"Empty Waters: The Ethics of Marine Conservation" will be the topic of discussion at Coastal Carolina University's Tea and Ethics session set for 4:30 p.m., Thursday, March 4 in the Recital Hall of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

Erin Burge, assistant professor of marine science, will focus on the conservation and exploitation of marine environments, specifically overfishing, climate change and habitat alteration.

Burge will explore the questions: What are the ethical ramifications for the exploitation of marine environments? Is overharvesting and marine alteration justifiable? What is our duty to the marine environment and its inhabitants? He will show video clips of underwater diving in Jamaica and of fish populations off the North Carolina coast.

Burge earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, and a Ph.D from the College of William and Mary. In 2002, he was a faculty member in the ?Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science at Christopher Newport University. In 2004, Burge was a postdoctoral researcher at the ?College of Charleston, before joining CCU faculty in 2006.

Burge’s research interests include environmental immunology, molecular physiology and molecular biology of marine invertebrates and fishes. He is currently developing a research program that applies molecular and cellular techniques to field-oriented problems in an ecological context.

Tea and Ethics is sponsored by the University's Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values. The purpose of the center is to cultivate and promote awareness in the community of the importance of personal and professional integrity. For more information, contact the center director, Claudia McCollough, at 843-349-2440.