UPCOMING WEBINARS
PAST WEBINARS
Pacific Marine Energy Center: Connecting People to the Power of the Ocean
Recorded March 31, 2022 at 12:00 pm
Panelists
Ted Brekken
Associate Director, PMEC
- Professor in energy systems at Oregon State University (OSU)
- Co-director of the Wallace Energy Systems and Renewables Facility (WESRF)
- Associate Director – Pacific Marine Energy Center at OSU
Research Interests: Modeling and control, electrical system resilience, and renewable energy and energy storage systems.
Ted is a recipient of an NSF CAREER award and the IEEE Power & Energy Society 2011 Outstanding Young Engineer award.
Bryson Robertson
- Associate Professor at Oregon State University (OSU)
- Director – Pacific Marine Energy Center at OSU
Research Interests: Wave mechanics, hydrodynamics of floating bodies and mooring systems, and renewable energy. Complimentary research includes the future of global energy systems; the nexus of technology, climate change, policy, economics and society on the decarbonization of electrical systems; and the public trust requirements to transition power system.
Prior to coming to OSU, Bryson spent five years working at the University of Victoria and consulting for marine energy companies.
Sarah Henkel
- Associate Professor at Oregon State University (OSU)
- Benthic ecologist – Hatfield Marine Science Center
- Associate Director – Pacific Marine Energy Center at OSU
- Director of Environmental Studies – PacWave open-coastal test facility – includes the planning and execution of environmental research and monitoring at the north and south test sites
Research Interests: Potential effects of human activities (e.g. marine renewable energy installations, marine reserve designations, coastal development, invasive species, climate change) on bottom-associated fish and invertebrates. This involves fieldwork from the nearshore to the outer continental shelf from northern California to Washington.
Before moving to Oregon State University, Sarah was a fellow at the California Ocean Science Trust working on projects related to invasive species, oil platform decommissioning, and marine protected areas.
Moderator
Val Zavala
Val Zavala was anchor and executive producer of “SoCal Connected” until her retirement in 2018. Since joining KCET in 1987 she has won 15 L.A. Emmy awards. She has covered major issues in southern California politics, education, government, demographics, healthcare, environment, economy, and arts and culture. She has been honored for her community service by numerous organizations including the California Chicano News Media Association, and Hispanic Americans for Fairness in Media among others. She was a John S. Knight Journalism fellow at Stanford University in 1993. She received her M.A. in journalism from American University and her B.A. in Latin American Studies from Yale University. https://www.kcet.org/people/val-zavala
From Hydrothermal Vents to Seafloor Mapping: A Deep Dive into the Ocean with the Ocean Exploration Trust Team
Recorded Friday, September 10, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Panelists
Dr. Robert Ballard
Among the most accomplished and well known of the world’s deep-sea explorers, Dr. Robert Ballard is best known for his historic discoveries of hydrothermal vents, the sunken R.M.S. Titanic, the German battleship Bismarck, and numerous other contemporary and ancient shipwrecks around the world. During his long career he has conducted more than 150 deep-sea expeditions using the latest in exploration technology.
Dr. Ballard has been a pioneer in the development of advanced deep submergence and telepresence technology. Although his Ph.D. is in Marine Geology and Geophysics, his scientific interests run the gamut from the volcanic, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes of the mid-ocean ridge to deep-sea archaeology and maritime history. Dr. Ballard also spends a great deal of his time involved in various educational outreach programs. In 2008, Dr. Ballard secured the E/V Nautilus, which has become his flag-ship for exploration, operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust and funded in part by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration. Nautilus is connected by way of a high bandwidth satellite link to the University of Rhode Island’s Inner Space Center and from there to the world.
He has received prestigious awards from the Explorers Club and the National Geographic Society—the Explorers Medal and the Hubbard Medal, respectively—as well as the Lindbergh Award. In 2003 President George W. Bush presented him with the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal in the Oval Office of the White House. He is currently a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence.
