March 5, 2007

Gary Griggs gives Ricketts Memorial Lecture at Sanctuary Currents symposium

By Tim Stephens

Gary Griggs, professor of Earth and planetary sciences and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, was chosen to give the Ricketts Memorial Lecture at Sanctuary Currents 2007, the annual symposium of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The subject of Griggs's talk on Saturday, March 3, was "California's Central Coast: Observations, Changes, and Human Impacts."

The Ricketts Memorial Lecture is named in honor of marine biologist Edward F. Ricketts, the inspiration for John Steinbeck's character "Doc" in Cannery Row and author of Between Pacific Tides, a landmark book about intertidal marine life.

The invitation to give this prestigious lecture recognizes "lifetime achievement in the field of marine science, based in part on studying natural history and excellence in teaching."

Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Raphael Kudela, associate professor of ocean sciences, also gave talks at the symposium. The theme of this year's symposium was "The Ocean Revealed: Observing Systems for Health Oceans."