Research Activity Panel

View of the Big Sur coastline
View of Bixby Bridge from Hurricane Point, Big Sur. Photo: Steve Lonhart/NOAA

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Research Activity Panel is a working group of the advisory council. The Research Activity Panel has several key objectives:

  • Advise sanctuary staff on science issues that will influence policy (e.g., address research questions in the management plan)
  • Review research issues and documents for the advisory council and sanctuary staff
  • Facilitate the exchange of regional research information and create opportunities for project coordination
  • Convey regional research needs and opportunities to the advisory council

The Research Activity Panel is composed of 23 representatives from regional research institutions and organizations. Administrative support of the Research Activity Panel is provided by sanctuary staff.

Members
Meetings

History, Protocols, and Activities

For more information about the Research Activity Panel, contact Erica Burton, research ecologist, erica.burton@noaa.gov.

Ed Ricketts Memorial Award and Lecture

History of Ed Ricketts Memorial Award and Lecture

Ed Ricketts was born in Chicago in 1897 and studied ecology at the University of Chicago. He moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1923 and opened Pacific Biological Laboratories, providing specimens and slides to research institutions. Ricketts met John Steinbeck in 1930 and became a major influence on the author's writing and philosophy, serving as the inspiration for many notable Steinbeck characters. On their famous trip aboard the Western Flyer, Ricketts and Steinbeck explored the Gulf of California and collaborated on the book "The Sea of Cortez". Ricketts also wrote "Between Pacific Tides," an ecological handbook of intertidal marine life that is still used as a textbook at many universities. The scientific catalog of organisms documented by Ricketts, both aboard the Western Flyer and during his other studies, has been invaluable to marine scientists. His work and unconventionally holistic approach to science has inspired generations of researchers.

The Ed Ricketts Memorial Award was created to honor scientists who have exhibited exemplary work throughout their career and advanced the status of knowledge in the field of marine science. The first award was presented in March 1986 at a conference at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Recipients are selected by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Research Activity Panel.

2023 Recipients

four people standing and two people holding plaques
Recipients of the 36th Ed Ricketts Memorial Award, Tim Thomas and Linda Yamane. Photo: Amity Wood/NOAA

Tim Thomas - Maritime Heritage and Fisheries Historian
"What's up Doc: When History and Science Collide!"

Linda Yamane - Rumsen Ohlone Artist, Historian and Culture Bearer
"Weaving the Past With the Present"

Additional Information