View our complete abstract program here!
Climate-Resilient Coastal Natural Infrastructure Workshop Keynote.
Brian C. McFall, PhD, PE, Research Civil Engineer, U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC)
Brian C. McFall, PhD, PE, Civil Research Engineer, U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC).
Dr. Brian McFall is a research civil engineer at the U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Prior to pursuing his Ph.D., Dr. McFall worked as a consulting engineer and commercial diver for a small engineering firm in Corpus Christi, Texas. He has used his wave mechanics background to develop the Sediment Mobility Tool (SMT) which calculates how often dredged sediment in placed in the nearshore will be mobilized, and where it is likely to go. His research interest include the beneficial used of dredged sediment, nonlinear wave mechanics, and wave characteristics in vegetation. He is a strong proponent of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiative of Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) Initiative, which creates value through the alignment of natural and engineering processes.
Monday, May 6th
ACCESS 2019 Keynote
Dr. Ariana Sutton-Grier, Director of Science at The Nature Conservancy (MD/DC)
Photo credit: University of Maryland
Dr. Ariana Sutton-Grier, Director of Science with The Nature Conservancy (Maryland/DC) CERF Keynote.
Dr. Ariana Sutton-Grier is the Director of Science for the Maryland/DC Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and is also a Visiting Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Sutton-Grier is an ecosystem ecologist with expertise in wetland ecology and restoration, biodiversity, biogeochemistry, climate change, and ecosystem services. She holds Honors Bachelor degrees from Oregon State University in Environmental Science and International Studies and a doctoral degree from Duke University in Ecology. Her research interests include the relationships between nature/biodiversity and human health, coastal blue carbon, and natural and nature-based coastal resilience strategies. A former Smithsonian Fellow and AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, Dr. Sutton-Grier also was selected as an Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America in 2015 and one of her papers won the ESA 2016 “Innovations in Sustainability Science” award. She gets especially excited about seeking and discovering innovative opportunities to combine science and policy to solve environmental problems and promote ecosystem conservation. Dr. Sutton-Grier has authored over 40 publications in many environmental and policy journals and her research has been featured in several news stories, as well as a children’s science TV show. See more at her website: suttongrier.org
Thursday, May 9th
Indigenous-Led
Perspectives Session.
Roger Lewis, Curator of Ethnology at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
Ursula Johnson: L'nuwelti'k (We Are Indian) 2013
Photo by Mathieu Léger Courtesy of Galerie d'art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen
Roger Lewis, Curator of Ethnology with the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.
Roger Lewis is the Curator of Ethnology at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. His research interests lie in Mi’kmaw knowledge-practices tied to land and resource use. Roger works closely with Mi’kmaw communities throughout Nova Scotia to gather and record information about their cultural objects. He has a special appreciation of the relationship between Mi’kmaw artisans and the “living objects” they create. “It is important to remember that the maker’s soul breathes within them, making them more than a simple craft.” He is also excited by the recent resurgence of Mi’kmaw artistic skills – a blending of traditional techniques with a contemporary outlook. Roger is a member of the Indian Brook Mi’kmaq First Nations community located near Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia.
Ursula Johnson, Multidisciplinary Mi’kmaq Artist
Ursula Johnson is a performance and installation artist of Mi’kmaw First Nation ancestry. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally since graduating from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design with a BFA in Interdisciplinary studies in 2006. Her performances are often place-based and employ cooperative didactic intervention. Recent works include various mediums of sculpture that create consideration from her audience about aspects of intangible cultural heritage as it pertains to the consumption of traditional knowledge within the context of colonial institutions. Johnson has been shortlisted for the Salt Spring National Art Prize and the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award and she was the 2017 winner of the Sobey Art Award.