EDUCATION:
University of California, Santa Barbara, B.S. Physical Science, Majors: Chemistry/Geology; Minors: Physics/Math;
University of Hawaii, Graduate School in Oceanography;
University of Southern California, Graduate School in Marine Geology; University of Rhode Island, Graduate School in Oceanography. Ph.D. Marine Geology and Geophysics Ph.D. in Marine Geology and Geophysics the CEO
Allison Fundis
Before joining the Ocean Exploration Trust in 2013, Allison worked with the National Science Foundation’s Ocean Observatories Initiative at the University of Washington. In her role there, she participated in the planning and installation of the US’s largest cabled seafloor observatory in addition to developing resources and programs for students that utilize the observatory’s real-time data. Allison is a former high school chemistry and biology teacher and remains passionate about making authentic opportunities in STEM available to students, educators, and the public through the Ocean Exploration Trust.
Allison holds a MS degree in Marine Geology from the University of Florida and a BA in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic. Her geological studies focused on understanding the controls on eruption dynamics in submarine volcanic systems. In 2019, Allison was recognized as an innovation and technology delegate for the Academy of Achievement and as an IF/THEN ambassador by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a 2020 Fellow National of the Explorers Club and in 2021 was named an Emerging Explorer by the National Geographic Society.
Dr. Nicole Raineault
Nicole is a marine geologist and ocean mapper who studies seafloor geomorphology. She has been working with the Ocean Exploration Trust since 2010 when she was a navigation intern aboard the vessel E/V Nautilus. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Delaware in 2012, she started a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, with the purpose of increasing the standard scientific capacity of Nautilus and building a broader shoreside team. She also oversaw the installation and testing of the multibeam sonar and sub-bottom profiling systems. Nicole has been working full-time with the Trust since 2013 and is now the Vice President of Exploration and Science Operations.
Moderator
Val Zavala
Val Zavala was anchor and executive producer of “SoCal Connected” until her retirement in 2018. Since joining KCET in 1987 she has won 15 L.A. Emmy awards. She has covered major issues in southern California politics, education, government, demographics, healthcare, environment, economy, and arts and culture. She has been honored for her community service by numerous organizations including the California Chicano News Media Association, and Hispanic Americans for Fairness in Media among others. She was a John S. Knight Journalism fellow at Stanford University in 1993. She received her M.A. in journalism from American University and her B.A. in Latin American Studies from Yale University. https://www.kcet.org/people/val-zavala
AltaSea’s Earth Day Special: The Importance of Marine Protected Areas to our Planet
Recorded Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Panelists
Meredith Brooks
Meredith Brooks is the Strategic Grants and Special Projects Manager (Consultant) at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles. She is developing the AltaSea Marine Grants program to expand the portfolio of government grants, with a focus on STEM education, aquaculture and growing the Blue Economy in Los Angeles.
Originally from Rancho Palos Verdes, Meredith now splits her time between the Olympic Peninsula, RPV, and Hawai’i, where she has spent the last decade helping manage one of the USDA Regional Aquaculture Centers. She has fifteen years of management and communication experience in the fields of sustainable aquaculture R&D and conservation, and has authored two K-12 STEM curriculums for Hawai’i schools. Meredith graduated from the University of Southern California with Bachelors Degrees in Political Science and Journalism, and is a member of the Lambda Pi Eta honor society of the National Communication Association.
Bruce Heyman
Bruce Heyman is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, which has been involved with tall ships in the harbor for many years. Los Angeles Maritime Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses hands-on experiences at sea to provide an array of social, education, and leadership development opportunities to middle school and high school students in San Pedro and Wilmington, and throughout Los Angeles County. Their TopSail Youth Program is offered year-round aboard the Tall Ships SSV Irving Johnson and SSV Exy Johnson, 110-foot traditionally rigged vessels named after sail training pioneers who sailed around the world seven times with young crews.
