Grice News & Announcements
Colloquium 2011
The 15th annual Marine Biology Student Research Colloquium was held on September 23 and 24, 2011. The colloquium featured keynote speaker Dr. John Bruno, a marine ecologist and Associate Professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bruno’s research focuses on marine biodiversity, coral reef ecology and conservation, and the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems. He gave two addresses at the colloquium: “Changes in Caribbean reef communities: patterns, causes and mitigation” and “Impacts of climate change on ocean ecosystems.” Dr. Bruno’s research takes him to Belize, the Bahamas, Cuba and the Galapagos Islands. In his spare time, Dr. Bruno blogs about the ocean on SeaMonster, a website that he also co-developed.
Thirteen marine biology and environmental studies students gave oral presentations of their research at the colloquium. Oral presentations are evaluated by a panel of judges on the basis of 1) scientific content based on the articulation of the problem, soundness of hypothesis testing, methodology, and analyses; 2) oral and visual quality of the delivery; and 3) demonstration of confidence and depth of understanding of the material. Kristin Stover received the best oral presentation award for her talk “Performance changes when exposed to varying oxygen levels in the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun.” Additionally, seventeen students presented posters of their thesis research this year. Timothy O’Donnell received the best poster presentation award for his research “Characterizing the genetic population structure and genetic influences of winter-kill events in spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in South Carolina.” The colloquium concluded with a cookout and Lowcountry Boil for students, professors, and attendees at the SCDNR outdoor classroom.
Study Abroad: British Virgin Islands
NSF: Taking the Pulse of Marine Life in Stressed Seas
The Burnett lab was featured on the NSF website on Oct 6th. Follow the link to discover more about their research.
Green Teaching Garden
Many different groups at the College will be able to take part in the different stages of the project including: Master of Environmental Studies Student Association (MESSA), Urban Agriculture (UA), GML Community Outreach Research and Learning (CORAL) Program, CofC Grounds Department, Clemson Extension and Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium. The composter provided by this grant will be supplied with organic material from the on-site kitchen and grounds maintenance. The first crop will consist of native plants, vegetables and herbs. The produce collected from the garden will be donated to a food shelter to benefit the local community. The garden will serve as an educational tool for the public and students and as a potential research resource for lab-based instruction or research projects.
Planting the Green Teaching Garden at Grice will serve to strengthen the ties between the marine lab's remote location and the downtown campus. It will provide unique opportunities to expand existing educational and outreach efforts. In addition to GML hosting hundreds of visitors annually, the Grice CORAL program works to educate more than 2400 people about marine biology each year. Multiple student groups have expressed interest in helping with GTG construction, upkeep, and outreach efforts. Faculty members of the School of Science and Mathematics have expressed interest in incorporating the GTG into their teaching curriculum.
GML and the MBSGA have a history of using interdisciplinary approaches to science education. During the recent SEWE event, we partnered with a local gallery to provide an aquarium exhibit featuring both live animals from local estuaries as well as the artwork of select Lowcountry wildlife artists. This innovative platform offers many possible collaborative opportunities with other schools at the College including Art, Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Turtle Tracks
The Owen's Lab and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (Dr. Al Segars and GPMB alumni Jeff Schwenter) recently resumed long term collaboration with researchers from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. They captured and did ultrasound as well as laparoscopic evaluations on approximately 20 adult size sea turtles. Only four of the sea turtles were sexually mature and ready for reproduction out of the 20 turtles examined. These turtles were fitted with new generation GPS enhanced satellite transmitters. Their migrations can be checked daily at this website.
"The Death and Life of Monterey Bay: A Story of Revival"
Dr. Stephen Palumbi , keynote speaker at the 2010 College of Charleston’s Graduate Program in Marine Biology Colloquium, has recently published a book with Carolyn Sotka in November 2010. "The Death and Life of Monterey Bay: A Story of Revival" co-authored by Steve and Carolyn is now widely available online for purchase. Carolyn Sotka has also donated two copies of the book to the Marine Resources Library for anyone to check out. For more information please visit this website. A brief summary of the book is listed below.
"The Death and Life of Monterey Bay: A Story of Revival" (Summary)
Anyone who has ever stood on the shores of Monterey Bay, watching the
rolling ocean waves and frolicking otters, knows it is a unique place.
But even residents on this idyllic California coast may not realize its
full history. Monterey began as a natural paradise, but became the
poster child for industrial devastation in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row,
and is now one of the most celebrated shorelines in the world.
It is a remarkable story of life, death, and revival told here for the
first time in all its stunning color and bleak grays. The Death and Life
of Monterey Bay begins in the eighteenth century when Spanish and French
explorers encountered a rocky shoreline brimming with life, raucous sea
birds, abundant sea otters, barking sea lions, halibut the size of wagon
wheels, waters thick with whales. A century and a half later, many of
the sea creatures had disappeared, replaced by sardine canneries that
sickened residents with their stench but kept the money flowing. When
the fish ran out and the climate turned, the factories emptied and the
community crumbled. But today, both Monterey's economy and wildlife are
resplendent. How did it happen?
The answer is deceptively simple: through the extraordinary acts of
ordinary people. The Death and Life of Monterey Bay is the biography of
a place, but also of the residents who reclaimed it. Monterey is
thriving because of an eccentric mayor who wasn't afraid to use pistols,
axes, or the force of law to protect her coasts. It is because of
fishermen who love their livelihood, scientists who are fascinated by
the sea's mysteries, and philanthropists and community leaders willing
to invest in a world-class aquarium. The shores of Monterey Bay revived
because of human passion that enlivens every page of this hopeful book.
Allan Strand Receives NSF Grant
Dr. Allan Strand received a Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This is a collaborative grant aimed at engaging undergraduate students with answering genomic questions in an environmental context. Research will be focused on building a database of complex phenotypes for plant knockout mutants.
Robin Garcia Published in MarSci Online Journal
College of Charleston’s summer research experience for undergraduates (REU) program yields promising results. Robin Garcia published her summer undergraduate research work in the Fall 2010 edition of MarSci. This on-line journal specilizes in publishing undergraduate research manuscripts pertaining to the
marine and aquatic sciences. Students interested in writing a manuscript based on their undergraduate research
experience and engaging in the process of submission and publication can do this via MarSci. This is a unique learning experience that is not
typically available to most undergraduate scientists.
Grice participated in the 2011 Southeastern Wildlife Expo
The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) has been a part of the Charleston culture for almost 30 years. It promotes conservation and preservation of nature through educational outreach programs with a focus on the visual arts. This event attracts the world’s foremost experts in wildlife and nature art. Interdisciplinary approaches to learning are the hallmark of a liberal arts education. In this spirit, the Grice Marine Laboratory partnered with Michael Mitchell Art Gallery located at 438 King Street for a special 2011 SEWE event. The aquarium exhibit featured live animals from local estuaries in combination with the art work of select Lowcountry wildlife artists. The exhibit was open 11am-6pm from Wednesday, February 16 through Sunday, February 20, 2011. In addition, a Kickoff Party was held on Wednesday, February 16 from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm where donations were collected. A portion of the proceeds from art work sold and donations collected will benefit the College of Charleston’s Graduate Program in Marine Biology (GPMB). Grice staff and GPMB students were present to assist with the event and answer questions about the animals.