Ronald B. Linsky
He also became a research assistant at the University of California, Irvine, working in Back Bay Newport, and served on the Accrediting Commission for Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
There, he developed the Floating Laboratory Program, a federally funded project that drew thousands of people to learn hands-on marine science.
Despite this fact, he held marine science workshops at the University of California system and served as an advisor to the Fullerton College Oceanographic Technology Program.
Eventually, Linsky even worked with famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau after being hired by Doubleday Multi-Media, Inc. to edit, re-script, develop, and market educational resource materials for The Undersea World of J.Y.
During his Directorship, Linsky visited 15 countries in a 3-year period to conduct research, organize international conferences, or present at leading oceanographic institutions throughout the world.
Linsky was responsible for organizing bilingual international conferences and training programs in Mexico, including exploring the environmental impacts of opening the Trans-Peninsula Highway in Baja California.
Linsky traveled across French Polynesia, stopping in Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, and Australia to lecture and investigate marine resources development programs.
As a member of the National Academy of Engineering’s Committee on Ocean Research, he worked with Great Britain, France, and Germany to encourage information exchange and to expand knowledge in the field of integrated coastal zone management.
A year later, he traveled through Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, and the Netherlands on an NOAA-sponsored research grant to study the impacts of North Sea oil exploration and development upon the coasts.
In the process, he built a laboratory, purchased an ocean research ship, and established programs revolving around the fishing industry, coastal zone management, education, and advisory services.
The center was created to research desalination technology and share knowledge in the Middle East and North Africa, with the express purpose of encouraging these countries to work together on the same problem.
Altogether, NWRI had supported over 160 water-related projects under Linsky's directorship, focusing on the areas of exploratory research, treatment and monitoring, water quality assessment, and knowledge management.
Whether that was through giving out awards at science fairs or in sending kids to Water Camp, Linsky ensured that NWRI took an active role in educational outreach programs.
