The Two Oceans Aquarium is proud to announce the third guest speaker that has been confirmed for the 2012 International Aquarium Congress (IAC) which is set to take place in Cape Town, South Africa from 9 to 13 September 2012. Internationally renowned scientist Professor George Branch has confirmed his attendance and will deliver a keynote address during the opening ceremony of the 2012 IAC on 10 September 2012.
Emeritus Professor George Branch is a world-renowned authority on the southern African marine environment, having taught marine biology at the University of Cape Town for 30 years and supervised an immense crop of students at MSc and PhD level. His passionate and entertaining lectures to undergraduate students and the public alike inspire a huge appreciation and understanding of the marine world.
Professor Branch has been widely recognised for his contributions to marine science, having received the International Temperate Reef Award: Lifetime Contributions to Marine Science (2006), the Gilchrist Gold Medal for contributions to marine science (1994) and the Gold Medal of the Zoological Society of Southern Africa (1992). Besides having authored 228 peer-reviewed publications and 203 journal papers, Professor Branch is also the author of three seminal books on the marine life of southern Africa including the award-winning The Living Shores of Southern Africa and Two Oceans – A Field Guide to Marine Life.
His marine and wildlife photographs have been published in a variety of journals, magazines and books and he has held three exhibitions of photographs of marine life. He is a member of 23 national and four international committees and holds the chairmanship of eleven of these.
Professor Branch will focus attention on the uniqueness of the two oceans that meet at the southern tip of Africa, their effects on the climate of the sub-continent, and the incredible biodiversity that exists in the terrestrial and marine environments in this region. He will also highlight the important role that the Two Oceans Aquarium has played in recent marine research in the region.
Early-bird registration now open
Early-bird registration is now open for the 2012 IAC, which will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 9 to 13 September 2012.
Exhibition sales have also opened and a limited number of exciting sponsorship opportunities are available. Hosted by the Two Oceans Aquarium, this is the first time that the Congress will be held in Africa and indeed in the southern hemisphere.
The IAC is the most important and prestigious event for the global public aquarium industry. Held every four years, it is the only international platform which gathers decision makers and professionals from the global public aquarium community to share and learn about new developments in the fields of inter alia animal husbandry, research, technology, management, education, conservation and sustainability. Approximately 500 of the world’s most influential aquarium personnel and key decision makers in exhibitory, conservation, sustainability and education are expected to attend the 2012 IAC.
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