SMS News

OCEAN CLASSROOM FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:47:24

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME: Ocean Classroom Foundation (OCF) today announced a partnership with the University of Maine, Orono, whereby the University will provide academic credit for SEAmester, a full semester at sea for college students aboard a unique educational platform: a 19^th century-style schooner. SEAmester is an open enrollment program of the Ocean Classroom Foundation, a leader in experiential education at sea. Seamester tuition is comparable to that of a traditional campus semesters.

Together with UMaine, OCF will offer science and humanities curriculum that is fully integrated with the journey and ports of call throughout the Eastern Seaboard, Caribbean Islands, and Central America. In addition to a rigorous 12 credit academic load, students stand watches and assume increasing responsibilities in the sailing of a traditionally rigged schooner, acquiring leadership skills and confidence along the way.

UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences (SMS) is one of the top marine science programs in the country, and one of the fastest growing departments at the university. Marine Science studies on the SEAmester voyage include lab work in oceanography and marine biology, species surveys, environmental impact studies and marine weather observations. Humanities studies will include maritime history, literature, geo-cultural studies, and creative writing. SEAmester will also include leadership training, cultural immersion, and a service project in the Dominican Republic.

“We are excited by the synergy between the SMS and SEAmester curricula. Students within the University of Maine system, and from other colleges around the country, will have an opportunity to expand their knowledge beyond the classroom”, says William Ellis, Associate Dean of UMaine’s School of Marine Science. “Any student who is interested in exploring the natural world, who is excited by physical or mental challenges, who is looking to take their education to the next level, should look seriously at the SEAmester program.”

According to Peter Neill, Executive Director of Ocean Classroom Foundation, the sea demands decisiveness, independence, cooperation, and communication. Says Neill: “At sea, leadership is developed through working side by side with a knowledgeable captain and crew, learning through observation and emulation, and then being accountable for their successful application. Lessons are unforgettable when taught from within in a self-reliant community, in a dynamic natural environment.”

SEAmester was first offered by Ocean Classroom in 1997, originally accredited by Long Island University and later by the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. As an alternative to the traditional college academic semester abroad it is next available to qualified college students in spring 2010. SEAmester may be of particular interest to students majoring in any aspect of Marine Science, Environmental or Ecological studies, Oceanography, Geocultural studies, History, or Literature.

The Ocean Classroom Foundation is a non-profit educational organization with a mission to build the next generation of ocean stewards through education under sail. College credit and non-traditional programs vary from days, to weeks, to semester long voyages for high school and college students; custom programs for middle and high schools, youth and community organizations; and continuing education for humanities and science teachers. Programs are offered aboard three USCG certified schooners: Harvey Gamage, Westward, and Spirit of Massachusetts; sailing along the Atlantic seaboard from the Canadian Maritimes to the Caribbean.

Ocean Classroom Foundation is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization whose programs are offered without regard to race, gender, religion, or national origin. For more information, visit www.oceanclassroom.org.

For more information go to:

http://www.seamester.net/

UMAINE JOINING FORCES FOR NORTH ATLANTIC STUDY

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:38:45

The University of Maine is one of several prestigious marine research institutions joining forces to study North Atlantic marine ecosystems as part of the Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR). In addition to UMaine, the collaborative involves Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Rutgers University, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) created the alliance, which may eventually involve more than 200 ocean scientists, including faculty members from UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences. A news release has more at [http://www.umaine.edu/news/blog/2009/09/27/umaine-involved-in-new-partnership-to-study-north-atlantic-marine-ecosystem/ ].

BRAWLEY COMMENTS IN WASHINGTON POST STORY

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:50:24

Comments from Prof. Susan Brawley of the UMaine School of Marine Sciences are in a Washington Post story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/02/AR2009080202128.html) about a new kind of seaweed that is spreading through the Baltic Sea. Scientists are taking a close look at the seaweed, known as narrow wrack, because of implications related to the Baltic's ecology and general health. Brawley differs with some of the other experts looking at this issue with regard to whether narrow wrack should be designated as a species and how it reproduces. Another expert quoted in the story, Ester Serrao, is a professor at the University of Algarve in Portugal. She earned her Ph.D. at UMaine, under Brawley's direction, in 1996.