Dr. Julianne Kalman Passarelli
Dr. Julianne Kalman Passarelli is a marine biologist who specializes in parasitology and ecology of marine fishes. She received her Ph.D. in Biology from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), M.S. degree in Biology from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), and B.S. degree in Marine Biology from CSULB. Dr. Passarelli is the Education and Collections Curator at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, California. She manages the educational programs and provides curatorial support to the aquarium’s museum collection. She also runs a field research program and conducts long-term monitoring surveys in marine habitats near Cabrillo Beach. She uses many of her field research projects to engage local students and volunteers. She also is a Lecturer at CSULB and a Research Associate at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. She is a past President of the Southern California Academy of Sciences (SCAS) and recently completed a book revision of “Miller and Lea’s Guide to the Coastal Marine Fishes of California.”
Moderator
Val Zavala
Val Zavala was anchor and executive producer of “SoCal Connected” until her retirement in 2018. Since joining KCET in 1987 she has won 15 L.A. Emmy awards. She has covered major issues in southern California politics, education, government, demographics, healthcare, environment, economy, and arts and culture. She has been honored for her community service by numerous organizations including the California Chicano News Media Association, and Hispanic Americans for Fairness in Media among others. She was a John S. Knight Journalism fellow at Stanford University in 1993. She received her M.A. in journalism from American University and her B.A. in Latin American Studies from Yale University. https://www.kcet.org/people/val-zavala
Philanthropist Melanie Lundquist and Councilman Joe Buscaino on Tax Day!
Recorded Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 10:00 am
Join us for a conversation with Giving Pledge Philanthropist Melanie Lundquist and LA City Councilmember Joe Buscaino on why giving to AltaSea is the smart play on Tax Day! Members from the AltaSea team will join the conversation to discuss the importance of the ocean economy and the search for 21st century solutions to climate change.
Panelists
Melanie Lundquist, Giving Pledge philanthropist
Melanie Lundquist is one of Southern California’s most significant and active philanthropists and a respected voice on philanthropic issues. Melanie and her husband, Richard, are both signatories of The Giving Pledge, a commitment created by Bill & Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to give the majority of their wealth to address some of society’s most pressing problems. They have appeared four times on The Philanthropy 50, the annual list of the nation’s 50 most generous philanthropists published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The couple has pledged more than $325 million over the last decade to support various education, cultural initiatives, and health care efforts in Southern California, the place they have called home their entire lives.
Timothy McOsker, Chief Executive Officer at AltaSea
Tim McOsker is an attorney with more than three decades of experience in government, regulatory, and land development matters. As the CEO of AltaSea, he leads the public-private institute at the Port of Los Angeles to accelerate scientific collaboration, advance an emerging blue economy through business innovation and job creation, and inspire the next generation to tackle climate change through ocean preservation.
Robin Aube, Manager of Advancement at AltaSea
Moderator
Val Zavala
Val Zavala was anchor and executive producer of “SoCal Connected” until her retirement in 2018. Since joining KCET in 1987 she has won 15 L.A. Emmy awards. She has covered major issues in southern California politics, education, government, demographics, healthcare, environment, economy, and arts and culture. She has been honored for her community service by numerous organizations including the California Chicano News Media Association, and Hispanic Americans for Fairness in Media among others. She was a John S. Knight Journalism fellow at Stanford University in 1993. She received her M.A. in journalism from American University and her B.A. in Latin American Studies from Yale University.
A Deep Dive on Where the Federal Government is Headed on Ocean Conservation & the Blue Economy
Recorded Friday, March 12, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Panelists
David B. Brown was named the University of Southern California’s (USC) Vice President for Federal Relations in February of 2020. Prior to that appointment, Mr. Brown served as Associate Senior Vice President for USC’s Office of Federal Relations for the previous seven years. As the Vice President for Federal Relations, Mr. Brown serves as the university’s chief advocate on all legislative and regulatory matters related to higher education and student aid policy, federal research funding, and healthcare policy in Washington, DC.
