MEAL 2026
Marine Environmental Awards Luncheon
Speaker Ben Raines
Tuesday October 20th, 2026
Battle House Hotel
11:30 - 1:00pm
Ben Raines is an environmental journalist, filmmaker, and adventurer. In 2018, he discovered the wreck of the Clotilda, the last ship that carried enslaved Africans to the United States. His book, The Last Slave Ship – The True Story of How Clotilda Was Found, Her Descendants, and an Extraordinary Reckoning, details the discovery and the inspiring tale of the Clotilda’s survivors. Raines has won dozens of awards for his coverage of environmental issues and coauthored several peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals. He wrote and directed The Underwater Forest, an award-winning film about the exploration of a 70,000-year-old cypress forest found off the Alabama coast. Raines also wrote and produced the documentary America’s Amazon, which has aired on PBS stations around the country. His latest film, The Carnivorous Kingdom, premiered on Alabama Public Television in 2022. His underwater film work has appeared in documentaries on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic TV. Raines has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The Today Show, Good Morning America, the BBC, England’s Channel 4, NBC Nightly News and the CBS Evening News. His journalism has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Raines also wrote the award-winning nature book, Saving America’s Amazon, and co-authored the book Heart of a Patriot with U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, which chronicled Cleland’s journey from triple amputee after a grenade accident in Vietnam to the U.S. Senate. Ben is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in filmmaking, and is a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain, giving tours of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and Alabama’s barrier islands. He lives with his wife Shannon in Fairhope, Alabama.
Friends of the Sea Lab
Summer is here and it's a hot one! Come down to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and visit The Alabama Aquarium where you can experience the sights and sounds of our bountiful waterways. See live sting rays, red snapper, soft shell turtles, sea horses, an octopus and so much more.
Join the Friends of the Sea Lab and bring your family down as many times as you like for the whole year. Click below to become a Friend of the Sea Lab. Memberships include entrance to Alabama's Aquarium for your entire family and discounts in the gift shop. Don't forget to stop in at the Snack Shop for an ice cream cone or snacks.
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DISL Podcast
Check out our latest podcast on tagging turtles with Dr. Katrina Phillips and International Horseshoe Crab Day with Dr. Ruth Carmichael
And while you're there, check out all of our podcasts and share.
Groundbreaking on new Dormitory
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new dormitory that will primarily house undergraduate interns. It addresses a critical need for on-campus living space. The new dormitory is expected to be ready by Spring 2027. This dormitory expansion will strengthen the Sea Lab’s ability to serve as the premier marine research and education institution on the Gulf Coast.
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2024-2025 Honor Roll of Donors
Support Education
"The course style influenced me in the college that I eventually attended. I am very thankful for the Marine Science Course and the Sea Lab. It was my first step into a field of study which I still find very interesting."
- Autumn, Marine Science Course
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- Ph.D. Student Jesse Gwinn
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"I wanted to come to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab because of the researchers and the resources", Rodriguez explained. "It's a close environment with easy access to faculty and everyone is excited to help you."
- Masters Graduate, Alex Rodriguez
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