ACHESON IN BDN SHOOTING STORIES

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:52:45

Comments from Prof. James Acheson of the UMaine anthropology faculty and School of Marine Sciences are included in a Wednesday Bangor Daily News story (http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/111235.html) about the investigation into a shooting incident on Matinicus. Police say that the shooting relates to a dispute between two men over lobster fishing territory. Acheson has written two books about the lobster industry's history and social structures.

Acheson provided similar perspectives for an Associated Press story (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCjdWbNWSt-NxT2vx4PFiYlmOcdQD99J24400) on the same incident.

SMS Dual-Degree Graduate Spotlights Unscientific America

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:25:57

SMS dual-degree graduate Sheril Kirshenbaum has teamed with Chris Mooney to produce a sobering analysis of the marginalization of science on the national forum. Their book, Unscientific America, is already gathering critical acclaim: <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/12/751063/-Book-Review:-Unscientific-America>, <http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/07/unscientific-america-a-review/>. Sheril is currently an associate at Duke University and welcomes communications from her prior associates at UMaine.

SHICK, WELLS INTERVIEWED IN AUSTRALIA

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:42:48

SHICK, WELLS INTERVIEWED IN AUSTRALIA UMaine professors Malcolm Shick and Mark Wells were recently interviewed by an ABC radio news producer in North Queensland, shortly after returning from a research cruise. The interview followed a chance meeting with the Australian Minister for Science, who was in the area to announce funding for an Australian Institute of Marine Science research project.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2009/07/08/2619870.htm?site=northqld&rotator=true

STENECK IN CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR BLOG Comments

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:49:08

STENECK IN CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR BLOG Comments from Robert Steneck of the UMaine School of Marine Sciences faculty are in a Christian Science Monitor blog

(http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/07/01/community-based-fishery-management-and-somali-pirates/).

The blog examines issues related to the depletion of fisheries in various parts of the world, attributable to what Steneck calls "roving banditry" -- large-scale trawling operations from places like Europe, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and the

U.S. aggressively harvesting fish populations in regions including Africa's northwest coast. The story draws a connection between depleted fisheries and the emergence of piracy in that part of the world.

NOAA chooses UMaine and associates to form a new Cooperative Institute for the Northeast

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:40:20

UMaine joined with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Rutgers University and the University of Maryland to propose a cooperative institute, CINAR (Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region) that will focus on the themes of (1) ecosystem forecasting, (2) ecosystem monitoring, (3) ecosystem management, protection and restoration of resources, (4) sustained ocean observations and (5) climate research. Research under the new institute: will explore linkages among productivity, fish and fisheries, pollution, climate change, and ecosystem health; will improve the integration and availability of ocean observations across spatial scales, from global to regional and local; will distinguish marine resource changes due to human impacts from those resulting from natural forcing, including climate variability and change; will develop and apply new tools and approaches for monitoring ecosystem health and forecasting ecosystem change; will examine expected increases in socioeconomic benefits accrued from a better understanding of the effects of climate change, food webs, physical-chemical coupling, and ecosystem production dynamics; and, will support collaborations and education leading to closer linkages between scientific assessments and management actions.

Oprah Interviews,via Skype, Bruce Sidell in Antarctica

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:31:25

Watch Oprah interview Bruce Sidell on the topic of Antarctic glacier melt.

