The Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering and The Bay Foundation renew their decade-long partnership with an eye towards the future in the Coastal Research Institute. The institute builds on the foundation set by the Center for Santa Monica Bay Studies. The CRI brings together expertise from Seaver College and The Bay Foundation to further the goals of Santa Monica Bay National Estuary Program to restore and enhance Santa Monica Bay and local coastal waters. The CRI will engage faculty, students, agencies, industry and more in research related to coastal resource management.
Co-Executive Directors
Nicole Bouvier-Brown, Ph.D.
Nicole C. Bouvier-Brown is a Co-Executive Director of the Coastal Research Institute, the Director of the undergraduate Environmental Science Program, and a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at LMU. Nicole received her B.S. degree in Chemistry/Biology (with an environmental emphasis) from St. Mary's College of California and her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research has mainly focused on developing methodology and measuring air pollution exacerbated by human activity. She and her students have looked at the unequal burden of air pollution experienced by low-income neighborhoods and quantified emissions of volatile organic compounds coming from artificial turf fields. Recently, Nicole has become more interested in effective undergraduate teaching of difficult scientific ideas. To that end, her research group is currently focused on motivating students by integrating social and environmental justice into chemistry course content and creating a more diverse and inclusive learning environment. Nicole enjoys teaching introductory chemistry, environmental chemistry, earth system science, and seminar courses. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family, experience the awe and wonder of the natural world, or decompress with a puzzle.
Thomas Ford
Tom Ford is a Co-Executive Director of the Coastal Research Institute at Loyola Marymount University, Chief Executive Officer of The Bay Foundation, and the Director of the Santa Monica Bay National Estuary Program. As such, Tom facilitates, manages, and promotes a program to comprehensively manage the coastline of Los Angeles County, including Santa Monica Bay and its tributaries. Tom has spent the past 20 years developing the internationally recognized Palos Verdes Kelp Restoration Project. Other current efforts involve method development for the restoration and recovery of abalone; research and method development for offshore eelgrass restoration; physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic monitoring; and living approaches to coastal resilience e.g., sand dunes. Tom works across numerous boards and advisory bodies at international, federal, state, and local levels and has published across a variety of scientific disciplines. Having started his career on the eastern seaboard, Tom worked as a commercial quahog fisherman, educator, and sea turtle biologist while earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Rhode Island. Tom arrived in LA in 1998 looking for a new ocean and a life where the mountains meet the sea. He completed his graduate work at UCLA in 2005. When not working Tom can be found spending time with his family surfing, mountain biking, and backpacking.