Eric Powell serves as the Director of the NSF Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCeMFiS – www.SCeMFiS.org). Eric Powell has studied oceanography and marine biology for over 44 years. During that time, Powell has published 295 articles in refereed journals in the fields of carbonate preservation, shellfish ecology, marine diseases, population dynamics modeling, and fisheries and resource management. Powell led the oyster assessment team at Rutgers for 17 years, developing the only peer-reviewed sustainable management program in the country for this species. In 2008, Powell accepted the Coastal America 2008 Partnership Award from President Barak Obama for “the successful collaborative efforts between Federal, state, and local governments, as well as nongovernmental organizations and the private sector, in achieving an outstanding environmental victory for the Delaware Bay.” In 2017, Powell was awarded the Wallace Award, given periodically by the National Shellfisheries Association to “individuals whose activities in shellfisheries, aquaculture and conservation have promoted understanding, knowledge, and cooperation among industry members, the academic community, and government”.