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Randy Chambers to Head Education Committee

ERF Board Focuses on Education

Education has always been central to the Estuarine Research Federation's mission, and its importance to us and to the future of coastal systems continues to grow. ERF's constitution's provides a clear mandate: that our society "shall be operated exclusively for educational purposes and limited to those purposes."

ERF's Education Committee is charged with a broad responsibility for planning and coordinating activities that are related to the continuing education of our members and the general public. Many of the activities are associated with student participation at our biennnial conferences, but we also inform and educate other audiences through our web site, newsletter, and other meetings.

In recent years, the Education Committee has made great strides in increasing the quality and scope of our educational programs. Thank you very much, Linda Blum (University of Virginia), for your leadership in advancing the quality of our program in so many ways. Linda has retired from being the EC Chair, but she will continue to champion our educational mission as she serves as Co-Chair of the 2005 Norfolk, Virginia, Conference committee with Bob Christian.

Randy Chambers has kindly agreed to take the helm of the Education Committee for the next couple of years. Randy is an Associate Professor of Biology at the College of William and Mary and Director of the Keck Environmental Field Laboratory. His research interests are in the ecology and restoration of wetlands and the biology/geochemistry of sedimentary environments. Randy's experience with students and the role of research in the management of coastal systems provide an excellent background for his oversight of the ERF Education Committee. He quickly recognized that our program can move in many directions and that the success of our efforts will rely strongly on the willingness of others to assist.

To help Randy launch the next phase, the Governing Board is planning to focus attention on the role and definition of ERF's education program at the spring meeting. Randy will be looking for members to help with Education Committee activities, so please let him know if you are willing to work on this important function of the Federation.

As always, we welcome your suggestions as to where our energy and resources should be directed.