2009 Distinguished Maine Professor

Mon, 11 May 2009 10:11:21

Professor of Anthropology and Marine Sciences James Acheson is the University of Maine Alumni Association Distinguished Maine Professor. Acheson, an Augusta, Maine native, received a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Rochester in 1970 and has taught at UMaine since 1968. He has served as chair of the Department of Anthropology and as program coordinator for marine policy in the School of Marine Sciences. He also is a cooperating research professor in the Lobster Institute. Colleagues describe him as the consummate professor for his rigorous teaching and internationally recognized interdisciplinary research in environmental policy related to forests and fisheries. As a social scientist and economic anthropologist whose research connects the social, cultural and environmental components of marine policy, Acheson has provided invaluable service to the state. Acheson was integral in the establishment of a comanagement system in Maine's lobster industry that has since become a national model. In 2004, the Maine legislature recognized Acheson with an Expression of Recognition for his environmental policy research applied to the lobster and fishing industries. Acheson's forestry landowner research was cited last year as a National Science Foundation Highlight. Acheson is the author of 82 articles, focused primarily on the social science aspects of resource management. He also has written five books, including The Lobster Gangs of Maine and Capturing the Commons: Devising Institutions to Manage the Maine Lobster Industry. His most recent research includes an NSF grant for studying small-plot forestry land use in Maine, and another NSF grant for environmental policy research on the state's lobster and groundfish industries. Acheson received the American Anthropological Association's Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology in 2004 and the UMaine Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award in 2005.

Dr. Susan Brawley's Research

Tue, 05 May 2009 11:06:30

NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS ON BRAWLEY RESEARCH Tuesday's New York Times has a story (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05obweed.html) about new research by UMaine Prof. Susan Brawley, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Brawley and her colleagues have researched the origins of two invasive species common to northeastern North America: toothed wrack and the common periwinkle. The research as determined that the species came from Britain and Ireland, carried by ships being used for the timber traced in the late 18th century and early 19th century.

SMS Undergraduate Scholarship Awards

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:34:08

MAINE STUDENTS EARN HOLLINGS SCHOLARSHIPS Two University of Maine sophomores have received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. Samantha Bond, a marine science major, zoology minor and

honors student from Temple, N.H., and Jeremy Bender, a marine science major and honors student from Saint Paul, Minn., each will receive up to $8,000 per year for their junior and senior years. In addition, they will each have a summer internship at

a NOAA facility. "This has opened my eyes about what I want to do after I finish my undergraduate degree," Bond says. A news release with more is at http://www.umaine.edu/news/view_release.php?x=1241009614.

UMaine's Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research debut on NBC news

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:33:33

NICK BROWN ON NBC NIGHTLY NEWS Nick Brown, operations manager at UMaine's Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research, was featured in a Monday NBC Nightly News story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#30315209) describing aquaculture and its

impact on ecosystems and food supplies.

Huijie Xue predicts the future

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:34:24

The flexibility and utility of ocean forecasts has increased dramatically. Huijie Xue explains how it is done in this fascinating video from COSEE.

Finding Nemo in the Gulf of Maine

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:06:22

Nemo is running transects in midcoast Maine on a NASA project. Mary Jane Perry, Andy Thomas and the Physical Oceanography Group (PhOG) are using Nemo to help understand what satellite imaging does and does not see in terms of vertical penetration and horizontal resolution. This is your opportunity to track Nemo in nearly real time.

Research Awards Announced

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:56:08

Vice President for Research Michael Eckardt has announced the recipients of the 2009 Regular Faculty Research Awards and the Scholarly Materials and Equipment Awards. Recipients are selected based on recommendations by the Faculty Research Funds Committee. Funds for this program are provided by the Vice President for Research (in part, from the Coe, Somers, and Weppler Funds) as part of a broader investment strategy designed to assist faculty and encourage research and other creative achievements.

REGULAR FACULTY RESEARCH AWARDS:

Ocampo-Raeder, V. Constanza "The Waterless Realms ofthe Human Seascape"

Olsen, Brian "The Effect of Waterfowl Impoundmentson Populations of Wetland-Obligate Bird Species"

Rawson, Paul "Temporal Patterns of Gene Expression in BlueMusssels Exposed to Salinity Challenge"

Robinson, Brian "Defining Paleoindian SocialOrganization and Mobility Patterns"

Climate change has come to an ocean near you!

