The Dauphin Island Sea Lab is the state of Alabama's marine education and research institution. Founded in 1971 by the state legislature to reduce redundancy in higher education, the DISL has grown to include K-12 education, professional development, and a public aquarium. The DISL's location on the eastern tip of Dauphin Island makes it the perfect place for a wide range of marine science activity. The campus is surrounded by Mobile Bay, the Mississippi Sound, and the northern Gulf of Mexico. University Programs serves 23 Alabama colleges and universities with graduate and undergraduate studies throughout the year. The research programs range from biogeochemistry and oceanography to systems ecology. Although most research focuses on the near-shore and estuarine processes of Mobile Bay, field sites of our internationally-renowned faculty include Mexico, Australia, and the Arctic. Discovery Hall Programs encompasses K-12 field programs, professional development, and public outreach with DISL's traveling classroom, the BayMobile. Visitors to the public aquarium, the Estuarium, journey through the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mobile Bay, the Barrier Islands, and the northern Gulf of Mexico to learn about the ecosystem from top to bottom. One of our area’s major players in coastal zone management is the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, falls within the DISL’s numerous programs. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Executive Director is Dr. John Valentine