Opening Plenary & Keynote Speaker
- Monday, October 26
- 8:30am–10:00am
- Exhibit Hall B & C
Welcome Remarks:
- Clarissa Anderson, Symposium Co-Chair, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Dail Laughinghouse, Symposium Co-Chair, UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center
- Emily Kleitsch, Cedar Rapids Tourism
- Tiffany O’Donnell, The Honorable Mayor of Cedar Rapids and CEO, Women Lead Change
Jaejin Lee
"Lessons Learned from CyanoHAB Monitoring and Prediction in Iowa Lakes"
Keynote Speaker
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Iowa State University
Ames, IA
Jaejin Lee is a Research Scientist in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University. His research focuses on environmental microbiology and microbial ecology, emphasizing how bacterial communities interact with environmental processes across diverse ecosystems. His work has included freshwater lakes, sediments, agricultural soils, groundwater, tidal flats, and Antarctic environments, integrating molecular biology, metagenomics, bioinformatics, environmental monitoring, and data science.
At Iowa State University, he has helped lead interdisciplinary research on cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms across 38 Iowa lakes as part of a U.S. EPA-funded project. His work has included machine-learning-based prediction of harmful bloom conditions, particularly the development of a one-week-ahead prediction framework integrating biological, chemical, land use, and meteorological observations, as well as molecular approaches for improved detection of microcystin-producing cyanobacteria.
His current research extends across terrestrial and aquatic systems, including nitrogen cycling and greenhouse-gas emissions in agricultural soils, soil microbiomes, microbial functional genes, and the use of data science and machine learning to understand and predict complex environmental processes. He is particularly interested in how scientific questions should guide what we measure, where and when we observe, and how environmental data are analyzed and interpreted, while emphasizing the importance of clearly defining and consistently using scientific terms and concepts.
He received his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Yonsei University in South Korea. Before joining Iowa State University, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Korea Polar Research Institute.
Then & Now: Transforming HAB Science and Management through Competitive Research (Part 1)
- Tuesday, October 27
- 8:30am–10:00am
- Exhibit Hall B & C
Session Description
This session is a retrospective overview of research impacts and returns on investment of almost 30 years of NOAA’s National Competitive HAB Programs (ECOHAB, MERHAB, PCMHAB, and SEAHAB) in the Northeast United States, Long Island Sound, Florida, and the Great Lakes. As this milestone is reached, it is timely to assess major research accomplishments and improvements to HAB management since the inception of the first program in 1997. Key takeaways will demonstrate how sustained funding for research confers societal benefits over time.
Maggie Broadwater
Moderator
NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)
Washington, DC
Maggie Broadwater is a physical scientist and program manager with NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Competitive Research Program. As the manager of NOAA's Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program, she works across NOAA and with other agencies and partner institutions to advance understanding, detection, prediction, control, mitigation, and response to harmful algal blooms.
Quay Dortch
"Introduction & Background: Transforming HAB Science and Management through Three Decades of Competitive Research"
NOAA Emeritus
Silver Spring, MD
Quay Dortch is a Scientist Emeritus for the NOAA NCCOS Competitive Research Program (CRP). Previously, she was the Senior HAB Scientist for the CRP and the Program Manager for the CRP ECOHAB and PCMHAB Programs that provide funding for HAB research. She also briefed Congressional staff, co-wrote many required Congressional reports, and helped develop legislation pertaining to HABs and hypoxia. Prior to coming to NOAA she conducted research on HABs, hypoxia, and nutrient utilization by phytoplankton.
Donald Anderson
"The Scientific and Management Legacy of the ECOHAB Gulf of Maine and GOMTOX Programs"
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA
Don Anderson is an Emeritus Research Scholar in the Biology Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, having recently retired from his position as Senior Scientist. His research ranges from molecular and physiological studies of growth, sexuality, and toxin production in HAB species to the large-scale oceanography and ecology of their blooms.
Michael Brosnahan
"HABON-NE: Advancing HAB Science and Management in a Changing Coastal Ocean"
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA
Michael Brosnahan is a biological oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution whose research examines the ecology and environmental drivers of harmful algal blooms. His work integrates in situ observing, laboratory studies, and adaptive field sampling to explore how blooms develop, persist, and respond to environmental change.
Christopher Gobler
"Solving the Mystery of Brown Tide: Co-evolution of Watersheds, Fisheries, HABs, and HAB Science"
Stony Brook University
Southampton, NY
Chris has been studying HABs since 1992. He conducts research in coastal zones that seeks to understand how human activity including pollution and climate change can disrupt ecosystems, food webs, and fisheries, and seeks to discover actions that can be taken to mitigate such disruption.
Cynthia Heil
"NOAA’s HAB Programs: A Critical Driver of Karenia Research in the Gulf of Mexico"
Mote Marine Laboratory
Sarasota, FL
Cynthia Heil is a Senior Biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory and the Director of Mote's Red Tide Institute. Her research focuses on both the development and testing of HAB mitigation products and on the basic ecology of HABs and their relationship with a changing environment.
Gregory Boyer
"Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes: NOAA’s Support for their Detection, Management, and Prevention"
SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse, NY
Greg Boyer is an Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse NY. He is the former director of New York’s Great Lakes Research Consortium, a founding member of the Lake Erie Center for Freshwater and Human Health, and recipient of the US-National HAB Committee’s Lifetime Research and Service Award in 2024.
