The importance of recognizing and taking advantage of career changing opportunities will be the focus of an April 14 talk by an oceanographer and top administrator from Texas A&M University.

Luis Cifuentes will deliver the latest installment in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Dean’s Lecture Series at 4 p.m. in Room 100 of the Science and Engineering Classroom Building.

Cifuentes has been an oceanography professor at A&M since 1988 and is currently the university’s interim vice provost. He also has served as the executive associate dean for research for A&M’s College of Geosciences.

Cifuentes' topic, “Tracking a Career Path From Stable Isotope Tracers to Academic Administration,” will trace his path from college student to graduate school to stable isotope biogeochemistry and finally to academic administration. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that Americans can expect three to five career changes and 10 to 14 job changes in their lifetimes.

Cifuentes is a chemical oceanographer and a marine stable isotope geochemist. His research interests include stable isotope biogeochemistry with emphasis on carbon and nitrogen isotopes, biogeochemistry of estuarine and coastal waters, human impacts on aquatic environments and the use of scientific data in developing public policy.

He received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Swarthmore College and a master’s degree in marine studies and a doctorate in oceanography from the University of Delaware.

Cifuentes’ presentation will be the second Dean’s Lecture for 2008. The talks are designed to expose minority students to the possibilities of research and encourage them to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering.