Frankic To Speak At Lloyd Center Annual Meeting – April 22, Earth Day
Dartmouth, MA – Dr. Anamarija Frankic, Associate Director of the School for the Environment and Director of the Green Harbors Project at the University of Massachusetts Boston, has accepted an invitation from the Lloyd Center for the Environment to address its upcoming Annual Meeting on Monday, April 22nd, Earth Day, at the Dartmouth Grange, located in Russells Mills Village at 1133 Fisher Road, Dartmouth. Members of the public are invited to a welcoming reception from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the brief “business” part of the Center’s Annual Meeting from 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., followed by Dr. Frankic’s talk which will commence at 7:00 p.m.
In honor of Earth Day, Keynote Speaker Frankic, a Biomimicry 3.8 Fellow, will give a talk on biomimicry. In her words, “Biomimicry really utilizes biological models to evolve resilient solutions to environmental, technological, engineering and design challenges that we have. And to not only learn about nature, but also learn from nature and its successful strategies and functions to address our problems today. Nature’s adaptations and solutions seem simple and a common sense. Humans are part of nature, so why do we struggle to adapt sustainably?”
Frankic is an adjunct professor at the Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Split, Croatia and Project Director at the Center for Governance and Sustainability at UMass Boston. She has been recently awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to establish a biomimicry program in Croatia. Frankic is a member of the advisory council at AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) and AAUW (American Association of the University Women). Her educational background in biology, ecology, limnology and marine science, guided her interdisciplinary work in coastal and watershed ecosystem management and restoration, nationally and internationally.
In 2008, Anamarija and her students established GHP to discover how urban harbors can become healthy, wealthy and sustainable, right here and now. She initiated and established ‘living labs’ as part of the applied science education where students and communities are able to ‘learn and teach by doing biomimicry, applying nature’s solutions for sustainable future. Although it is a huge challenge to restore coastal ecosystems, she believes that we do have the knowledge, science and technology to live harmoniously within natural systems, by following her own premise that “the environment sets the limits for sustainable development”.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Frankic speak at this year’s meeting” said Rachel Stronach, Lloyd Center Interim Executive Director, “In 2012 I attended a workshop where Dr. Frankic spoke and I found her presentation on biomimcry fascinating. She is a gifted speaker who clearly has a passion for the subject.”
In addition to Dr. Frankic’s address. the George G. Haydock Award will be presented, as it is each year, to an individual, selected by the Staff and Board of Directors of the Lloyd Center who, in the spirit and tradition exemplified by long-time Lloyd Center supporter and nature enthusiast, Dr. George G. Haydock, is deemed to have personally made a most outstanding contribution to protecting the fragile nature of our coastal environment.