University of Connecticut Marine Sciences Blog

A Team Benthos Summer

2010-07-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

Team Benthos is at it again this summer! If you have walked around the Rankin Lab this summer you may have noticed graduate students and interns working hard maintaining a set of mesocosm tanks on the back patio. The mesocosms are part of an EPA funded project examining the effects of climate and land-use change on native and invasive species and their ecosystems in southern New England. Inside the tanks you will find eel grass, seaweeds, at least 4 different snails, oysters, as well as Team Benthos’ favorite group, the tunicates.

The project, in its second full year of operation, uses an automated system to regulate temperature and nutrient additions. Still, the mesocosms need plenty of TLC from the interns to make sure water is still running and the tanks are cleaned.

Also, Team Benthos has been conducting a survey of the shallow hard substrate benthic community from Branford, CT to Newport, RI. Divers have been documenting the benthic assemblage in order to make a comparison to previous surveys as well as establish a baseline for understanding rates and processes of change in our coastal environments. Last year divers documented a recently introduced species. Surveys are also necessary to document the persistence, spread or extirpation of this new invasive.

Other projects include our ongoing benthic recruitment monitoring, and predator experiments. If you have more questions check out Teambenthos.uconn.edu and check out the map of some of the sites that have been surveyed!

View 2010 Team Benthos Coastal Subtidal Survey in a larger map

MYSound/LISICOS Update

2010-05-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Central Sound buoy's wave sensor failed during pre-deployment tests last week, and the redeployment has been delayed. The wave sensor is in repair and should be back on May 12th or 13th; the next date available for the Central Sound redeployment is May 19th.

The Execution Rocks buoy did go offline on April 22nd. We will be in the field tomorrow, May 7th, to diagnose and attempt to fix the buoy.

Official first report of Clavelina lepadiformis in NW Atlantic

2010-05-02T08:10:00.001-07:00

Well the Team Benthos paper on Clavelina lepadiformis is on the web as a corrected proof. This was truly a team effort from members of the University of Connecticut's Department of Marine Sciences, utilizing diving, genetic, ecological and taxonomic expertise to get this work done! Check out the the paper... HERE.

MYSound/LISICOS Status Update

2010-03-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, we did get everything back on line later in the day on March 13th. All stations are working except for the Central Sound buoy, which is currently getting a new coat of paint.

MYSound/LISICOS Status Update

2010-03-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

The servers for lisicos.uconn.edu and for mysound.uconn.edu appear to have gone down during the storm.

MYSound/LISICOS Status Update

2010-03-13T16:29:00.001-08:00

The Execution Rocks and Western Sound Buoys were redeployed on March 4, 2010. On the trip back, the Central Sound buoy was hauled and will be undergoing repair and upgrades. The expected redeployment date for Central Sound buoy is the beginning of April, 2010.

MYSound/LISICOS Status Update

2010-01-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

Execution Rocks and Western Sound coastal observation buoys will be hauled for maintenance, repair, and upgrades on January 14, 2010. Expected redployment will be at the beginning of March, 2010.

Clavelina sp. in Long Island Sound

2009-10-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (October 15th, 2009), Dave Hudson and I were taking some survey photos in Stonington Harbor, New London Co., CT. We were just checking out the usual fouling community species Botrylliodes violaceus, Didemnum vexillum, Bugula neritina, (all invasives) when Dave pointed to something different. I immediately got excited. I have never seen this species before. So I started snapping some pictures. Dave and I took a sample so that we ( can make a more exact species identification latter in the lab.

The species is almost certainly of the genus Clavelina order Aplousabranchia. The common name is the "light bulb tunicate". I would say that it is quite a good looking species, but it does not belongs here. Please let me know if you are familiar with this species. Have you seen it in Long Island Sound before?

James.Reinhardt@uconn.edu

MYSound/LISICOS Status Update

2009-10-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Execution Rocks buoy is back online.

MYSound/LISICOS Status Update

2009-10-21T13:13:00.001-07:00

The Execution Rocks weather buoy should be coming online soon - it has been offline since bad weather knocked the buoy out at the end of September. Divers and techs are down there today to see what the problem may be - and hopefully it will be back online by the end of the day.

Summer Connecticut SeaGrant Project

2009-10-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

This past summer I worked with a high school student on a Connecticut SeaGrant funded project to gather preliminary data of the biomass of hard-substrate epifaunal communities, also affectionately called fouling communities. It was a great pleasure to work with Olivia Fortunato, I only hope that she got as much out of the project as I did. The research we did this past summer has laid a great foundation for future work investigate biomass and energy flow in benthic communities.

