Shorelines and Climate Change Presentation

Event Description

Join us at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, for an educational presentation by Dr. Robert S. Young, who is the director of Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines. The presentation will be at the Yvonne Scarlett-Golden Cultural and Educational Center. Dr. Young will discuss how research into coastal processes, storm impacts, hazard vulnerability and sea level rise is being translated into management, planning and policy for coastal communities on the front lines of our growing climate crisis.

Dr. Young received a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the College of William & Mary, a Master of Science degree in Quaternary Studies from the University of Maine, and a Ph.D. in Geology from Duke University. He serves on the editorial boards of the “Journal of Coastal Research” and “Environmental Geosciences.” Dr. Young is well-recognized in his field, having earned a variety of awards, grants and positions related to coastal science and management. Most recently, he received an award from Washington State for Excellence in Environmental Education and Diversity in Action for his work with science education in Native American communities, and he was named a Fulbright Senior Scholar working to develop coastal management planning along the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria.

He is the co-author of two books, “The Rising Sea” and “Geologic Monitoring.” He has testified before congress and numerous state legislatures on coastal issues. He currently serves as a member on South Carolina’s Governor’s Flood Commission, and recently served as a member of North Carolina’s Coastal Resources Commission Science Panel. He has been appointed by the Governor of Virginia to serve on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Virginia Coastal Master Plan and is currently leading a major project for the National Park Service to identify the vulnerability of all coastal park assets to coastal storms, erosion and sea level rise for the purpose of adaptation planning.