Will Miami Survive? : The Dynamic Interplay Between Floods and Finance

Dr. Kathleen Sullivan Sealey is an Associate Professor at the University of Miami working in coastal ecology and island sustainability studies.  She has worked in the wider Caribbean for over thirty years, and has duel US and Bahamian citizenship.  Her research and community outreach programs have focused on reducing land-based sources of pollutants to coastal waters, especially nitrogen from sewage and waste dumping. She has worked on diverse projects such as the environmental sensitivity mapping of the Western Bahamas. She developed the methods, database structure and production of coastal resource maps for oil spill response planning. 

Ray King Burch conducts independent research on the interactions between the financial system and natural systems.  After a number of years of accumulated study and work experience in marine science, finance, and real estate, the onset of the housing and mortgage bubble convinced him of the need to unite these academic disciplines through a focus on sustainability.  In addition to research on environmental-financial system connections, another of his special interests is the design of educational programs that combine mathematical finance and environmental sciences in order to assist practical solutions to environmental challenges.

P.-M. Binder is a Professor of Physics at the Hilo campus of the University of Hawaii. In addition to physics he teaches energy science courses and has an active research program involving undergraduates. He is one of the editors of "The Language Phenomenon" (Springer, 2013).