Greetings from Director Dan Costa

As the new director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, I am truly excited and humbled. I stand on the shoulders of giants: Ken Norris, Bill Doyle, Gary Griggs, and Pete Raimondi. The dreams and efforts of these past directors have made the Institute of Marine Sciences a reality.

IMS forged my skills in research. It will always have a special place in my heart. Ken Norris mentored me as a graduate student when he was the director of the Center for Coastal Marine Studies. Bill Doyle established IMS as I completed my doctorate. He invited me back to IMS as an assistant research biologist after my postdoctoral work at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. IMS provided me with an office and a lab, enabling me to obtain research grants, build my program, and compete for faculty positions. In 1991, as Ken Norris retired, I accepted a faculty position in the Biology Department. In many ways, my success is inseparable from IMS and I look forward to giving back to IMS and to our community of researchers.

The institute is composed of exceptional and dedicated staff, researchers and affiliated faculty. Sitting on the edge of the Monterey Bay and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, IMS is nationally recognized for our research in marine science and coastal sustainability and includes innovative approaches, such as the Coastal Science and Policy graduate program. With key federal, state, and non-governmental conservation partners co-located with us on the Coastal Sciences Campus, we have an unparalleled opportunity for progress in marine and coastal research, conservation, policy, training, and outreach.

In conversations with my UCSC colleagues, I have learned that we are deeply concerned about marine resources, climate change, and sustainability and enthusiastic about the significant role IMS can play in developing groundbreaking research and innovative solutions. Central to these themes is an understanding of the fundamental processes that drive climate, ocean circulation, biogeochemical processes and how ecosystems are regulated and impacted by these processes. Further, studies in distant regions like Antarctic or the Arctic have relevance to our coastal zone, as changes in these regions effect global climate, which drives local climate, as well rising sea level. Local, regional and global processes are all interconnected. Ocean health and coastal communities have never faced greater challenges or opportunities. With your help, I hope as incoming director to build our community and foster innovative, interdisciplinary approaches so that IMS can continue to be a leader in world-class research and conservation strategies.

I look forward to engaging with you, as together we take IMS into the future.