Conference attendees will share knowledge generated by local Tribes, watermen, and other coastal citizens, and Western scientists while exploring emerging trends and novel tools such as environmental DNA, new remote sensing technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI). The theme encompasses approaches to weaving together these different ways of knowing to address the pressing coastal and estuarine issues facing the world today and embraces and affirms CERF’s longstanding emphasis on management implications, education, and communication.
The conference also incorporates local art and culture into its program, as well as engagement with the local community. Richmond artist Jason Ford (www.nosajauthentics.com) created the conference artwork, which was inspired by the theme and highlights the historical contributions of Black watermen in the Chesapeake Bay, particularly in oyster harvesting and shucking. Students from the City of Richmond and Henrico County with an interest in environmental and coastal topics will also attend the conference and meet with professionals in the field.
Dr. Carlos Duarte, professor and research chair at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, will open the conference with a keynote address on Sunday, November 9, on “blue natural capital,” an emerging concept of using coastal and estuarine habitats to capture carbon and mitigate climate change while also creating a new, investable, asset class. Two plenary presentations will focus on “Science for Solutions”—how coastal and estuarine science can best be conducted to ensure results are actionable and support solutions for coastal communities, particularly in historically underserved or marginalized areas.
“CERF is a premier conference due to its inherently interdisciplinary approach,” said Frank Reilly, conference co-chair and Senior Consultant of Environmental Planning and Sustainability at LMI Solutions. “So many other scientific conferences are stove-piped, but CERF by its very nature fosters cross-disciplinary thinking.”
Cassondra Armstrong, conference co-chair and Applied Sciences Bureau Chief of the South Florida Water Management District, shared that, “As someone with one foot in research and one foot in management, I feel the CERF conference provides a space for pure research to meet real-world applications that lead to innovative solutions to help us address issues faced by coastal communities.”
“This conference is important to the coastal and estuarine science and management community because it is THE place where academicians, researchers, practitioners, and managers of all career stages convene to engage, share, and collaborate in our discipline,” noted Treda Grayson, Conference Co-Chair and Branch Supervisor in the US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water. “I leave each and every conference with new perspectives on ways to address the environmental challenges we face.”
Anyone interested in registering to attend CERF 2025 or to learn more about the program should visit https://conference.cerf.science/. Members of the media interested in attending the event should contact Susan Park at [email protected] or 804-381-6658.
