Where Science Meets Action: HRI’s Long-Term Commitment to the Gulf

Robert Furgason, Larry McKinney, David Yoskowitz, and Greg Stunz all share a common thread: they are former or current Senior Executive Directors of the Harte Research Institute (HRI) at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). When they were asked to reflect on the impact HRI has had on the Gulf over the past 25 years, their responses were similar — there’s so much to talk about.

“We are truly making a difference here at HRI, whether it’s from basic water quality — ensuring we have healthy waters — all the way up to the largest apex predators in the Gulf, and everything in between,” said Stunz, HRI’s current Senior Executive Director.

Making a difference was one of the core values Ed Harte envisioned when his generous gift established the institute in 2000. Over the past quarter century, HRI’s scientists and researchers have certainly lived up to that vision, and it remains a central goal as the institute looks toward a bright future.

From helping craft landmark recreational fishing legislation in 2018, to leading the way in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010, to continuing to provide key science during the height of the pandemic in 2020 — that commitment to being difference-makers has always defined HRI’s mission of seeking a healthy economy and ecology for the Gulf.

And it hasn’t all been about science. Fields such as economics, environmental policy and law, sociology, and science communication have played essential roles. By integrating these disciplines, researchers and partners are developing solutions that restore ecosystems while also supporting coastal communities and economies.

“If you look at other institutions that have research activities going on, they’ve been developed over a period of 50 or 100 years,” Furgason said. “This one has developed and had a dramatic impact on the Gulf and its activities in just the last 25 years. I don’t think you can overemphasize how quickly that has happened.”

Yes, HRI scientists and researchers focus on publishing papers, mentoring students, and teaching classes — all the areas most associated with university work — but the institute has always gone beyond those core academic pursuits to help find and implement solutions to the challenges facing the Gulf.

“Traditionally in the sciences, your work would stop with peer-reviewed publications, and that’s certainly the gold standard for us here at HRI,” Stunz said. “But we feel it’s much more than that. We want our work to be used in practice, and one way we do that is by making sure the general public is very aware of what we do.”

HRI’s cross-disciplinary approach has driven progress on some of the Gulf’s most pressing challenges — from restoring oyster reefs to improving fisheries, from monitoring and enhancing water quality for people and wildlife, to studying sea level rise to inform smart coastal planning, to reducing marine debris to protect ocean health. Each effort reflects HRI’s commitment to turning knowledge into action.

And HRI scientists aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

“Our HRI chairs want to take the work they’ve done with their students and apply it to solve a real problem,” McKinney explained. “Taking that next step — that’s really what makes us different. Our science, our chairs, our researchers just want to go that extra step. They’re not content with just coming up with science and possibilities — they want to apply those possibilities.”

That ability to apply science to real-world solutions has been instrumental in building HRI’s growing reputation over the last 25 years — across the marine research world and along the Gulf. Engaging not only stakeholders but also the public has allowed HRI to showcase its research to a broad audience, helping amplify conservation efforts in the Gulf and beyond.

“The HRI model is all about engagement,” Yoskowitz said. “It’s about bringing together the different science, research, and communication disciplines, and implementing that in communities all around the Gulf. It’s about helping communities become more resilient, more connected, and more invested in their natural environment.

“HRI, in working with those communities, has really changed the way we think about that connection.”

Guided over the last 25 years by the shared vision of leaders like McKinney, Yoskowitz, and Stunz — and powered by the dedication of HRI’s chairs, scientists, researchers, students, interns, and staff — the institute remains firmly rooted in its founding mission: Applying science to make a difference for the Gulf, its communities, and future generations.