First Friday Video Series
Sarah Oktay joined the Center for Coastal Studies as its new Executive Director in January. Our first post-lockdown live event was hosted by CapeSpace in Hyannis.
Sarah will speak on the scientific, outreach, and educational efforts of the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) which is located in Provincetown Massachusetts. This marine lab is perfectly located for oceanographic exploration on the tip of Cape Cod south of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. CCS’ expertise intersects across many fields such as geology, biology, coastal processes, water quality, marine education. fisheries, and marine debris. Their research informs the protection, conservation, and monitoring of Cape Cod’s waters and landforms.
In January of 2022, Sarah Oktay became the Executive Director for the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown Massachusetts. From 2018-2021 she was the Director of Strategic Engagement and Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Manager for the Natural Reserves System at the University of California Davis. She has spent 30 years conducting research, teaching, fundraising, and communicating with the public. She received her B.S. in Marine Science and a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from Texas A&M University – Galveston. From 2003-2016 she was the Executive Director of the University of Massachusetts-Boston Nantucket Field Station, a biological field station on Nantucket Island. She is an invited member, national board member, and 2020 President of the Society of Women Geographers, and she has been on the boards of many civic and nonprofit groups. She served as president of the Organization of Biological Field Stations, a professional organization representing several hundred field stations across the globe, from 2014-2016 and has been on their board for 13 years. She believes strongly in bridging the gap between scientists, policy makers, and the public to aid communities and effect change.