NSU Currents Spring 2014 Newsletter - Volume XXIV, Issue 1

7 Faculty Members Celebrate 35 Years at the Oceanographic Center In 2013, two faculty members celebrated their many years of service at the Oceanographic Center. Patricia Blackwelder , Ph.D., associate professor, and Richard Dodge , Ph.D., dean, came to NSU in 1978. Congratulations to you both! We salute you for your 35 years of dedicated service. Then and Now… Richard Dodge, Ph.D., top and above, came to NSU in 1978. Patricia Blackwelder, Ph.D., is shown at left, and with M.S. student Nidhi Vijayan. Longtime Professor Retires After 32 years of service, Curtis M. Burney , Ph.D., associate professor, has retired from the Oceanographic Center. A leader in teaching science courses at a distance for the graduate programs, Burney also was the director of the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program in partnership with the Broward County government. The program provides for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within Broward County. During the course of his career at the OC, Burney was the major professor for 2 Ph.D. candidates and 69 M.S. students. During his teaching career, he established the undergraduate science program at NSU and taught two of the OC’s five core classes for both the online and in-house formats. OC faculty members and research scientists celebrated Curtis M. Burney’s years of service to the OC at his retirement party. From left: Jose Lopez, Ph.D.; James Thomas, Ph.D.; Richard Dodge, Ph.D., OC dean; David Gilliam, Ph.D.; Charles Messing, Ph.D.; Curtis M. Burney, Ph.D.; Richard Spieler, Ph.D., associate dean; Brian Walker, Ph.D.; David Kerstetter, Ph.D.; Tammy Frank, Ph.D.; and Sam Purkis, Ph.D. Curtis M. Burney, Ph.D., is shown in the OC Boat Basin, left, pulling samples and, right, at one of the first computers. Curtis M. Burney chats with students at his retirement party. “I want Curtis Burney to know that he has been one of the most memorable professors at the university, and I am constantly using the information I learned from his classes,” said M.S. student Christiana Wittmaack . “His dedication to his students, and to teaching in general, is profound. I am lucky that I joined the OC and took the courses Marine Ecosystems and Marine Chemistry before he retired.” In January, a large number of students and faculty and staffmembers, aswell as his family, celebratedBurney’s retirement in recognition of his 32 years of service in education and research for NSU and its Oceanographic Center. Burney’s dedication and effort has significantly added to the understanding and knowledge of the world’s coasts and oceans.