 |
$152,592 is 60% of the way to our SML fund goal for calendar year 2016!
|
|
|
|
Dear Friends of Shoals Marine Laboratory,
I cannot believe August is here! This summer has been a blur of academic programs, research, and celebration of fifty years! Fifty years!! There is so much to be proud of, and I look forward to seeing many of you at
SML's Celebrate 50 events and
Adult & Family Programs over the next few weeks! The SML staff is excited to host 'Shoals Scientists Speak' on August 19th and this weekend's sold-out activities on Appledore Island. A
uction items are piling up in our office, and there are some
amazing
treasures! I know I will be in stiff bidding competition with some of you for SML memorabilia, donated trips, and more.
We are grateful to all members of the SML community and supporters who contributed!
Former Directors John Kingsbury, Patricia McGill, and Jim Morin are joining us for 50th celebrations, and they look forward to reuniting with so many alumni, faculty, and supporters! I, too, look forward to celebrating with you all. Together, we have built a world-class undergraduate research and educational field station that has made and continues to make lasting positive impacts - not only in science, but also in the lives of each member of our wonderful and supportive community over 50 years! We have a lot to celebrate!
|
SML Research Intern Reflection
|
|
|
By George Tsourounakis (SML '16, Cornell '18)
As a Marine Mammal Intern this summer, George and his teammates Meg Carr (UNH '17) and Mila Calandrino (UMass '17) had the unique opportunity to spend the past two months studying seals in the Isles of Shoals. On a few low tides per week, the trio boarded an SML research vessel to conduct vessel-based surveys with DSLR camera in hand. Beyond research skills, George, who is dual majoring in Animal Science and Fine Arts at Cornell University, had some special remarks to add about his experience...
The surveys are taken via a shipboard mark recapture method, completely circling Duck Island and its surrounding ledges to photograph seals hauled out on the rocks. Back in the lab, the photos are analyzed and seals are counted by species (harbor vs. gray seals). Many of the seals can then be individually identified based on pelage patterns, injuries, pathologies, and entanglements.
My individual project focused on Duck Island as a unique haul out site. After the seals were proportionally analyzed by ledge, those values were graphed in accordance with scores based on topography, slope, ledge size, algal cover, and depth.
Over the course of my internship, Shoals has become a new home for me. Although it was a big change in the beginning, Shoals has helped me to grow as an individual, an artist, and a scientist. I would never have expected to learn so much in such a short span of time and meet such an amazing group of faculty, staff, and students. It has enhanced my ability to appreciate nature as a composition, a harmony like no other, a place to reflect, to learn, and to grow.
Beautifully said, George!
|
|
|
Marine Mammal Intern, George Tsourounakis, on the R/V Heiser.
|
|
Fundraising milestone reached!
|
|
|
By Alexa Hilmer (SML '10, Cornell '13)
I am thrilled to announce our Shoals Marine Laboratory Fund progress, to date! We have now
passed the $150,000 mark
- which is 60% to our goal of raising $250,000 for the Shoals Marine Laboratory Fund during SML's 50th anniversary year.
Thanks to SML's wide community of support, we reached the $100,000 mark in late July and zoomed past it so quickly there was no time to make an announcement. Reaching the $100,000 mark triggered the generous $25,000 match from the Saquish Foundation. And we didn't stop there! In the last few weeks we've raised yet another $25,000. This giving momentum is exciting and humbling - and we could not have done it without YOU! Thank you to those who have contributed thus far!
For more information about how to give to SML, please visit our giving page,
click here.
|
Supporting the Next 50 years of SML
|
|
|
By Kate Hester Slier (SML '91, UNH '94, Cornell MAT '99)
 |
|
|
Kate aboard the
Spirit of Massachusetts anchored off Appledore Island in 2010.
|
We are all presented with numerous opportunities to give and therefore we need to be thoughtful about our choices. However, when SML launched its annual campaign this year, I didn't question whether I would provide support because SML has had such a huge impact on my life.
I first set foot on Appledore Island in the summer of 1991 as a UNH undergraduate in the Field Marine Science (FMS1) course. After that summer, I knew that I wanted my life to always include teaching and learning about science. As an SML student and later as a TA and faculty member, I am lucky to have experienced the lab from many different perspectives.
One of the many reasons I give to SML is to support the unique interdisciplinary research and learning opportunities on Appledore Island.
The place-based, experiential learning allows students to take charge of their education and have authentic research-based experiences.
But
the magic of Shoals extends beyond learning during "class time" because the entire time a person is on the island they are constantly learning; learning about living in a community, learning to live sustainably, learning to think like scientists and engineers, learning to collect data for large, long-term data sets, learning to live by the rhythm of the sea, learning to be a creative problem solver because on an island you need to solve your own problems.
- I give to support place-based, experiential learning for students.
- I give to contribute to the long-term research data which is invaluable as scientists assess the effects of climate change in the Gulf of Maine.
- I give to contribute to the sustainability of island communities throughout New England.
- I give to support the preservation of New England's rich history.
I live locally on the New Hampshire Seacoast and I am proud to be a part of the Shoals Marine Laboratory community. I take every opportunity that I can to share with others about what happens "out there on that island" that we can see from the mainland. I am forever connected to this wonderful, magical place that is just off shore, but a world away.
Thank you, Kate, for sharing this message!
|
|
Act NOW to experience SML this summer!
|
|
Our end-of-summer Adult and Family programs are filling up! There are still seats available, but please sign up now - we would hate for you to miss all the fun! Make your summer special by participating in the 50th Celebration editions of our memorable & educational public programs!
|
Marine Biology Sampler for adults!
C
ome enjoy t
he best of everything Shoals has to offer! This adult program offered September 2 to 4 focuses on FUN
science-based exploration in three subject areas: ornithology, marine mammals, and oceanography. This hands-on program will offer a relaxed pace for those interested in learning about the wonderful world of marine biology! Come feed your inner Jacques Cousteau!
Shoals Ecology (September 2-4, 2016)
|
|
|
|
Island art comes to life en plein air!
This workshop, taught by three professional artists, is an opportunity for anyone interested in visual art to use the rugged seascapes and landscapes
of the Isles of Shoals as their palette.
Instruction for all levels as desired, with time to work independently or with program leaders and other participants.
Seascapes and Landscapes
(August 25-31, 2016)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Closing
|
|
The amount of science dialogue that
happens every day on this island might be my favorite part of Shoals Marine Laboratory. What I particularly love is the variety of formal and informal manners in which these interactions take place. Recently, for example, Dr. Stephen Kress (the Director and Founder of Project Puffin) conversed over lunch with SML's Tern Program Manager, Dr. Liz Craig, and I. We were discussing the research opportunities that SML is exploring at New Hampshire's only tern colony, located on Seavey Island. Dr. Kress's work includes several tern colonies to our north. It is wonderful to be working collaboratively with other Gulf of Maine scientists to push the recovery of these rare
seabirds
forward.
In another example, the SML research interns presented their work to our Marine Science for Teachers workshop. This program brings NH middle and high school teachers to SML for training in marine biology and to develop lesson plans for them to bring back to their students in the fall. The teachers were so impressed with the polished and poised manner in which the SML interns presented their projects! We have encouraged the SML interns to present a lot this summer - teaching others is a great way to solidify knowledge! These types of interactions define everyday life at SML! What a way to spend the summer!
With deep appreciation and warm wishes,
Jennifer Seavey, Ph.D.
Kingsbury Director of the Shoals Marine Laboratory
|
|
|
