Your Hosts
The 51st BEM is hosted by Florida International University, 
part of the state of Florida university system and home to over 58,000 students – making it the 4th largest university in the USA.
FIU is a young institution founded in 1972, yet it is:
- Ranked as a R1: Doctoral University – Highest Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
- Based on United Nations Criteria, FIU is:
- Among the top 50 universities worldwide
- Ranked as the #3 public U.S. university and #11 in the world in research on life below water and education on and support for aquatic ecosystems
- FIU’s marine science program:
- Centered on FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus (45 min from main campus)
- Includes more than 25 full-time marine science faculty and > 100 graduate students
- Is supported by 30 research vessels and several service laboratories including the Coastal Conservation and Restoration Laboratory
- Boasts the world’s only undersea research habitat: Aquarius, in the Florida Keys.
Confrence Host & Organizer
Following tradition, the President of the Benthic Ecology Society also serves as the organizer for the Benthic Ecology Meeting for that year: the 51st BEM is organized by Mark Butler. Mark also hosted the 2012 BEM meeting in Norfolk, Virginia and first attended the BEM as a graduate student in 1984. Mark’s contact information is:
Dr. Mark Butler
Professor & Eminent Scholar
Walter & Rosalie Goldberg Chair of Tropical Ecology
Institute of Environment/Department of Biological Sciences
Florida International University
North Miami, FL 33181
Email: mark.butleriv@fiu.edu
Lab Website: https://butlerecolab.com