Symposium honors retired Sea Grant director

Rhode Island Sea Grant has renamed its annual science symposium the “Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium” in honor of the recently retired director of the National Sea Grant College Program.

In recognition of Baird’s contributions to Sea Grant nationally and to Rhode Island Sea Grant specifically, Barry Costa-Pierce, Rhode Island Sea Grant director, announced the honor at a reception in October, during the 2006 Sea Grant Science Symposium on “Ecosystem Based Management: From Theory to Practice,” held at the Roger Williams University (RWU) School of Law.

“Ron envisioned and implemented the National Sea Grant Legal Program, which was an inspiration for us to launch the Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program based at the RWU Law School. Ron also championed a national effort to add new fisheries extension agents to our programs and to create regional fisheries extension programs. Today, Rhode Island Sea Grant is the national and Northeast regional lead for fisheries extension. Ron also led a global effort to establish Sea Grant International, and we can now point with pride to sister Sea Grant programs in various stages of development in Asia, Africa, and Latin America,” said Costa-Pierce during his remarks.

W. Michael Sullivan, director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, also presented Baird with a proclamation of appreciation from Gov. Donald Carcieri.

The Baird Symposium also served as the sixth Marine Law Symposium. Information about the symposium is online at: seagrant.gso.uri.edu/research/science_ symposium.html.

—Monica Allard Cox

Editor’s Note: The next Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium will be held in October 2007 and will focus on “Urban Coasts and Communities.” Visit seagrant.gso.uri.edu for updates and information.