How do you celebrate 100 years of research, invention, innovation and exploration?
How do you say thank you to 95 faculty, 89 researchers, 300 other scientists,
200 graduate students and 600 staff? Throw a birthday bash! The Welsh poet Dylan
Thomas wrote, “My birthday began with the water.” So did Scripps
Institution of Oceanography when, in the summer of 1903,
UC Berkeley zoologist William Ritter established the Marine Biological Association
of San Diego at the Hotel del Coronado boathouse.
In late September, Scripps
celebrated that watery
genesis with a weeklong “Oceans 2003” conference, during which 5,000
attendees heard lectures from some of the world’s foremost marine scientists.
There was also an Underwater Film Festival that played such wet favorites as
Forays With Morays and San Diego Squid, and a formal dinner with 500 guests.
The week culminated with a party sponsored by Scripps Ancient Mariners, a group
of Scripps retirees, alumni and former staff. It featured three live bands, food
concessions, a dunk tank, a chocolate fountain and a fizzing fountain of fireworks.
And yes, oceans of fun was had by one and all. Now it’s back to the hard
work of research.
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