Monday, March 20, 2000

By Natalie Jarman, PR Intern

Wilmington, N.C. - UNCW will host the eighth annual Atlantic Coastal Dolphin Conference Friday, March 24 - Sunday, March 26. The conference will provide an opportunity for students to meet fellow researchers and make presentations early in their scientific careers. More than 100 participants are expected to attend from universities and agencies from states along the East Coast.



The conference, which rotates annually among universities, is making its second visit to UNCW. This year the university will showcase its new Center for Marine Science.



Dr. Steven Katona, president of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, will deliver the conference's keynote address at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 24. An internationally- recognized marine mammal biologist, who has served as president of the American Cetacean Society, Katona will speak on issues concerning marine mammals in the mid-Atlantic and on the marine mammal research program.



Dr. Ann Pabst, associate professor of biological sciences at UNCW, said, "The Atlantic Coastal Dolphin Conference will provide our students a unique opportunity to learn about other marine mammal research programs in the mid-Atlantic, meet researchers from outside the university, and meet fellow students from other academic institutions."

NOTE TO MEDIA: Conference is limited to registered guests. To arrange interviews with participants, please contact conference chairs Bill McLellan or Ann Pabst at 962-7266.