U.S. Fulbright Professor Speaking on International Earth Day
Monday, April 21, 2008
Embassy of the United States of America
Podgorica
On April 22, International Earth Day, Professor Dr. Michael V. McGinnis from the University of California, Santa Barbara, will give a presentation on the "History of U.S. Environmental Movement" at the American Corner in Podgorica.
Dr. McGinnis is a Fulbright visiting professor of coastal, ocean and environment policy who has been at the University of Montenegro's Institute of Marine Studies in Kotor since February this year. Dr. McGinnis was acting Director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has worked for the past 15 years in the area of coastal marine ecosystem-based planning and policy development and has been consulting with policymakers and scientists who are developing policy for Mediterranean states.
Dr. McGinnis has published over 60 articles in international journals and has written a number of essays and book chapters on the subject of large-scale environmental policy, planning, and decision-making. He has been a principle investigator on a number of collaborative and interdisciplinary studies that received support from three awards from the National Science Foundation, two awards from the Department of the Interior, the National Marine Sanctuaries Program, and other funding agencies and foundations. He has also been the primary consultant and advisor to California and federal resource agencies in the U.S. that focus on ecosystem-based policy development. He has provided socio-economic, legal and policy guidance to resource agencies and NGOs in a number of large-scale management plans for marine ecosystems, protected natural areas, coastal watersheds, creeks, wetlands, open spaces and island ecosystems.
Media interested in covering the presentation should be at the American Corner at the Cultural Information Center in Podgorica at 13:50 on Tuesday April 22. Professor McGinnis will also be available for journalists' individual interview requests on his study of Montenegro's marine environment and how NGOs can interact with governments to ensure environmental protection, as well as other topics within his expertise.
For more information on this event, please contact Sasa Brajovic, +067 283 542 or BrajovicS@state.gov For more information on the U.S. Government’s programs in Montenegro, please visit the Embassy's web site at http://podgorica.usembassy.gov .