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:39:53

The Governor's Task Force on Climate Change has released its report. Be sure to visit the chapter that starts on p. 17 and covers marine climate changes.

Wednesday, February 18 Gulf of Maine Fisheries Forum with Teresa Johnson

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:25:20

GULF OF MAINE FISHERIES THE SUBJECT OF WEDNESDAY FORUM Three experts will discuss "Population Dynamics: Community, Science and Policy in the Gulf of Maine Fisheries" on Wednesday Feb. 18 from 12:10-1:30 p.m. in the University of Maine's Jenness Hall. Scheduled panelists are UMaine Prof. Teresa Johnson, MacArthur Foundation Fellow Ted Ames and Glen Libby of Port Clyde, president of the Midcoast Fishermen's Cooperative. The event is part of UMaine's Environmental Forum: History and Policy in the Northeast series. It is funded by the Col. James McBride Research Endowment and the UMaine Dept. of History. This event is rescheduled from Jan. 28, when a snow storm force postponement.

UMaine Professors Mark Wells and Carl Tripp's NSF grant

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:32:59

Congratulations to UMaine professors Mark Wells and Carl Tripp. Working with a colleague from Colby College, Mark and Carl have received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to continue developing a sensor that will measure iron and copper in ocean water. Those elements help sustain the growth of phytoplankton, which are important to marine ecosystems and also sequester carbon dioxide. Mechanisms for measuring their presence have wide-ranging scientific implications.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114089&govdel=USNSF_51

Is Changing Climate Keeping Whales in the Gulf of Maine?

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:33:18

PERSHING FEATURED IN ELLSWORTH AMERICAN The Jan. 29 Ellsworth American includes a story http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php/2009012918998/Waterfront/Is-Changing-Climate-Keeping-Whales-In-the-Gulf-of-Maine.html about a recent Blue Hill presentation by Prof. Andrew Pershing of the UMaine School of Marine Sciences. He discussed climate trends and their impact on right whale populations in the Gulf of Maine.

GULF OF MAINE FISHERIES FORUM

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:06:42

Hall. Scheduled panelists are UMaine Prof. Teresa Johnson, MacArthur Foundation Fellow Ted Ames and Glen Libby of Port Clyde, president of the Midcoast Fishermen's Cooperative. The event is part of UMaine's Environmental Forum: History and Policy

in the Northeast series. It is funded by the Col. James McBride Research Endowment and the UMaine Dept. of History.

Scientists at UMaine Trying to Fill Ocean Data Void

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:19:22

BANGOR DAILY NEWS REPORTS ON UMAINE OCEAN RESEARCH The Bangor Daily News today carried an article (www.umaine.edu/news/article.asp?id_no=2402) about UMaine research involving newly developed sensors to measure the micronutrients iron and copper in

the Gulf of Maine. The project, funded by a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, is important because iron and copper help sustain oceanic phytoplankton, which is foundation of the marine ecosystem and also sequesters carbon

dioxide, the predominant gas responsible for global warming. A UMaine news release (http://www.umaine.edu/news/article.asp?id_no=2402) also has information.

UMAINE SCIENTIST FEATURED FOR SCIENTIFIC IMAGES

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:27:10

They’re far from a family portrait, but University of Maine marine science professor Sara Lindsay’s images of tiny marine worms have earned recognition by two international imaging competitions. Using confocal microscopy, which uses optical sectioning and lasers to create detailed images from specimens stained with orescent probes, Lindsay took images of the muscles in marine worms that she studies, constructing a three-dimensional picture of how the muscles are layered and intertwined in a whole worm. Feeding, burrowing and building tubes in sand and mud requires coordination of a complex complement of muscles in marine worms. In her winning images, the muscles that control movement of bristles on the worm's body and the feeding tentacles are strikingly clear. For her photos, Lindsay received an "Image of Distinction" recognition in the 2008 Nikon Small World competition, and an honorable mention in the 2008 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging competition. She also was featured on Nov. 17 in the online edition of Scientific American as a featured winner of the BioScapes competition. Her image appeared in the site’s slideshow. A news release with more is at http://www.umaine.edu/news/article.asp?id_no=2394.

