CSULB’s Marine Biology Program honored the late Professor Donald R. Nelson, a pioneering researcher and shark expert, when it dedicated a new research vessel in his name on Nov. 4. Nelson, who died in 1997, founded the university’s Shark Lab in 1966. Nearly 100 guests attended the event at the Cerritos Bahia Marina in Long Beach, which included a traditional toast, led by Raymond Wilson, to the four winds and to St. Brendan, patron saint of mariners. Faculty member Gwen Goodmanlowe and Samantha Brady, Nelson’s granddaughter, conducted the customary champagne christening. The research vessel D. R. Nelson is a 25-foot Parker with a range of about 300 miles. It is the fourth and largest boat in the fleet that supports research and training in the nationally recognized CSULB Marine Biology Program.