Graduate Students Win NASA Fellowships in 2008
Meg Estapa and Mike Sauer, doctoral students in Oceanography at the UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences based at the DMC, were recently awarded NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowships. Each received a $30,000 grant which is renewable for two more years contingent on academic performance.
Meg studies the effect of sunlight on particulate organic matter in the marine water column. It was commonly thought that organic matter (carbon) would settle out of the water column. It appears, however, that upon exposure to intense sunlight, some of this carbon forms carbon dioxide which can drift into the atmosphere to become a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. Focusing on carbon delivered from the Mississippi River to areas along the Gulf Coast, Meg uses light-measuring equipment and satellite data to determine how much carbon undergoes this process and how much becomes buried in seafloor sediments. Advising Meg on the project are School of Marine Sciences professors Larry Mayer and Emmanuel Boss.
Mike uses earth-viewing satellites to study phytoplankton biomass in the Gulf of Maine. The estimation and interpretation of satellite data is complicated by two factors (1) colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). These components are
essentially indistinguishable from chlorophyll in the satellite data, and
(2) seasonally variable phytoplankton communities. Mike aims to quantify the
errors associated with SeaWiFS and/or MODIS satellite estimates of chlorophyll to get a better understanding of the dynamics of CDOM and phytoplankton biomass in the Gulf of Maine. Mike’s thesis advisor is professor Collin Roesler.
Graduate Student Receives ICRS-OC Fellowship in 2008
Susie Arnold received one of six Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Fellowships awarded by the International Coral Reef Society and the Ocean Conservancy.
Susie holds a M.S. degrees in Marine Biology and Marine Policy and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Marine Biology at the UMaine School of Marine Sciences. Her advisor is Dr. Bob Steneck. Working on reefs in Bonaire, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Palau and Palmyra, Susie is interested not only in reef ecology, but also in the various strategies these countries use for fisheries/resource management. She will use the $15,000 fellowship to conduct research on the role of herbivory and productivity potential on reef resilience. Specifically, the funds will support experiments on the leeward and windward reefs of Bonaire and Belize.
DMC Visiting Researcher and Workshop Instructor
The Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) awarded the 2008 Viktor Hamburger Award to Dr. Leland Johnson, Augustana College, SD. Leland received the award for exceptional contributions to developmental biology education. During his career, Leland taught developmental biology to countless undergraduates as well as authored laboratory manuals and textbooks. He also established the DMC's Developmental Biology Teaching Workshop (DBTW). Offered since 1992, DBTW has helped over one hundred college and university professors improve their teaching skills and their developmental biology curricula. Read more at www.sdbonline.org/Johnson-Hamburger08.pdf
New Course to be offered at the DMC this fall!
SMS 491: Introduction to Research Diving is a 3 credit course that will be taught at the DMC during the 2008 fall semester. Students will be instructed in advanced diving, dive rescue, oxygen administration, and underwater research techniques. Practical field diving activities will be a large focus of the course. The course will be taught by the UMAINE Diving Safety Officer, selected UMAINE faculty, and guest lecturers experienced in using scuba diving as a research tool. Following successful completion of course objectives, students will be eligible to participate in diving research projects as a scientific diver-in-training or scientific diver.
If you have a recreational certificate and hope to pursue scientific diving in your academic career, this is the class for you! Interested students should contact Chris at crigaud@maine.edu for further details.
DMC Scientist Receives Distinguished Service Award
The American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) awarded Dr. Pete Jumars it’s Distinguished Service Award at the society’s 2008 summer meeting in St. John, Newfoundland.
ASLO is the leading professional organization for researchers and educators in the field of aquatic science. The society currently has more than 3,800 members from 58 countries including the United States. Jumars has been a member of ASLO since 1969.
ASLO’s Distinguished Service Award is bestowed “to members who have displayed exceptional efforts that support the professional goals and enhance the stature of ASLO.” The award acknowledges Jumars’ many years of service on a variety of fronts including: Editor-in-Chief of the society’s scientific journal “Limnology & Oceanography” from 1986-1992, and as President Elect, President and Past President of the Board of Directors from 2000-2006.
Jumars’ contributions to ASLO paved the way to establishing “Open Access” of their scientific publications, inspired collaboration with other professional scientific organizations, and increased the society’s role in science education and public policy.
Jumars is a University of Maine Professor of Marine Science and Director of the School of Marine Sciences. He is based at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole where he studies benthic marine organisms and how they interact with their physical and chemical environments.
More information about Pete's award and his dedication to ASLO is available at http://www.aslo.org/meetings/stjohns2008/awards.html and scroll to bottom of page.