Lindsay’s images can be found at the following Web links:

· http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/

· http://olympusbioscapes.com/

· http://www.sciam.com/slideshow.cfm?id=bioscapes-contest-photos&thumbs=horizontal&photo_id=AA9A97FF-B89A-D428-12D463AD3A0F46BB

Marine Climate Change Produced by Arctic Ice Melt

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:16:14

Andy Pershing of the School of Marine Sciences and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute together with Chuck Greene of Cornell have produced a new assessment and prediction of marine climate change effects produced by ice melt in the Arctic, whose propagation into the Gulf of Maine depends on atmospheric circulation in the Arctic and on coastal currents that form from the fresh water released through the Canadian Archipelago into the Labrador Sea. For further details, see the press releases from the National Science Foundation and the Ecological Society of America.

Guest Speaker onWolffish Aquaculture - Public is Invited to Attend

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:27:52

On Monday, July 28th at 2:00 PM, Dr. Nathalie Le Francois of the Université du Québec à Rimouski, will present on wolffish at the Department of Marine Resources in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The topic of her presentation will be - The endangered wolffishes – the “stone-crushers”: life-history, biology, and cultivation.

Dr. Le Francois is the only person in North America who has successfully raised Atlantic and spotted wolffishes in captivity. As research professor for the University of Quebec at Rimouski, she is ready to introduce these species to the aquaculture industry and could play a key-role in future stock enhancement activities. The author of over 30 articles on the subject, she is also in the final process of publishing a book entitled“Diversification of Finfish Aquaculture.”

Considered as one of our present-day sea monsters, the wolffish’s appearance and aggressive behavior in the wild has given it a bad reputation amongst fishermen. However, those who have attempted to take their unwanted catch home for supper have been pleasantly surprised with its delicate flavor, similar to that of haddock.

Dr. Le Francois, and her graduate students Sarah Tremblay-Bourgeois and Francois Larouche, invite you to attend their seminar, free-of-charge. Come and learn about this interesting species of cold-water fish and the research being conducted by Le Francois, and company, at the tip of Québec’s Gaspe Peninsula. After the presentation, their live specimens will be available for viewing at the Maine State Aquarium.

For more information, please contact Elaine Jones, Education Director at the Department of Marine Resources (207) 633-9580.

International Coral Reef Society Graduate Fellowship Award

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:03:00

At a recent symposium of the International Coral Reef Society Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida it was announced to a group of 3000 attendees that Suzie Arnold, a Ph.D. candidate in Marine Biology, received one of their Graduate Fellowships. This a highly competitve award where Suzie was one of 6 to receive from a global pool of applicants. Kudos to Suzie!

Andrew Thomas in Red Tide Story

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:56:20

Comments from Prof. Andrew Thomas of the UMaine School of Marine Sciences are included in a Monday Bangor Daily News story (http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=166761&zoneid=500) about red tide, which is expected to be a significant problem along the Maine coast this summer.

BDN AQUACULTURE EDITORIAL

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:20:00

Wednesday's Bangor Daily News includes an editorial http://bangornews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=165484&zoneid=34examining the current state of Maine's aquaculture industry. The editorial includes references to UMaine's Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research in Franklin and the work of UMaine Prof. Ian Bricknell's leadership role in UMaine's aquaculture education and research activities.

Distinguished Service Award

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:26:20

Peter A. Jumars

Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, Walpole, ME USA

SERVICE AS A MEMBER BENEFIT: CHOOSING SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES ACCORDINGLY

Service is generally viewed as a sacrifice on the part of the server. Two functions have endured in scientific societies from the outset: meeting of people with common interests and publishing of peer-reviewed research results. Even these core society functions have ample room for service that empowers the server as well as the society. As I can attest, nothing hones editorial skills like suddenly being Editor-in-Chief of a major journal and nothing hones leadership skills like running an ASLO Board Meeting. Societies now offer a much wider array of standing and ad hoc committee service than was available even a decade ago. From the individual perspective, these activities allow tremendous opportunities to amplify a single person’s efforts and to engage with like-minded colleagues toward worthy goals. One way to choose where among the panoply of scientific societies to put one’s efforts is to match the fit of your own aspirations with service opportunities in that organization. Both precision of fit and scale of the enterprise matter.

