief of the External Programs Branch for the Oceanographer of the Navy. She is responsible for coordination at the policy level of Navy operational oceanography and meteorology programs. Xiaodan “Danny” Lu (Ph.D. 1996) credited his strong science foundation for giving him the necessary skills to co-found Seawolf Technologies, Inc. in 1999 – one of the leading software and service providers of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Greg Marshall (M.S. 1988) and Lita Proctor (Ph.D. 1991) rounded out the presentations. Greg – credited with developing the technology known as the Crittercam – is currently the Executive Director and Producer of Remote Imaging at National Geographic Television and Film. Lita is a Senior Program Officer for the Marine Microbiology Initiative at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, as well as faculty at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