Prior to joining USC, Mr. Brown served as director of health and clinical affairs for the University of California (UC) federal governmental relations in Washington, D.C. for 11 years. In that capacity, he served as the UC Health System’s senior lobbyist and healthcare policy expert on all matters related to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, health professions education and training, biomedical research, and other areas of interest to the University’s five academic medical centers, physician faculty and schools of medicine, nursing, public health, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry and affiliated veterans affairs (VA) medical centers.
Before moving to Washington, D.C, he served three years as government relations manager for the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and seven years as director of health policy for the Virginia Hospital Association located in Richmond, Virginia.
Mr. Brown received his bachelor’s degree in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia in 1987 and his master’s degree in health administration from the Medical College of Virginia in 1997.
Chris Castillo is Director of Federal Government Relations for UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She has an extensive background in policy and community and government relations, in both the public and private sector. In her current role, Chris focuses on congressional relations, strategic partnerships, facilitating extramural funding at the federal level, and research planning.
Chris began her career serving in the district and Washington, D.C. offices for two Members of Congress from the San Diego region. As policy advisor, she handled energy, science, technology, and small business issues.
Prior to joining Scripps, Chris worked in the private sector as a consultant, managing community relations and grassroots organizing.
Chris currently serves as a board member for her community planning group, and is an ex-officio member for two policy subcommittees for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce focused on military and sustainability issues. Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in government from California State University, Sacramento.
Don Polese is Senior Partner/Managing Partners at Vectis DC. He has spent over three decades on Capitol Hill, both with leading Members of Congress and as a consultant to many significant California private and public companies and organizations. Through his long-time service as District Chief of Staff to San Diego and Orange County Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ron Packard, he is deeply knowledgeable about the annual federal budget and appropriations process. He also has developed many years of close relationships within key Federal agencies in DC and in California, including Defense, Energy, Education, Interior, Transportation, and EPA, and has assisted in the procurement of Federal permits for a number of major public and private projects throughout the Golden State. Don is on the Advisory Board of Washington Abstract, a collaborative, cloud-based tool to track, organize, and impact legislation.
Moderator
Janet Clayton is a communications and strategy expert. Clayton has received many accolades for excellence in her profession, including recognition as the editor of two Pulitzer Prize-winning series at the Los Angeles Times.
Scripps Women Pioneer Oceanography Aboard R/V Sally Ride
Recorded Friday, January 29, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Join AltaSea for a webinar with 3 PhD candidates from UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Laura Lilly, Camille Pagniello, and Sarah Maher.
Panelists
Laura Lilly is a 6th-year Ph.D. candidate in Biological Oceanography in Mark Ohman’s lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her research focuses on how El Niño events impact the zooplankton community off California. She is a sea-going oceanographer with a long history of spending time on boats at sea, including several month-long sailing trips across the Equatorial Pacific. Laura is passionate about sustainability and conservation and has served for the past four years as a co-founder and co-leader of the Scripps Sustainability Group, which aims to bring more sustainable practices to Scripps and UCSD. She believes strongly in the value of scientific education and outreach, and has developed and taught short “Introduction to Oceanography” programs for several high schools around San Diego County. In addition to oceanography, Laura loves to play horse polo, surf in Baja California, photograph waves, run, and learn new languages.
Sarah Maher received a BSc. in physics and astronomy at the University of Victoria in Canada and a MS in geology and geophysics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where she worked on plate tectonic reconstructions. She is currently a 6th year earth science PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography working with Dr. Jeffrey Gee.
Sarah’s present research focuses on using magnetic techniques to examine how the ocean crust cools. This involved a 35 day cruise to Pito Deep off the coast of Easter Island where she collected magnetic and bathymetry data and rock samples. Sarah also helped to design a 10 day cruise to the Fieberling seamount chain as a co-chief scientist, allowing graduate students to learn geoscience methods at sea.