The ASLO Distinguished Service Award is awarded “to recognize members who have displayed exceptional efforts that support the professional goals and enhance the stature of ASLO.” Pete Jumars is this year’s recipient of the ASLO Distinguished Service Award. For at least the past twenty-seven years, Pete has been intimately involved with ASLO on everything from publications to representing ASLO in national coalitions for professional societies. One would be hard pressed to find another individual who has volunteered so much time to so many different facets of ASLO.

Pete joined ASLO in 1969 at the suggestion of his undergraduate advisor. His formal service to the society began in 1980, when he served on the Board of Directors as a Member-at-Large. He was elected to the ASLO Board again in 2000, this time as President-Elect. Pete’s presidency came at a time of transition for ASLO. While Pete was President-Elect, ASLO moved its Executive Director’s Office to Washington, D.C., in response to the society becoming increasingly aware of the need for a greater involvement in science policy and public information. Throughout his six-year term on the Board, Pete was instrumental in determining a science policy role for ASLO that fit both the society’s comfort level and budget. As a result, he helped position ASLO as a key player in facilitating communication of aquatic science to decision makers.

At the same time, he led the society during difficult negotiations over the venue and operation of the jointly-sponsored Ocean Sciences Meeting. These negotiations literally lasted for more than a year, and many Presidents would have pulled the plug on the joint meeting. Knowing how important it was to bring the ocean science disciplines together, Pete encouraged continued negotiations, which eventually led to a successful outcome and no lasting liver damage for Pete.

A key guiding principle of Pete’s presidency was to listen to the membership. Perhaps the best illustration of Pete’s approach was the 2004 ASLO member survey. Although he was nearing the end of his Presidency, Pete led the design of the survey questionnaire, and as Past President, continued to take the lead in analyzing and reporting the results to both the Board and the ASLO membership.

While it is hard to pinpoint where Pete has had the most influence within ASLO, it is certain that he has been a key figure in the history of Limnology & Oceanography as well as ASLO’s other publishing activities. He served as Editor-in-Chief for L&O from 1986 to 1992. In about the middle of that term, in part to allow his escape, he oversaw transition from a sole editorship to a board of associate editors. Later, Pete served on the L&O Editorial Advisory Committee (1995 - 1997). Since 2005, Pete has served as the Associate Editor for Scholarly Reviews for L&O. Since 2006, he has chaired the ad hoc Committee on Open Access and has led a vigorous discussion of the pros and cons of the open-access movement, which inevitably will have enormous consequences for the society. As members of the open-access committee, we can attest to Pete’s commitment to helping ASLO make well-informed decisions regarding open-access publishing. Remarkably, Pete also serves on two other working groups considering new publications: the ad hoc committee to evaluate the proposed Limnology and Oceanography: Environments and Fluids journal, and the ad hoc committee on web books.

Pete has also helped build ASLO’s influence in the broader scientific community. Since 2003, Pete has participated in the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP), an umbrella organization for professional scientific societies. During the semi-annual meetings, presidents of societies from all disciplines of science discuss issues of common interest and concern, ranging from research funding to publications to new regulations for non profits. Pete served enthusiastically on the Council while he was President, and agreed to continue serving beyond his term. During that time, he was elected as Secretary, then Treasurer and for 2008 as Chair of the Council, an honor that attests to the respect our colleagues outside of limnology and oceanography have for Pete. Pete’s participation in CSSP benefits ASLO in terms of learning from the experiences of other societies and networking with high-ranking policy officials. Additionally, Pete has been able to move several issues of import to ASLO, such as freshwater research, to the CSSP’s priority list, thereby adding the weight of CSSP’s sixty member societies (and their 1.4 million members) to ASLO’s causes.