Harmful Algal Bloom Community Town Hall
- Wednesday, October 28
- 8:30am–10:00am
- Exhibit Hall B & C
Session Description
Co-Chairs of the National Harmful Algal Bloom Committee (NHC) and its partners will host a Town Hall to discuss current events, funding, and issues relevant to the HAB community. NOAA and other federal program managers will cover program changes, key legislation, and new funding opportunities. NHC updates will include international engagement, the outlook for 2027, and synergistic programs of community interest. Everyone is encouraged to attend and take advantage of this opportunity to ask questions.
Moderators:
- Josie Galloway, NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Silver Spring, MD
- Marc Suddleson, NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS),Silver Spring, MD
Town Hall Speakers:
Clarissa Anderson
Symposium & NHC Co-Chair
University of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
La Jolla, CA
Clarissa is Director of the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Systems at SIO. She conducts research on phytoplankton ecology in coastal California and serves as GlobalHAB Chair, NHABON Co-Chair, NHC Co-Chair, and Co-Chair of a U.S. CLIVAR Working Group on Climate Solutions.
Dail Laughinghouse
Symposium & NHC Co-Chair
UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center
Davie, FL
Dr. Laughinghouse is a broadly trained phycologist working with both basic and applied algal research from Tropical to Polar Regions. His research background includes systematics, ecology, HABs, cyanotoxins, phycoremediation, biofuels, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics of marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments. Research on testing different algal treatment methods with the industry is ongoing in the lab using different approaches, bridging chemistry, genetics, diversity, and environment.
Dave Kidwell
Deputy Director
NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)
Silver Spring, MD
Dave Kidwell serves as co-chair for the Interagency Working Group for HABs and Hypoxia and actively collaborates with partners to advance much of the NCCOS HAB and coastal resilience portfolio. Dave is the current deputy director of NCCOS and former director of NCCOS’ Competitive Research Program. In his CRP director role, Dave was responsible for the oversight and direction of over 80 competitively funded projects across the country with an annual research budget of over $22 million. The Competitive Research Program funds ecosystem research focused on providing science-based solutions for harmful algal blooms, sea level rise, coastal inundation, ecosystem management, and other threats to our nation’s coasts.
Then & Now: Transforming HAB Science and Management through Competitive Research (Part 2)
- Thursday, October 29
- 8:30am–10:00am
- Exhibit Hall B & C
Session Description
This session continues the retrospective overview of research impacts and return on investment of almost 30 years of NOAA’s National Competitive HAB Programs in California and the Pacific Northwest, and multi-regional research on Ciguatera and Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. Assessment of major research accomplishments, improvements to HAB management, and societal benefits will be continued from the Tuesday plenary session.
Bruna Sobrinho
Moderator
NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)
Silver Spring, MD
Bruna Sobrinho recently earned her PhD in Marine Science from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, where she studied harmful algal blooms and phytoplankton metabolism. She is currently a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Fellow at the NOAA NCCOS.
Raphael Kudela
"What Have 30+ Years of Research in California Taught Us About Domoic Acid?"
University of California Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Raphael Kudela is a professor in the Ocean Sciences Department at University of California Santa Cruz. He is a member of the NHABON committee, is a representative on the Global Ocean Observing System BioEco Panel, and an ex-officio member of the National HAB Committee.
Clarissa Anderson
"Three Decades of Monitoring and Modeling Domoic Acid Events in California"
University of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
La Jolla, CA
Clarissa is Director of the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Systems at SIO. She conducts research on phytoplankton ecology in coastal California and serves as GlobalHAB Chair, NHABON Co-Chair, NHC Co-Chair, and Co-Chair of a U.S. CLIVAR Working Group on Climate Solutions.
Stephanie Moore
"Decades of Discovery: The Evolution of Research and Management of Pseudo-nitzschia HABs in the Pacific Northwest"
NOAA Fisheries
Seattle, WA
Steph is a Research Oceanographer with NOAA Fisheries. Her mission is to understand the causes and consequences of harmful algal blooms for fisheries and the people who depend on them for their livelihoods. Her work informs the development of adaptive management actions to optimize the mutual well-being of people and ecosystems in a changing world.
Misty Peacock
"Salish Sea Harmful Algal Bloom Research and Management: Sustaining Shellfish Harvest for Decades"
Northwest Indian College
Bellingham, WA
Dr. Misty Peacock is a phytoplankton ecologist and Director of the Salish Sea Research Center at Northwest Indian College. Her research focuses on freshwater and marine biotoxins and their transfer into the marine food web through shellfish. She leads community-identified projects focused on food sovereignty and environmental health.
Michael Parsons1 and Alison Robertson2
"What Investment is Needed for Effective Harmful Algal Bloom Management: Insights from Ciguatera Poisoning"
1Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL
2University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Mobile, AL
Michael Parsons is a Professor of Marine Science in the Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University who studies benthic microalgal and phytoplankton ecology. Alison Robertson is an Associate Professor & Senior Marine Scientist II, University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab who studies Integrative Marine Chemistry & Ecotoxicology.
Juliette Smith
"Multidisciplinary Approach to a Cross-regional Problem: Dinophysis and DSP Toxicity"
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Gloucester Point, VA
Dr. Juliette Smith is a Professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. Her research group investigates the ecology, chemistry, and ecotoxicology of toxins produced by harmful algal blooms (HABs) in coastal environments. Her interdisciplinary work draws from oceanography/limnology, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, toxicology, and ecology. Since joining the VIMS faculty, her research has focused largely on the production, persistence, and fate of phycotoxins. Recent research has moved her into local shellfish hatcheries, where she works with colleagues to evaluate phycotoxins and other stressors as possible impediments to aquaculture production.
