The idea is to set up a college credit course for undergrad and grad science majors to teach them how to... yes, you got it... communicate ocean science to lay people. More specifically it is to allow them to become better communicators about their research, educate the general public and encourage some of these future scientists to enter the world of education in hopes of generating even more future scientists or science teachers.
Lucky for me my former boss could not attend and thought of me as a replacement to fill the "educator" role. And lucky for Don, he is married to me and was therefore selected to fill the "scientist" role. That, and he is a damn good scientist.
So off we went to Ocean Springs, MS.
While I don't have any pics of the conference to prove we were really in attendance and while I'm sure you are thinking oh darn, no pictures of a conference... really, I could have had some interesting ones to show. It was very interactive and fun.
I do however have some pics of the 6 hours of free time that we did have. And we made the most of it.
A drive up the shore found us in the continuing Hurricane Katrina recovery cities of Gulfport and Biloxi.
Abandoned, right up on the beach...
These pictures just do not show the devastation that still exists 4 years post hurricane. Extremely long sections of shoreline, where commercial and residential buildings once stood, remain vacant.Here is a remaining house pad and some vacant spaces. The blue trailer in the background is one of few quick homes that were built presumably for temporary shelter. But only a very few of the large, brick mansion homes have been rebuilt.
A vacant gas station lot...
Some visible damage still remains. This is a building from the William Carey University, only a few hundred yards from the shore in Gulport.
This photo speaks volumes. You can see the stripped trees on the barrier island just offshore.
The trees really caught my eye. While they remain standing, their twisted and reconfigured shapes tell the tale of the beatings they endured. 
As I was standing amidst all the destruction and loss, I noticed this small patch of Indian Blanket Flower (Gaillardia pulchella) - one of my favorite native FL flowers. They made me smile.
We managed a quick hike in the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
And snacked on honeysuckle.
Since honeysuckle isn't terribly filling, we had lots of room for the unbelievable oysters we found at a local restaurant.They were HUGE! And at $5/dozen, we ate A LOT!
Gimme oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year...
As for COSIA, and most everything else in life, timing is everything. We both learned a lot and it is a fab program but with UF slicing and dicing its budget each year, it may not happen just yet. But not all is lost, I am certainly going to implement some of the ideas and techniques we learned to current programs at the FLMNH.
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