Camille Pagniello is a sixth-year PhD student majoring in Applied Ocean Sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Pagniello considers herself to be somewhat of an ocean “MacGyver” – part marine biologist, part physicist, part engineer. Her research interests lie at the intersection of acoustics and geophysics, robotics, marine animals, and sustainable management of natural resources. She is currently using passive acoustics and optical imaging to identify the sounds of commercially and recreationally important fish species and to locate their spawning areas.
Camille has spent over 80 days at sea, including time as Chief Scientist of the Kelp Acoustic Propagation Experiment (APE), an experiment that she proposed and designed as a graduate student to study the influence of kelp on low-frequency sound propagation. Her ultimate goal is to contribute to the basic scientific understanding of the biological and physical processes in the ocean to further ocean conservation efforts.
Before attending Scripps, Pagniello completed her BSc Honors Co-op in Marine Biology and Physics with minors in Mathematics and Ocean Sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. You can find Camille on Twitter @FishySounds and Instagram @fishysounds where she posts images of San Diego’s kelp forests every Friday as part of #KelpForestFridays, or check out her website.
Moderator
Moderating the webinar will be the multi-Emmy award-winning journalist, Val Zavala. Zavala spent 30 years as a broadcast journalist at KCET in Los Angeles, winning numerous journalism awards. During her career, Zavala has covered a broad spectrum of Southern California issues, including politics, the environment, and the economy.
From the Bay to the Border: Three of the Top Scientists in CA talk Ocean Innovation and Climate Change
Recorded November 13, 2020 at 10:00am
Join AltaSea for a webinar with three of the leading scientists in the field of ocean innovation and conservation. The webinar will focus on the impacts that climate change is having on the ocean and marine mammals, and the innovations that are leading the 21st century approach to find solutions. More information coming soon!
Panelists
Dr. Jennifer Smith is a professor in marine ecology and conservation in the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Smith’s research focuses on understanding the factors that influence community structure in marine ecosystems. Her research often goes beyond basic ecology by integrating conservation, restoration, management, and sustainability.
Dr. Sarah Purkey is an assistant professor of climate and atmospheric science and physical oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. As an oceanographer, her research is focused on quantifying temperature, salinity, and circulation changes in the global ocean, including the deep and abyssal layers – the regions of the ocean that are difficult to access with current technology. Much of her current research is focused on explaining the causes of deep warming, and advancing data collection and measurement in the global ocean.
Dr. Cara Field is the medical director at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, the world’s largest marine mammal hospital. Dr. Field earned the status of Diplomate with a specialization in aquatic marine medicine – one of only 30 veterinarians in the nation to earn that distinction. Her work is focused on managing the care and health of the Center’s marine mammal patients, spearheading numerous research projects, and teaching and mentoring the next generation of veterinarians and marine scientists.
Moderator
Moderating the November 13 webinar will be the multi-Emmy award-winning journalist, Val Zavala. Zavala spent 30 years as a broadcast journalist at KCET in Los Angeles, winning numerous journalism awards. During her career, Zavala has covered a broad spectrum of Southern California issues, including politics, the environment, and the economy.
Move Over, Aquaman: Three of the World’s Top Female Ocean Explorers Talk Trailblazing in Ocean Discovery and Conservation
Recorded October 9, 2020 at 10:00am
AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles is hosting an upcoming webinar with three of the top female explorers and scientists in the field of ocean exploration and conservation. The webinar will be focused on the role these women played in breaking barriers in their field.
Participants
Dr. Carlie Wiener
Director of Communications and Engagement Strategy @Schmidt Ocean Institute. Dr. Carlie Wiener has over thirteen years of experience in marine science communications. Dr. Wiener has taught several courses throughout her career, specializing on communicating oceanography and marine science to the public. She has over twelve publications printed in top scientific research journals across the country.
AltaSea Presents: Where Economic Development Meets Ocean Sustainability
Recorded August 12, 2020 at 1:00pm
AltaSea will be hosting a dialogue on the convergence of the ocean economy and sustainability from a local, national and global perspective. This discussion will be focused on investing in zero-emissions technology and infrastructure, fighting climate change, and creating good-paying green jobs.
