Past Event - The Seaports of Los Angeles

How did our two ports become the focus of supply chain issues and what are their prospects for the future? That and other questions about the importance of our seaports will be the topics of our next virtual presentation when our member  Dr. James Fawcett takes us down to the waterfront.

About 40% of all marine freight entering the US comes through the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, influencing an estimated 900,000 jobs in the region. We’ll dive down and explore with Dr. Fawcett some of the why’s and how’s of this important industry.

Dr. James (Jim) Fawcett is the Director of Marine Science & Policy Outreach for the USC Sea Grant Program, an organized research unit of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies. Now in its 50th year at USC, Sea Grant is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to expand our knowledge of the sea, its coastlines, uses and the organisms that make it their home.

Concurrently, he is an Adjunct Professor in USC’s Environmental Studies Program where he teaches marine environmental policy and coastal management. With a background in political science and a PhD in urban and regional Planning he engages students in the theory and practice of making policy decisions over the use and management of ocean and coastal resources.

A former US Navy officer and ship driver, for the past decade his research has focused on marine transportation and seaports, a theme that has become timely as supply chain issues rise in public consciousness. Specifically, he is focused on the interspace between the marine transportation industry and the environment. His blog, “Ship’s Log,” at http://seagrant.usc.edu/ships-log, elucidates the wide variety of activities in our two massive seaports.