Samantha Joye, Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences, is participating as a judge in the internationally acclaimed "BLUE Ocean Film Festival and Conservation Summit", underway in St. Petersburg Florida. Joye joins global leaders in ocean conservation including Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, marine advocates Fabien and Celine Cousteau, grandchildren of Jacques Cousteau, and royal philanthropist Prince Albert II of Monaco. Other luminaries include renowned actor of stage and screen Jeremy Irons (narrator of Trashed a marine debris film), global explorer and discover of the Titanic Robert Ballard, who has his deep ocean exploration vessel, the E/V Nautilus on display at BLUE, and famed adventurer Sir Robert Swan, the first human to walk both Poles. About Blue Ocean:
BLUE is an enlightening and entertaining 7-Day summit showcasing the world's finest ocean films and award winning marine photography along with a filmmakers marketplace, science and conservation seminars, international policy discussions and a robust ocean media industry conference.
This is tremendous and high profile public outreach from one of the world's leading marine scientists. Joye is also serving as a member of a Mission Blue youth education session, "Ocean Gems" (http://ocean-gems.org/), and as a panel member discussing the current state of the Gulf of Mexico after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.