Vol. 10 No. 6 JUNE 2010

Dr. Nichols' activism for the world's oceans is featured in Lifetime Fitness' Experience Life magazine. The magazine covers a variety of topics, including personal health, the "green" movement and social issues.

Nichols introduces himself in the article by stating, "I work for the ocean." As a current research associate at the California Academy of Sciences, Nichols is regarded as a leader in his field.

On May 23, Dr. Nichols addressed DePauw's 2010 graduating class. His speech, "You Are Lovers and Fighters," addressed three topics. Nichols explained how he turned a personal interest into a lifelong passion. He used that to then discuss relevant issues of the moment. His charge to the 485 graduates was to be both 'lovers' and 'fighters.' That is, turn to your emotions to discover what you truly care about. Then, become a fighter for just that.

Nichols ended his speech by giving every graduate a small blue marble (pictured right). As part of his efforts to increase awareness of each individuals' effect on the worlds' oceans. He addressed the audience, "This Earth - our one and only blue marble - is where we must make our stand. So while we're here on this Earth, we may fight for what we love because, as far as any of us knows, it's our only home."

Michael Dean had a chance to speak with Dr. Nichols about his time as an undergraduate in the DePauw Chapter. The interview will be featured along with the article from Experience Life in an upcoming issue of the Quarterly.

To read, "A Friend of the Sea" in Experience Life, click here:  

To view a transcript of Dr. Nichols' commencement address, "You are Lovers and Fighters," click here:  

To explore DePauw's coverage of the 2010 Commencement, including audio and video of Dr. Nichols' speech, click here: