Plenary Session Descriptions

Tuesday, April 18, 2017  |  8:30am – 10:00am  |  Opening Plenary
[Great Cypress & Royal Poinciana]

Bridging Science to Management in Large-scale Ecosystem Restoration Programs

Session Description:

After welcoming remarks from the conference organizers, this plenary session will examine science-management linkages and processes. We will hear the perspectives of two scientists who have been involved in several large-scale ecosystem restoration programs, including the San Francisco Bay-Delta, the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. The speakers will discuss findings from a workshop that brought together scientists and science-policy experts from across the country, and how ecosystem forecasting can help bridge science to management.

Plenary Speakers:

Opening Remarks by GEER 2017 Conference Chair
Nick Aumen, Regional Science Advisor - South Florida, US Geological Survey, Davie, FL

Welcome and Introductions
Jack Payne, Senior VP for Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL

Cultivating Reproducible Science and Social Capital in Major Science Enterprises
Mike Chotkowski, San Francisco Bay-Delta Science Coordinator, US Geological Survey, Sacramento, CA

Ecosystem Forecasting: Bridging Science to Management
Stephen Brandt, Professor, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

Session Organizer:

Nick Aumen, Regional Science Advisor – South Florida, United States Geological Survey; GEER 2017 Chair

---

Wednesday, April 19, 2017  |  8:30am – 10:00am |  Plenary Session
[Great Cypress & Royal Poinciana]

Design, Innovation, and Governance (DIG): Solutions for Everglades Restoration

Session Description:

This year, the panel that selects plenary speakers and topics, wanted to try something different. This will be a TED-like presentation by six speakers who received individualized coaching on the art of TED presentations**. TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) talks have become the gold standard for the communication of “ideas worth spreading.” In this session we are adapting the short, focused TED story-telling format for a session entitled: “Everglades Solutions.” With a more panoptic view then a typical GEER session, speakers were asked to deliver thoughtful and possibly provocative Everglades-focused and science centric DIG (Design, Innovation and Governance) Talks. Sessions that DIG deeper may become a mainstay of future GEER conferences. This session promises to be a unique blend of the art of communication with the passion of science. Topics will cover a range of ideas including animal behavior, sustainability, citizen science and the governance of restoration, with a special appearance by the Honorable Florida Senator Robert “Bob” Graham.

**Footnote: Jezra Kaye, Speak Up for Success (Jezra@JezraKaye.com), Speaker Coach / President;

Plenary Speakers:

“Sustainability”
Dan Childers, Professor, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

“Keeping it Real”
Stephanie Johnson, Senior Program Officer, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC

“The Allegory of the Patient”
Fred Sklar, Director and Section Administrator, Everglades Systems Assessment Section, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, FL

“Bird Brains”
Peter Frederick, Research Professor, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL

“The Value of Citizen Science”
Jennifer Rehage, Assistant Professor, Florida International University, Miami, FL

“Resource Governance”
The Honorable Robert "Bob" Graham, former Florida Governor and United States Senator, Miami Lakes, FL

Session Organizers:

Fred Sklar, Director and Section Administrator, Everglades Systems Assessment Section, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, FL –and–  Nick Aumen, Regional Science Advisor – South Florida, United States Geological Survey; GEER 2017 Chair

Thank you Premier Sponsors