June 2019
James Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director of the Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, is featured as "The FACE of Clean Water," in the summer edition of Stuart Magazine. He is one of five ap­pointees to the state's new Blue-Green Algae Task Force, an entity that will focus on sup­porting restoration initiatives for reducing nutrients in Lake Okeechobee. As such, he is poised to help improve the quality of life in coastal communities plagued by Harmful Algal Blooms, or HABs. "South Florida is one the most-negatively affected areas ln the United States from Harmful Algal Blooms;' he says. "While this is not a desirable situation for any of us, it does provide an opportunity for scientists and politicians in the state to be national and international leaders in how to manage and solve the HAB problem."
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Assistant Research Professor & Clinical Veterinarian, Annie Page-Karjian, D.V.M., Ph.D., recently helped lead a team of marine scientists and combat veterans to study and save green sea turtles in the Florida Keys threatened by fibropapillomatosis, a disease characterized by skin, eye, and internal tumors that can be fatal. NBC News recently featured this study, which was conducted in partnership with FORCE BLUE, The Turtle Hospital, Loggerhead Marine Life Center, Inwater Research Group, and FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. 
The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, with a dedicated team both aboard and on shore, set sail on its 100th ocean exploration mission on June 22. Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute research professors, Jim Masterson, Ph.D., Shirley Pomponi, Ph.D., and John Reed, Ph.D., are assisting NOAA with the research via live stream through the Harbor Branch Command Center. The crew is collecting critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater habitats of the Southeastern United States through July 12.  Join us on July 11, 2019 to take a special tour of the Harbor Branch Exploration Command Center and view the research live.
FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Research Professor John Reed and Stephanie Farrington, members of the  Cooperative Institute of Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (CIOERT) just wrapped a two-week week cruise on the  NOAA Ship  Pisces  to study the shelf-edge marine protected areas (MPAs) off the Southeastern U.S. This cruise was the second cruise of a 3-year grant to document and characterize the benthic habitats, benthic biota, and fish populations within and adjacent to the marine protected areas.
Community
Support Area Gopher Tortoise Health Study

FAU Harbor Branch Assistant Research Professor, Annie Page-Karjian and Loggerhead Marinelife Center launched a crowdfunding website to study the health of area gopher tortoises.

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Watch: Marine Mammal Rescue Team Releases JarJar Branch

After a successful rehabilitation, JarJar Branch, the manatee was released back into the waters in Round Island, Ft. Pierce. On May 25, 2017, this young manatee was rescued by our staff after being spotted in the Harbor Branch channel.

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FL Senate President Bill Galvano Visits SeaVenture Clam Company at FAU Harbor Branch
Senate President Bill Galvano recently visited SeaVenture Clam Company, which is a private company in public partnership with Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute’s aquaculture park. SeaVenture Clam Co. operates a client focused shellfish hatchery that is focused on sustainable aquaculture, innovation, and quality.
Mission: Ocean Discovery
Turning Pollution into Art
The Ocean Discovery Visitors Center will feature art created by discarded plastic to promote conservation, education, and ocean awareness. The artist, Tony Bevilacqua from Boca Raton created the 8-foot flamingo statute out of 420 recycled water bottles. "Plastics have a profound impact on our environment and wildlife. My goal was to bring attention to this cause and help promote beach cleanup efforts and recycling," said Bevilacqua. The sculpture will be on display in the lobby of the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center until July 19. Please feel free to stop by and check it out.
FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute researcher Shirley Pomponi, Ph. D. has made some interesting discoveries exploring our oceans. Learn more in this video.
Keeping the Ocean Plastic Free! Nearly 150 people visited the Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Visitors Center for our first World Oceans Day Celebration on Saturday, June 8. Visitors participated in hands-on activities, learned about plastic pollution, recycling and toured the Marine Mammal Ambulance.
Media
Florida experiences many types of harmful algal blooms, some of them annually. Several species of algae, like sargassum, aren’t toxic but can cause economic and environmental stress when they pile up on beaches and clog up coastlines. Others, like red tide and blue-green algae, release neurotoxins. FAU Harbor Branch Researchers James Sullivan, Ph.D., Brian Lapointe, Ph.D., and Malcolm McFarland, Ph.D., explain some of these harmful algal blooms have serious impacts on human health, making their research more critical than ever.in this Changing Seas episode titled, “Toxic Waters.” 
Several News Agencies featured Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute researcher Shirley Pomponi, Ph.D., who lived underwater for eight days to test various technologies and tools in an extreme environment during the NASA NEEMO 23 mission. Aquanaut Pomponi led the team to collect small volume sponge tissue samples to measure sponge metabolism and reproduction.
Job & Training Opportunities
Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution is seeking the following Postdoctoral Fellows:
  • Bioluminescence Sensor Development
  • Bioluminescence Response
  • Lidar Development
  • Compressive Sensing
  • Molecular Ecology
  • Hyperspectral Imaging
  • Passive Remote Sensing
  • Unmanned Robotic Platforms
Apply now to join FAU on its race to excellence. 
Application Deadline: July 31, 2019
Founded in 1971, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University is a research community of marine scientists, engineers, educators and other professionals focused on Ocean Science for a Better World. The institute drives innovation in ocean engineering, at-sea operations, drug discovery and biotechnology from the oceans, coastal ecology and conservation, marine mammal research and conservation, aquaculture, ocean observing systems and marine education.