Marines Sciences and CESE are Natural Partners

2009-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

The University of Connecticut's Center for Environmental Science and Engineering (CESE) bills itself as a leader and promoter of interdisciplinary research on the UConn campus. Naturally, CESE must have a particular interest and fondness for the Department of Marine Sciences (DMS) which is interdisciplinary in nature. DMS faculty Heidi Dierssen, George McManus, Ann Bucklin, Senjie Lin, Rob Mason, Tom Torgersen, Penny Vlahos, Pieter Visscher, Evan Ward and Bob Whitlatch are all associated with CESE in one way or another. Marine Science students have been able to take advantage of CESE's goals by leveraging resources made available by CESE to help carry out interdisciplinary work. DMS Students who have utilized CESE grants and funding in the past include Christina Haska, Kim Gallagher, Maille Lyon, James Reinhardt and others. Students should be aware of upcoming deadlines for new CESE Scholarships.

Dave Hudson PNB Student Conducts Marine Research at Avery Point

2009-10-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Dave Hudson is a PhD student at the University of Connecticut in the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology. His dissertation is on the ecophysiology of invasive crabs on the New England and East coast United States. Naturally, he has established close collaborations with other scientist and students in the Department of Marine Sciences (DMS) an the Marine Science and Technology Center. DMS and MSTC, through the dive program and boat operations, help supply Dave with the necessary resources to undertake his research.

James Reinhardt Diving September 30, 2009

2009-09-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Finally, I was able to get out for a dive today [60 mins at 17ft]. The visibility was pretty terrible after the wind and choppy conditions we had yesterday. Rick Osman and I took the R/V Tautog out to Bushy Point. We had two objectives: 1) Take pictures of Rick's 'piling experiment' and, 2) start to dismantle my metacommunity experiment. We got all the pictures taken and we put a small dent in the dismantling process. It was a little frustrating out there today... someone had altered my weight belt, the camera fogged up briefly, my masked kept filing up (I need a haircut) and I could only see three feet. I've had better dives. But, hey, not everybody gets to do this for a living!!!

2010 NSF EAPSI Fellowship Program Now Open

2009-09-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC SUMMER INSTITUTES FOR U.S. GRADUATE STUDENTS 2010 APPLICATION NOW OPEN

(Link: www.nsfsi.org)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students (EAPSI) is a flagship international fellowship program for developing the next generation of globally-engaged U.S. scientists and engineers knowledgeable about the Asian and Pacific regions. The Summer Institutes are hosted by foreign counterparts committed to increasing opportunities for young U.S. researchers to work in research facilities and with host mentors abroad. Fellows are supported to participate in eight-week research experiences at host laboratories in Australia, China, Japan (10 weeks), Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan from June to August. The program provides a $5,000 summer stipend, round-trip airfare to the host location, living expenses abroad, and an introduction to the society, culture, language, and research environment of the host location.

The 2010 application is now open and will close December 8, 2009. Application instructions are available online at www.nsfsi.org. For further information concerning benefits, eligibility, and tips on applying, applicants are encouraged to visit www.nsf.gov/eapsi or www.nsfsi.org.

NSF recognizes the importance of enabling U.S. researchers and educators to advance their work through international collaborations and the value of ensuring that future generations of U.S. scientists and engineers gain professional experience beyond this nation's borders early in their careers. The program is intended for U.S. graduate students pursuing studies in fields supported by the National Science Foundation. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply for the EAPSI. Applicants must be enrolled in a research-oriented master's or PhD program and be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents by the application deadline date. Students in combined bachelor/master degree programs must have matriculated from the undergraduate degree program at time of application.

The first Summer Institutes began in Japan in 1990, and to date approximately 1,800 U.S. graduate students have participated in the program. For the 2009 competition, NSF received 317 applications and issued 187 awards. EAPSI applicants are representative of most U.S. states and territories. The 2009 awardees pool included representation from 95 universities and 40 states.

The NSF-EAPSI Operations Center is administered by the American Society for Engineering Education (http://www.asee.org/fellowships).[

Should you inquire additional information about the program, please contact Mr. Ergys Ramaj by email at eapsi@asee.org or by phone at 1-866-501-2922.

2010 Academic Year EPA Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowships for Undergraduate Environmental Study

2009-09-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2010/2010_gro_undergrad.html

Open Date: 09/15/2009 - Close Date: 12/10/2009

Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), invites applications for the Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowships for undergraduate environmentally related study for bachelor’s level students. The deadline for receipt of applications is December 10, 2009. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 30 new fellowships by July 30, 2010. The fellowship provides up to $19,250 per year of academic support and $8,000 for internship support for a combined total of up to $46,500 over the life of the fellowship.

The GRO program enhances and supports quality environmental education for undergraduates, and thereby encourages them to continue their education beyond the baccalaureate level, and pursue careers in environmentally related fields.

The actual amount awarded per year will vary depending on the amount of tuition and fees and the number of months the stipend is required. This fellowship is intended to help defray costs associated with environmentally oriented study leading to a bachelor’s degree.

Youtube video by Team Benthos

2009-09-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

University of Connecticut graduate student James f. Reinhardt shows the basic components of a Team Benthos mesocosm tank.

For more videos from Team Benthos click here.

Southern Ocean GasEx Blog

2009-09-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Alejandro Cifuentes, a graduate student in Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut, discuss's The Motion of the Ocean at the Southern Ocean GasEx Blog.