Speaker: Dr. Huasheng Hong, Xiamen University, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (Please note: Dr. Hong is the first female oceanographer in the People's Republic of China) 

Title: Development of the Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (MEL) at Xiamen University, People's Republic of China

Abstract: Professor Huasheng Hong got her Ph.D. at GSO in 1984 and then returned to China. Since then, she has served as a faculty member at Xiamen University where she established the biogeochemistry education and research programs, and was one of the founders of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (MEL) in 2005. Dr. Hong is visiting the University of Rhode Island for several days and would like to introduce the advance of MEL as an excellent International Center for Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Studies. In her talk, Dr. Hong will present some of the research highlights of MEL such as ocean carbon biogeochemistry (the CO2 fluxes in ocean-dominated margin and river-dominated ocean margin), marine microbial ecology (the microbial carbon pump MCP in the ocean), and the ecological processes of plankton (response of phytoplankton to interaction of upwelling and internal wave; effects of ocean acidification of N2 fixation). Dr. Hong will show the advance Ocean Observation System and the facilities such as RV Tan Kah Kee (RV TKK) and the HiSea Satellites for coastal observation. MEL has a very strong faculty education team, especially many young talents actively in the international program. She will also introduce the first International Marine Affairs Degree Program in China established in 2007 with the help of URI. Dr. Hong will recall her journey to achieving her dream of becoming marine scientist, as well as express her gratitude to the people she met along the way.