Groton – The Avery Point campus of the University of Connecticut will host the annual coastal perspectives lecture series every other Tuesday evening from Jan. 29 to April 9.

The series will commemorate the 50th anniversary year of the publication of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” focusing on human interactions with the coastal zone of Long Island Sound and beyond.

On Jan. 29, John Teal, scientist emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, will present, “The ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Salt Marsh Restoration.” On Feb. 12, Judith Swift, director of the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Institute and professor of communication studies and theater at URI, will give a talk titled, “Communicating Science: Pitfalls, Pratfalls and Presentation.”

The series will continue on Feb. 26 with, “Pre-construction Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Offshore Wind Facilities on Birds: The Rhode Island Experience,” by Peter Paton, professor of natural resources science at URI. On March 12, Capt. Eric Jones, assistant superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, will present, “You Can’t Tweet from the Fore Royal – The Continuing Imperative for Sail Training in a Web-Dependent World.” On March 26, John Gillis, professor emeritus of history at Rutgers University, will give a talk titled, “American Coasts, Past and Future.” His talk will be followed by a signing of his 2012 book, “The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History.”

The series will conclude with a symposium on April 9 titled, “The Legacy of Rachel Carson.” Panelists will be: Curt Spalding, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office; Penny Vlahos, assistant professor of marine sciences at UConn; Robert Askins, professor of biology at Connecticut College; Sara Chasis, senior attorney and director of the Ocean Program, Natural Resources Defense Council. Peter Auster, professor emeritus of marine sciences at UConn, will be the panel moderator.

Admission is free. The first five presentations will take place in the Seminar Room, Room 103 of the Marine Sciences Building. The April 9 symposium will take place in the Branford House. The talks will begin at 7:30 p.m.; light refreshments will be served at 7:10.

The series is sponsored by the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program; the UConn Department of Marine Sciences; and the Maritime Studies Program at UConn.

For information, visit: http://www.marinesciences.uconn.edu/public.html or send an email to: CoastalPerspectives@uconn.edu.