Narragansett, RI -- September 9, 2003 -- The URI Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) is one of the world’s leading academic research institutions, conducting state-of-the-art, cutting edge research in the physical, biological, geological, and chemical aspects of marine science. A series of Inaugural Lectures has been scheduled for the academic year to let the Rhode Island scientific community and the interested general public know what GSO’s outstanding faculty are currently investigating.

The first lecture of the series will be given by chemical oceanographer Dr. S. Bradley Moran who will present "Radionuclide Tracers of Marine Processes" on Thursday, September 18, at 12:30 p.m. in Corless Auditorium at the URI Bay Campus in Narragansett.

The talk will overview Moran’s research on the use of radioactive elements as tracers of a wide variety of processes occurring in the marine environment. These include studies of shelf-basin interaction, upper ocean carbon flux, particle and trace metal cycling, Atlantic thermohaline circulation, and coastal groundwater in southern Rhode Island. Moran has conducted these oceanographic research projects in the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans, and most recently in the Black Sea.

The audience for the Inaugural Lectures is the scientific community and the general public with an interest in and knowledge of science. Although technical in nature, Moran’s talk will not be aimed specifically at chemical oceanographers. The purpose of the talks is to inform the scientific community about the nature and significance of research being carried out by GSO scientists.

The lectures are free and open to the public. Subsequent lectures will be held every third Thursday of the month at 12:30 p.m. in Corless Auditorium on the URI Bay Campus. For information, call 874-6246.