Dr. Hendee, the Founder of Reef Fest, has been a Research Oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, Florida for over 18 years, and in 2001 received NOAA’s prestigious Researcher of the Year award. He is the program manager for NOAA's Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP), which instituted the very first coral reef-related Web page, the largest list-server dedicated to coral reef research (Coral-List, with over 5,000 subscribers), and the Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS), which utilizes artificial intelligence technology for ecological forecasting (such as coral bleaching) at over 120 coral reef areas around the globe.  Other projects under CHAMP include the Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON) and the Coral Literature, Education and Outreach (CLEO) project.  Jim has published widely in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.

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