It will also look at how to measure the size and changing nature of economic relationships with the oceans and coasts in order to guide choices and monitor progress including the economics of climate change adaptation in coastal regions.
The “Ocean Economy,” the first new job category designated by the LA County Economic Development Corporation in LA in over 10 years, provides over 660,000 direct jobs and over $143 billion of total economic output in the state.
Participants
- Hon. Nanette Diaz Barragán, US Congressmember, 44th District
- Tim McOsker, CEO, AltaSea
- Jason Scorse, Associate Professor; Program Chair, International Environmental Policy; Director, Center for the Blue Economy at Middlebury Institute of International Studies
Moderator
- Val Zavala, multi-Emmy award-winning journalist
AltaSea & LAEDC: Latest cutting-edge tech companies are all wet
Recorded Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 10:00am
Tim McOsker, AltaSea’s CEO, will be joined by the LAEDC CEO, Bill Allen, for the July 16 webinar. Allen has been active in regional economic development for over 20 years, and as CEO of the LAEDC, he led the effort in February 2020 to designate the Ocean Economy as a new category of jobs in Los Angeles – the first addition in over a decade. The LAEDC and AltaSea’s Economic Report on the Ocean Economy states that this new economic engine will support more than 126,000 direct jobs and pay wages upwards of $37.7 billion by 2023 in LA County alone.
Rounding out the group of panelists on July 16 will be the founders of two of the most innovative ocean tech companies in LA – Holdfast Aquaculture and Blue Robotics.
- Rusty Jehangir, founder and CEO of Blue Robotics. Blue Robotics has developed the first professional quality underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) at a price point that’s accessible to all users, not just giant oil and gas companies. Blue Robotics currently tests its ROVs and other technological innovations at AltaSea, which provides a rare secure, quiet place to access the water.
- Kelly Stromberg, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Holdfast Aquaculture. Holdfast produces top-quality seed for bivalves, including mussels, clams, oysters, and seaweeds, which act as nature’s own filtration systems, keeping our oceans clean and providing a healthy, local, and scalable source of food. Holdfast’s products promote sustainable aquaculture, and tap into a growing market for these superfoods.
Moderating the July 16 event will be the multi-Emmy award-winning journalist, Val Zavala. Zavala spent 30 years as a broadcast journalist at KCET in Los Angeles, winning numerous journalism awards. During her career, Zavala has covered a broad spectrum of Southern California issues, including politics, the environment, and the economy.
AltaSea, Milken Institute & Santa Monica College: Mobilizing an Ocean Economy Workforce in California
Recorded Friday, July 17, 2020 at 11:00am
Tim McOsker, AltaSea’s CEO, will be joined by:
- Matt Horton, director of public policy for the Milken Institute. Horton has an extensive history in addressing economic growth and resiliency across Southern California. His current role at the Milken Institute involves interacting with government officials and business leaders in developing and directing statewide programming and policy initiatives.
- Dr. Patricia Ramos, Dean of Workforce & Economic Development at Santa Monica College. The college has transferred more students to the University of California campuses than any other college in the country for 28 straight years. Additionally, SMC has transferred more LatinX and African Americans to the Cal State schools than any other California community college. Through Patricia’s work, Santa Monica College has transformed into an engine for talent development across critical industries in the Greater Los Angeles area and has shown to have a significant impact in the region’s economy.
The July 17 webinar will be moderated by David Abel, publisher of The Planning Report and chairman of the VerdeXchange. The Planning Report is the preeminent trade publication that engages Southern Californian leaders in substantive debate about urban planning, growth, design, and public infrastructure investment for the past three decades. VerdeXchange hosts an annual conference comprised of green tech and blue economy entrepreneurs and industry leaders to discuss sustainable practice and ways to advance the new energy economy.
