James W. Porter, Ph.D., an expert in coral reef conservation who worked on the Emmy-award winning film “Chasing Coral,” will speak at Miami at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 about “blurring the lines between medicine and ecology while saving coral reefs in the Florida Keys,” according to a news release.
The talk is sponsored by the Hefner Museum of Natural History. The Hefner Lecture, named after the museum’s founder and first director, Robert A. Hefner, brings distinguished scholars in the art of science communication to Miami University in order to give people of all ages the opportunity to learn from experts in the fields of environmental sciences, according to a news release.
Porter is an ecological scientist who focuses on coral bleaching, which is when coral loses its color revealing its white skeleton due to climate change.
He was the scientific adviser for the 2017 film “Chasing Coral,” which took home the Emmy for outstanding nature documentary in 2018. The film examines the rapid rate at which coral reefs are vanishing and how this became a prominent issue. Porter began his career in ecological research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in the 1970s. His research became the backbone of the film.
Porter also testified before Congress four times about the importance of climate change in regards to coral reefs. According to the STRI , in his professional career he has focused on teaching students in order to make his research more relevant for those outside of the ecological science community.
The lecture will take place in room 100, Laws Hall. The lecture will also be live streamed on YouTube.