February 2022

Our Celebrating 50 Years of Ocean Science for a Better World Lecture Series will return on Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. Lectures will be held virtually and streamed live to the FAU Harbor Branch website and available after in our lecture archive. If you would like premier access to our limited capacity in-person showings, we invite you to join our Benefactors Society! For more information, please visit here.
 
As we continue to celebrate 50 years of relentlessly pursuing Ocean Science for a Better World® at FAU Harbor Branch, we invite you to take a dive into our past and learn about the Institute's history through our interactive timeline... Learn more
 
FAU Harbor Branch's relentless pursuit of innovative ocean research depends on strong partnerships with our supporters. We invite you to join us as we celebrate our storied past, present successes and exciting future by joining the FAU Harbor Branch Benefactors Society. 
 
Benefactors Society members support vital needs that enable FAU Harbor Branch to continue expanding our core initiatives to make a significant and timely impacts on critical ocean issues ... Learn more
 
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with the Save Spectacular poster series featuring a highlight of the shipwreck remains of the USS Monitor – an ironclad warship built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War. 
 
FAU Harbor Branch's manned research submersibles executed dozens of dives within the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, between 1977 and 2002. The mission objectives for the dives included surveying and visually documenting the wreck site, assisting in the recovery of historical artifacts, and placing a commemorative underwater monument at the wreck site. FAU Harbor Branch assisted in the recovery of the famed Civil War ironclad's anchor, signal lantern, and rotating gun turret. 
 
Sponsors updated as of 12/17/2021. For more information on sponsorship opportunities click here. 
Research Spotlights
 
Researchers from FAU Harbor Branch have come up with a viable solution to feasibly harvest enough wild sponge biomass to supply the necessary quantities for clinical drug development and manufacture. They previously achieved a groundbreaking discovery for marine biotechnology by creating a marine invertebrate (sponge) cell culture using an optimized nutrient medium to develop sponge cell lines and rapid division. Prior to this discovery, marine invertebrate cell lines did not exist. 
 
“In vitro cultivation of sponge cells is an exciting and alternative biological option for production of biomass or bioactive metabolites,” said Shirley Pomponi, Ph.D., senior author, a research professor at FAU Harbor Branch and former executive director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology... Learn more
 
A recent feature in Vero Beach Portfolio Magazine features research FAU Harbor Branch Geochemistry and Geochemical Sensing Lab director, Jordon Beckler, Ph.D., and fellow scientists' research exploring the mysterious, underwater sinkholes that extend into the seafloor. The holes, called blue holes, could help reveal what the ocean may look like in the future. 
 
"If we make changes on land that could affect the aquifer, via drinking water, that could affect the blue hole ecosystem — an ecological hotspot," said Beckler... Read more
In the News
 
TCPalm featured research conducted by FAU Harbor Branch Coral Reef Ecology and Water Quality scientists in a recently published article focused on the pollution in the Indian River Lagoon. In the article, the reporter discusses FAU Harbor Branch's research acknowledging septic systems as a primary source of pollution, making Indian River Lagoon waters more vulnerable to contaminated groundwater.
 
"Our research is showing that sewage in general is the biggest part of the pie of the problem – particularly in the lagoon's northern section," Brian Lapointe, Ph.D., research professor with FAU Harbor Branch Coral Reef Ecology and Water Quality, said. Read more.
Kara Grace Muzia, FAU Harbor Branch alumna and host of "So You Want to Be a Marine Biologist," featured Jim Sullivan, executive director, FAU Harbor Branch, on a recent episode. In this podcast, Sullivan talks phytoplankton research, beer-brewing hobbies, and affecting legislative change.
 
Tune into the latest episode, "Jim Sullivan, Ph.D.: Powerful Phytoplankton, True Science, And Creating Change," also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your favorite podcast platform. 
Community

Congratulations to the winners of our third annual Ocean Science Art Contest! Thank you to all the participants that created amazing artwork inspired by the research at FAU Harbor Branch!
K- 8th Grade Winner: “My Dream” by Petra D., 4th grade
High School Winner: “Beneath the Surface” by Pjark S., 10th grade 
Adult Winner: “Cures from the Sea” by Brianna L.
People’s Choice Award Winner: “Team Work”, by Isabella F., 7th grade

FAU Harbor Branch is currently accepting entries for our fourth annual Ocean Science Art Contest! Submissions will be accepted until March 18... Learn more 

Join FAU Harbor Branch Wildlife Evolution and Behavior (WEB) research professor, Greg O'Corry-Crowe, Ph.D., on Feb. 17, as he talks about how related whales return to the same locations year after year, and even generation after generation. This inter-generational inheritance of where to go and when, involves a form of social learning from members of the same species, most likely from mother to calf, he said.
 
The study firmly establishes the migratory circuits as a characteristic behavior in beluga whales.
Mission: Ocean Discovery
Calling Citizen Science Dolphin Spotters! 
 
FAU Harbor Branch invites you to participate in our new, land-based Dolphin Spotter citizen science project. With thousands of miles along Florida’s coastline, land-based citizen scientists can capture areas that our traditional surveys don’t reach, while providing valuable insights on the day-to-day habitat use and behaviors of our resident dolphin populations. 
 
Photos submitted by Dolphin Spotters will complement the research being conducted by the FAU Harbor Branch Marine Mammal Stranding and Population Assessment team to help understand Florida’s wild dolphins and conserve this important species... Learn more

Through FAU Harbor Branch Speakers Bureau, community organizations may request a virtual presentation on a specific research topic or a general overview of FAU Harbor Branch. This program provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the institute’s most recent discoveries and connect with marine science experts. There is no charge for scheduling a speaker, however an honorarium or donation is encouraged.

If you would like to request a virtual speaker for your group/event, please fill out FAU Harbor Branch Speakers Bureau request form.

The Indian River Lagoon Observatory Network of Environmental Sensors (IRLON) is a system of water quality and weather monitoring stations that were strategically placed throughout the lagoon and St. Lucie Estuary. Did you know FAU Harbor Branch has a website where you can access current and historic IRLON data? Visit the IRLON portal here to check out water temperature, salinity, wind gusts, rainfall, and more anytime, anywhere.
 
Bring Ocean Science for A Better World® right into your home with virtual resources from FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute! Online offerings include lectures, interviews with marine scientists, activities for children and much more! Visit our virtual resources page to learn about these great opportunities for teachers, students and ocean lovers of all ages!... Learn more
Stop by the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center gift shop! The center will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. Or shop online at our FAU Harbor Branch gift shop here.
Support HBOI
By celebrating and supporting our 50th Anniversary, your organization will become a part of the legacy that has long informed ocean science research and global conservation efforts. Your unique position as a sponsor of our milestone celebration will provide your organization with exposure to a community that so deeply cares about the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
Take part in celebrating our storied past, present successes and exciting future. Benefactors Society members enable FAU Harbor Branch to continue expanding our core initiatives to make a significant and timely impact on critical ocean issues. Our work depends on strong partnerships with our supporters. We can only make a difference together. Our work depends on strong partnerships with our supporters. From preserving thousands of plant and animal species to buoying coastal communities’ economies, to understanding the interconnection between human health and ocean health; we can only make a difference together.

FAU Funder, FAU’s crowdfunding platform, features several of FAU Harbor Branch’s research projects. You can help save the queen conch, support plastic pollution studies in local waters, fund beluga whale research in the Arctic or help researchers as they use deep sea molecules for potential life-saving medicines. Please visit FAU Funder for detailed information on each project. Your contributions can make a difference!