In alignment with the overarching theme of AGU24, "What’s Next for Science?", this year's plenary session will explore the future of corals amidst the pressing challenges of climate change. We are excited to present a dynamic and interdisciplinary dialogue featuring a distinguished NOAA coral reef ecologist, Derek Manzello, and an acclaimed artist and ocean advocate, Courtney Mattison, who will offer unique insights into the impacts of climate change on coral ecosystems. This discussion will be moderated by Rebeka Ryvola de Kremer, artist, activist, podcaster, and story strategist with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. The plenary aims to highlight the transformative power of the arts in engaging the public and shining a light on the collaborative benefits between the arts and sciences. Our goals are to elevate awareness of climate change impacts on coral reefs; to inform about coral conservation; to inspire active participation in broader environmental conversations; and to explore innovative pathways to solutions. This will be an engaging session that underscores how transdisciplinary work at the intersections of science and art can be especially effective for addressing one of today’s most urgent environmental challenges.

Moderator:
Rebeka Ryvola de Kremer (Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre)
Rebeka Ryvola de Kremer is an artist, activist, creative learning specialist, and host of The Heart Gallery podcast. Her work bridges art, storytelling, and social change, amplifying marginalized voices to inspire more compassionate ways of living together.

Rebeka’s projects explore justice, community, and environmental stewardship, spotlighting diverse forms of storytelling, from traditional music to textile crafts. Her art has been exhibited globally, including at UN climate conferences and the Design Museum London.

She is an artist-in-residence and learning advisor with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and holds degrees from Yale University and the University of British Columbia.

Panelists:
Courtney Mattison (Internationally Recognized Artist & Ocean Advocate)
Internationally recognized artist and ocean advocate Courtney Mattison hand-crafts intricate and large-scale ceramic sculptural works that visualize climate change through the fragile beauty of marine life. Her background in ocean conservation science and policy informs her art practice. Mattison’s site-specific work has been commissioned for permanent installation in hospitality, institutional, workplace, retail and residential settings across the U.S., Europe and Asia, including the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia and The Seabird Resort in Oceanside, California. Her exhibition history includes solo shows at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and ICA San Diego/North, where she was Artist in Residence. Curated group exhibitions include “Iris Van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses” at Musée des Arts Décoratifs Paris, “Fragile Earth” at the Brandywine Museum of Art and “Beijing 2022” at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in China. In 2020, the United Nations Postal Administration published Mattison’s work on a stamp to commemorate Earth Day. Born in 1985, Mattison received an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in marine ecology and ceramic sculpture from Skidmore College in 2008 and a Master of Arts degree in environmental studies from Brown University with thesis coursework at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011. Her work has been featured on the covers of American Craft, Nature, Beaux Arts and Brown Alumni magazines, and by Smithsonian Magazine, Good Morning America, Oprah Magazine and BBC World Service. She lives and works in San Francisco.

Derek Manzello (NOAA Coral Reef Watch)
A coral reef ecologist, with a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the Rosenstiel School of the University of Miami, Dr. Manzello is Coordinator of NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program, an effort focused on the monitoring of coral reef ecosystems through satellite observations. Coral Reef Watch is a part of the NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research and uses NOAA satellite data to monitor environmental conditions that lead to coral bleaching. From 2001-2020, Derek worked at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, FL, where he led the development and implementation of the climate change and ocean acidification monitoring of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program for U.S. coral reef ecosystems. Dr. Manzello has published on multiple topics in coral reef ecology, and he regularly conducts research that spans the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and geology. His primary research interest is understanding the impact of climate change and ocean acidification to coral reef ecosystems. Manzello has conducted over 1000 scientific dives while researching coral reefs in all U.S. coral reef jurisdictions, as well as international locations in the Pacific (Galapagos, Panama, French Polynesia, Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea) and Indian Ocean (Chagos Archipelago).