"Oil Spill 101: What the Grand Strand Needs to Know," a public discussion led by Coastal Carolina University faculty on the ongoing environmental crisis, is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 24 at the Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conference Center on its Myrtle Beach campus near Market Common. The forum, sponsored by the Grand Strand Technology Council, is free and open to the public.

The program will deal with how the southeastern coastlines and wetlands might be affected by the massive oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

Featured speakers include Louis Keiner, associate professor of physics and physical oceanography and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics at CCU, on "Ocean Currents and Modeling." He will discuss the dynamics of the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Stream and the likely path of oil that gets into this current system, along with the likelihood that we’ll see oil here on the Grand Strand.

Jim Luken, biology professor and associate dean of CCU's College of Natural and Applied Sciences, will address "Wetlands Ecology," including a brief history of oil spills and their impact on fish, marine life, the beach and the marsh, as well as the impact of clean-up and restoration. Michael Roberts, dean of CCU's College of Natural and Applied Sciences, said the discussion was planned “in the interest of educating the local community about the potential impact of the Gulf oil spill on the East Coast." He will moderate a question-and-answer period.

Questions may be sent ahead of time to John Sanders, chair of the council, at john@gstechcouncil.org or 843-491-6060.