Dr. Bernhard Riegl, director of the National Coral Reef Institute and professor at the Nova Southeastern University Halmos College of Arts and Sciences has been awarded the 2024 World Class Faculty Award by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.
He received his MSc degree from the University of Vienna (Austria) and a PhD degree from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). He was editor of the international scientific journals ‘Coral Reefs and Sedimentology’, and is editor of the book series ‘Coral Reefs of the World’.
Dr. Riegl’s research centers on coral reefs and other tropical benthic biota, such as seagrass and algae. His research and publications have involved the paleontology, sedimentology, spatial dynamics, ecology, taxonomy and conservation biology of coral reefs and associated organisms.
I spent a few hours with the very personable Dr. Riegl at NSU’s Oceanographic Campus located in Dania Beach. Here’s the video. Enjoy…
Dr. Riegl and I also had a more candid discussion for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance podcast. In this episode, he sheds light on the state of coral reefs and their economic impact on South Florida’s economy, as well as realizing his love of diving while growing up in Vienna, and a fateful trip to the Bahamas(!). Give it a listen…
DID YOU KNOW?
NSU’s Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, located in Dania Beach within the Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park (just south of the city of Fort Lauderdale), gives students unique access to the world’s third-largest coral barrier reef system, known as the Florida Reef Tract.
