An Evening of Science & Policy with Jane Lubchenco
Photo by Oceanário de Lisboa.
Join us, Wed., April 16
Seas the Day: A New Narrative for the Ocean
It’s time for a new narrative for the ocean, one that reflects current scientific knowledge and acknowledges innovative new partnerships and solutions that center the ocean in our future.
The two current dominant narratives for the ocean are anchored in the past. The older one considers the ocean to be so vast, bountiful, and resilient that it is simply too big to fail. This first narrative drives pollution and over exploitation of resources. A second, more recent narrative is that the ocean is now so depleted, polluted, and disrupted, and the drivers of those outcomes are so powerful and complex, that the ocean is simply too big to fix.
A third, new narrative is emerging, based on scientific findings, existing solutions, and innovative partnerships and policies. This new narrative acknowledges that the ocean is central to a safe, clean, healthy, just, and prosperous future. This new narrative tells us that the ocean is neither too big to fail, nor is it too big to fix. But it is too important and too central to our future to ignore.
The Honorable Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D.
- Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology
- University Distinguished Professor of Integrative Biology College of Science, OSU
- Former Deputy Director for Climate and Environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2021-25).
Jane Lubchenco is a marine ecologist who focuses on the science, policy, communications, and politics around the interactions between people and the environment, especially the ocean, climate change, and nature. Although she’s been a faculty member at Oregon State University (OSU) since 1978, she has also served in multiple senior roles in the federal government, most recently as Deputy Director for Climate and Environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2021-2025).
She previously served as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and inaugural member of President Barack Obama’s Science Team from 2009-2013. From 2014-2016, she was the first U.S. State Department Science Envoy for the Ocean, serving as a science diplomat to China, Indonesia, South Africa, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Royal Society, The World Academy of Sciences, and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, among others. She has received numerous awards recognizing her contributions to science and society. Dr. Lubchenco received a B.A. in biology from Colorado College, a M.S. in zoology from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in ecology from Harvard University. In addition to OSU, she has also held faculty appointments at Harvard and Stanford Universities.
Onsite Details
Location: Hatfield Marine Science Center, Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building, Carmen Ford Phillips Auditorium
Social hour: 5 to 6 p.m. Appetizers and a no host bar
Talk begins: 6 p.m.
Hybrid Option
Join the talk remotely from PC, Mac, iPad or Android.
Join via audio: +1 971 247 1195 US (Portland)
Webinar ID: 912 3866 2936