Stories by Donald Boesch

Dr. Donald Boesch is a biological oceanographer who has authored two books and more than 90 papers on marine benthos, estuaries, wetlands, continental shelves, oil pollution, nutrient over-enrichment, environmental assessment and monitoring and science policy. He is a Professor of Marine Science and President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. From June 2002 through October 2003, Dr. Boesch also served as Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University System of Maryland. In 2008, Dr. Boesch was given the additional responsibility of Vice Chancellor for Environmental Sustainability to lead the University System's Environmental Sustainability Initiative. A native of New Orleans, Dr. Boesch received his B.S. from Tulane University and Ph.D. from the College of William & Mary. He was a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Queensland and subsequently served on the faculty of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. In 1980 he became the first Executive Director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, where he was also a Professor of Marine Science at Louisiana State University. He assumed his present position in Maryland in 1990. Presently, his research focuses on the use of science in ecosystem management. In 2010, he was appointed by President Obama to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. He also served on the National Research Council's Committee that produced the report America's Climate Choices, and recently served as the Chair of the NRC's Ocean Studies Board.