New Director, New Directions for New York Sea Grant

NYSG Gets Excellence and Experience in Dr. James W. Ammerman

Contacts:

Barbara Branca, New York Sea Grant, barbara.branca@stonybrook.edu, 631.632.6956

James Ammerman, New York Sea Grant, James.Ammerman@stonybrook.edu

STONY BROOK, NY, October 15, 2008 - New York Sea Grant (NYSG) welcomes the arrival of Dr. James W. Ammerman as its new director beginning October 15, 2008. “With his diverse background in high-quality research, grants administration and science education, we are excited to have Dr. Ammerman as director and know that New York Sea Grant will thrive under his leadership,” says Dr. David O. Conover, Dean of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and Chair of New York Sea Grant’s Board of Governors.

Dr. Ammerman, an aquatic microbial ecologist and biogeochemist, received his Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has been a member of the faculty at Texas A&M University and the research staff at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Dr. Ammerman served as an Associate Program Manager in the Biological Oceanography Program at the National Science Foundation and as Science Director of NOAA’s Undersea Research Center at Rutgers University. He leaves his research faculty post at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers to take on the mantle of New York Sea Grant Director. Dr. Ammerman is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a recipient of the Lindeman Award from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. 

Says Dr. Ammerman, “New York Sea Grant’s motto has long been ‘Bringing Science to the Shore.’  Now, more than ever, it is important to ensure that the best available scientific information is brought to bear on the coastal decision-making that impacts both the economy and the environment of New York State. Through its education and outreach efforts and its support of coastal research, NYSG will continue to enhance its leadership role, benefitting all New Yorkers. By deepening its partnerships with stakeholders and the public, NYSG will meet the 21st century challenges facing New York’s coastal economies and environments.”

With its core funding and special initiatives, New York Sea Grant has brought millions in federal research dollars to the state to address such vital issues as the health of NY’s fisheries and waterways, accurate storm and flooding prediction, brown tide, and aquatic invasive species. NYSG is a partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the State University of New York, Cornell University, and the many stakeholders concerned with the wise use of New York's marine, Great Lakes, and Hudson River coastlines and resources.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Ammerman at an informal reception at 4 pm on Thursday, October 23, 2008 in Room 113 of Endeavour Hall, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University.