Christie to lead Alaska Sea Grant

Submitted by Carin Stephens
Phone: 907-322-8730
07/23/09

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has appointed David Christie as the director of the Alaska Sea Grant College Program.

"For me, the opportunity to put science to work in ways that directly benefit coastal Alaskans is a great new challenge," says Christie. "I’m looking forward to continuing the excellent work that Sea Grant does for the state of Alaska."

Alaska Sea Grant is a state-federal marine research, education, and advisory program based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. The program has an annual budget of about $6 million, with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, UAF and external grants. An integral part of Sea Grant is the Marine Advisory Program, an outreach network of extension agents who live and work in 10 coastal communities across Alaska.

Christie says that Alaska Sea Grant offers an important bridge connecting scientists who study Alaska’s marine resources with the Alaskans who use those resources.

Since coming to UAF from Oregon State University in 2006, Christie has served as director of the UAF/NOAA West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center and as UAF director of the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory near Seldovia.

Christie is a marine geologist whose research focuses on tectonic forces and volcanic processes in the deep ocean. He received his doctorate from the University of Hawaii in geology and geophysics in 1984.

About SFOS
The UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences conducts world-class marine and fisheries research, education and outreach across Alaska, the Arctic and Antarctic. 55 faculty scientists and 135 students are engaged in building knowledge about Alaska and the world’s coastal and marine ecosystems. SFOS is headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and serves the state from facilities located in Seward, Juneau, Anchorage and Kodiak.