Coastal Carolina University marine science professor Robert Young, recipient of this year's HTC Distinguished Teacher Scholar Lecturer Award, will speak on the topic "Fins, Flukes and Flippers; The Ecology and Management of Bottlenose Dolphins in the Carolinas" on Monday, April 11, at 7 p.m. in the James J. Johnson Auditorium. The lecture kicks off CCU's Celebration of Inquiry academic conference. Both the lecture and the conference are free and open to the public.

The award, sponsored by HTC each year, is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding teaching through scholarship and mentoring. Young is the 20th recipient of the award. Last year's recipient was Pamela Martin, a professor who last year began a new sustainable development program at the University in which students produce digital case studies of local sustainability issues and challenges.

Young is director of CCU's Office of Undergraduate Research and state coordinator for the South Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding Network, an organization that responds to marine animal strandings along the South Carolina coast.

"Our research on dolphins has practical applications for the management and health of coastal ecosystems and fisheries," says Young. "In a broader sense, however, people are fascinated by dolphins in general, and insights into their behaviors and ecological roles have always instilled a passion for the natural world and marine conservation in general."

Young joined the CCU faculty in 1992. His research focus has been on marine mammals, coastal and estuarine fish, and marine education. He has been awarded more than $3.5 million for his research from such agencies as the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, North Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and others.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia in 1986 and a doctorate degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1993. He is a former president of the South Carolina Marine Educators Association.

The Johnson Auditorium is located in Room 116 of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, located at 119 Chanticleer Drive E. on the Conway campus. For more information, call the Office of the Provost at 843-349-2086.