Eleven years ago, ASLO recognized Pete Jumars’ scientific achievements with the Hutchinson award. This year, ASLO is pleased to recognize Pete’s service to the society with the ASLO Distinguished Service Award.

http://www.aslo.org/meetings/stjohns2008/awards.html

Cited by Adrienne Sponberg, ASLO Public Affairs Office, Silver Spring Maryland, USA, and Paul Kemp, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

STENECK IN SCIENCE DAILY STORY

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:49:00

The Science Daily Web site features a story (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604141019.htm) about a new report that includes Prof. Bob Steneck from UMaine's School of Marine Sciences as one of its authors. Steneck and other scientists developed a United Nations University report, presented Wednesday at UN headquarters in New York, calling for significant changes in coastal management practices. The scientists warn of potential "disaster" potentially affecting coastal marine ecosystems.

UMaine Oceanography Student Awarded NASA Fellowship

Fri, 30 May 2008 14:42:41

Margaret Estapa, a doctoral student in oceanography at the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences, was recently awarded a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship.

The fellowship, available to to master’s or doctoral students in Earth science, heliophysics, planetary science and astrophysics, is awarded on the merits of research involving data collected by space-based instruments, ground-based data, laboratory experiments and theoretical modeling.

The $30,000 grant, which is renewable for two more years based on academic performance, will be used to support Estapa’s ongoing study of the release of carbon from the mud that is delivered from the Mississippi River to areas along the Gulf Coast.

Upon exposure to intense sunlight, some of this carbon has been found to form carbon dioxide in the months after it is delivered and can drift into the atmosphere to become a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. Estapa will use light-measuring equipment and satellite data to determine how much carbon undergoes this process and how much remains buried in the mud.

Advising Estapa on the project are School of Marine Sciences professors Larry Mayer and Emmanuel Boss.

SMS Master Candidate Wins Third Place

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:00:00

SMS Masters candidate, Jennifer Meyers, won 3rd place for her oral presentation in this years 2008 Graduate Expo!

GRAD EXPO WINNERS ANNOUNCED The University of Maine’s Graduate Student Government and Graduate School recently announced the award recipients for oral, poster and multimedia presentations at the 2008 Graduate Research Exposition. The annual expo,

which was held April 15 and 16 at UMaine’s Buchanan Alumni House, is designed to showcase and reward academic excellence and creative achievement by featuring demonstrations of works in progress among graduate students. Many of the winning posters

from this year’s expo will be on display at the reception following the graduate hooding ceremony on May 9. A news release with a complete listing of the winners is at

http://www.umaine.edu/news/article.asp?id_no=2117

Seventh Annual Geddes W. Simpson Lecture

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:25:22

The Geddes W. Simpson Lecture Series Award was established in 2001 in the University of Maine Foundation by family and friends to honor Professor Simpson, a distinguished researcher and teacher at the University of Maine. The award provides a monetary purse, which is given to a distinguished individual who has provide significant insight into the area where science and history intersect. This year's distinguished lecturer is Robert S. Steneck, professor of oceanography, marine biology, and marine policy.

Steneck is a marine ecologist whose laboratories are the kelp beds of North America and the coral reefs of the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. There, he studies lobsters, sea urchins, fish, corals, historical ecology, global climate change and the science of manageing marine resources. His work has attracted attention from national and international media including The New York Times, The Economist, Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, National Public Radio and The New Yorker. Steneck's research has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Steneck played an important role in the establishment of the Semester by the Sea program at the Darling Marine Center. Semester by the Sea enables undergraduate students to experience Maine's marine environment first hand.

Professor Steneck's lecture topic is"Considering the future of our seas through the lens of history." Please join us for the Seventh Annual Geddes W. Simpson Lecture.

When: Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Where: McIntire Room, Buchanan Alumni House,

University of Maine

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served following the lecture.