This whole event looks great!  I wanted to share this in our EcoPsych thread as many of us are so captivated and concerned about our Oceans! A friend of mine, Michael Stocker, who is an acoustician, will be part of this event. He writes:

"The Blue Mind conference on June 2 includes a series of panels on the intersection of neuroscience and the ocean. The entire event will be webcast throughout the day.

 I will be presenting at 9:20 am with Stanford Auditory Neuroscientist Shelly Batts on the influence of the sounds of the sea on human neurology and emotions"

Michael Stocker, Director Ocean Conservation Research

[Livestreaming 9-5 pm PST June 2nd from www.MindandOcean.org]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Why do we seek respite at the ocean's shore? Why are the words "Ocean View" the most valuable in real estate? Why does the sound, smell, touch and taste of the sea set our souls at ease? These questions and much more will be on tap, Thursday, June 2, 2011 as leaders in neuroscience and ocean exploration converge at the California Academy of Sciences for the first-ever BLUEMiND Summit.
BLUEMiND Summit is the brainchild of Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, a noted sea turtle biologist, ocean advocate and Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences. He and a team of scientists and entrepreneurs have invested two years of thought and planning into this one-of-a-kind summit.

BLUEMiND is the only event ever to explore the intersection of brain and ocean. Bringing together neuroscientists, ocean scientists, experts in technology forecasting, photographers, explorers, writers, and ocean advocates, this unprecedented Summit will help define an emerging field that unites neuroscience, ocean exploration and stewardship, providing the first opportunity for participants to engage in this dialogue and to shape a new era of scientific understanding of the ocean and its great emotional power.

Little data exists about the brain ‘on the ocean’ either in the field of cognitive neuroscience, or the oceans community. What happens to the brain when a person is in proximity to the ocean? Why do we spend hard earned money to vacation, live or dine within the view or sound-shed of the sea? What are the links between the ocean, relaxation, stress and public health? BLUEMiND will provide a platform for leaders to discuss, debate and better understand these interconnections, and the interrelated state of the “brain on ocean," and will support further exploration of the implications for ocean and human health.

“The goals of the BLUEMiND Summit are to jumpstart several new lines of mind and ocean research and add a new tool to our ocean conservation toolbox,” say Nichols.

The daytime invitation-only Summit will be livecast to the public free of charge at www.justin.tv/calacademy. The summit will then spill over into the California Academy of Science’s 4,000-person NightLife Ocean evening celebration including a Mind and Ocean session in the planetarium with Dr. Philippe Goldin, a Stanford University neuroscientist, Dr. Nichols, and writer Julia Whitty. For program details and further information on BLUEMiND, please visit www.mindandocean.org