University of South Florida adds oil spill expert Stephen Murawski to faculty
St. Petersburg Times
November 16, 2010
Five years is a long time to be the top scientist at the National Marine Fisheries Service. It is, says the man who currently holds the position, "a burnout job."
It's been especially tough since the Deepwater Horizon disaster began April 20. Since that time, Stephen Murawski has spent months dealing with the effects of the oil spill on the wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.
But now Murawski is stepping down — and into a job that's likely to keep him in the middle of dealing with the ramifications of the spill. He's joining the faculty of the University of South Florida's College of Marine Sciences, which made international news this summer with its findings regarding the spill.
USF was able to grab Murawski because of his connection with the college's outgoing dean, William Hogarth.
"I've known him for 20 years, and I knew he was leaving," said Hogarth, a former regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Hogarth knew landing Murawski would be a coup for USF, a chance to add someone with a national reputation.