January 2022
 FAU Harbor Branch Announcement
 
The health and well-being of our community is our top priority. In response to the spreading of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and deep concern for our visitors, we must postpone special events and lectures celebrating FAU Harbor Branch 50th anniversary of “Ocean Science for a Better World®. 
 
We are grateful for your ongoing patience and understanding and will continue to keep you updated. Please stay connected via our emails, social media pages, and check the FAU Harbor Branch website for updates. 
"Humanity has a limited window of opportunity to use our capacity for research and innovation to ensure the oceans can sustain us all for many years to come. However, we need your help to do so – we can only make a difference together." 
 
Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director of FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

Indian River Magazine, a local publisher covering St. Lucie, Martin, Brevard and Indian River counties and champion for Ocean Science for a Better World®, featured an extraordinary article highlighting the 50th anniversary of FAU Harbor Branch's dedication to ocean exploration and research... Read more 

Indian River County Board of County Commissioners recently presented a proclamation congratulating FAU Harbor Branch on 50 years of world-class research fueled by the spirit of ocean exploration. Cara Perry, associate vice president of FAU Research Communications, and Elycia Morris, member, FAU's Board of Trustees, accepted the proclamation, thanking the entire Indian River County community for the continuous support.
 
If you missed it, be sure to tune into the Indian River County BCC proclamation presentation (at 19:00).  

FAU Harbor Branch welcomed former and current staff, faculty, students and volunteers to join together in celebration of 50 years of Ocean Science for a Better World®. Over 250 guests attended the event and enjoyed remarks from FAU Harbor Branch executive director, Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., delicious food trucks eats and cold beverages, shared memories and some live music performed by FAU Harbor Branch's own. View photos from the event, here.
Sponsors updated as of 12/17/2021. For more information on sponsorship opportunities click here. 
Research Spotlights

For more than a decade, fertilizer leaching and associated stormwater runoff were thought to be the major drivers of harmful algal blooms in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. Despite the numerous residential fertilizer ordinances passed since 2011, water quality, harmful algal blooms, and seagrass loss, which has resulted in mass deaths of the threatened Florida manatee, have continued to worsen. 
 
To determine if septic systems in Indian River County contribute to nutrient enrichment of groundwaters and surface waters that discharge into the central Indian River Lagoon, researchers from FAU Harbor Branch assessed water quality at 20 sites in four Indian River County sub-drainage basins.
 
“Humans are increasing nitrogen loading at unprecedented rates that now exceed sustainability of the Earth's vital ecosystems,” said Brian Lapointe, Ph.D., senior author and research professor, FAU Harbor Branch. “Our study illustrates that implementing advanced wastewater treatment or distributed wastewater (DWT) technologies in key locations may allow for decreased nutrient loading and improved estuarine water quality and seagrass health in the Indian River Lagoon and elsewhere with similar conditions." Read more
Fibropapillomatosis and Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 Infection in Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles
Research conducted by FAU Harbor Branch clinical veterinarian and assistant research professor, Annie Page-Karjian, Ph.D., was recently featured on the cover of Animals, an international, peer-reviewed journal devoted to animals. The featured research highlighted Fibropapillomatosis (FP), an infectious neoplastic disease, rarely found but ultimately debilitating, in Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii)... Read more

FAU Harbor Branch Microbiology team member, Hunter Hines, Ph.D., was featured in a recent episode of Brave Wilderness, an adventure-based entertainment channel dedicated to revolutionizing the way people learn and interact with nature. In this episode, Hines works to showcase the cellular destruction your body may face if bitten by the world's largest elapid – the king cobra, and the largest viper – the gaboon viper.
Behind-the-Scenes of FAU Harbor Branch's Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health

The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health at FAU Harbor Branch fulfills the unmet scientific need to understand emerging issues related to harmful algal blooms, predict their impacts, and protect the health and safety of the Indian River Lagoon’s regional population. Check out a Behind-the-scenes look into the Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health to explore the research goals of the Center and an exclusive look at the researchers in action! 
 
Postdoc Spotlight

Particles and decomposed algae at the bottom of the coastal ocean could be an unexpected source of global climate change, according to Veronica Ruiz-Xomchuk, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at FAU Harbor Branch.

Ruiz-Xomchuk is co-leading a research project to study the role of organic matter trapped in the sediments of the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico in the Earth’s carbon budget. For this work, the team was recently awarded a $736,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

“All that organic matter that re-circulates, that was buried and apparently lost, becomes part of the biogeochemical cycle again, and when there’s a high amount of nutrients in the water from the matter, it can cause ecological problems like algal blooms,” Ruiz-Xomchuk said... Read more

Lauran Brewster, Ph.D., senior research fellow in the Fisheries Ecology and Conservation Lab at FAU Harbor Branch, won the People's Choice Award for her recent presentation at FAU Division of Research's postdoc retreat for her research on the behavioral response of juvenile bull sharks to harmful algal blooms... Learn more

Five FAU postdoctoral fellows recently earned a $1,000 grant each to cover travel expenses related to presenting their research at national research conferences and building network connections in 2022.

Four out of the five finalists were selected by the FAU Postdoctoral Advisory Committee based on video submissions and the one People’s Choice Winner was selected from presentations during the recent Postdoc Retreat networking event at FAU’s Harbor Branch.

The winners were evaluated on the significance of their research question, societal impact, innovation and uniqueness of their projects... Learn more
Congratulations to the Recent FAU Harbor Branch Graduates
Pictured from left to right: Amy Wright, Ph.D., research professor; Kirstie Tandberg, Ph.D., Integrative Biology; Miranda Burton, M.S., Marine Science and Oceanography; Tyler Bianchine, M.S., Marine Science and Oceanography; Brianna Cahill, M.S., Marine Science and Oceanography; Matt Ajemian, Ph.D, assistant research professor.
Community
FAU Harbor Branch Hosts Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation Event

On Dec. 16, the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation held a meeting at FAU Harbor Branch, welcoming a discussion to facilitate communication and further understanding of the value FAU Harbor Branch and the legislative impact on critical issues affecting coastal zones, oceans and human well-being. During the event, Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director, FAU Harbor Branch, spoke to attendees, providing an overview briefing on FAU Harbor Branch's solution-oriented research, followed by a tour of the campus. 
FAU Harbor Branch Sponsors St. Lucie Economic Development Council Luncheon

FAU Harbor Branch recently sponsored the St. Lucie County Economic Development Council's monthly member luncheon at the MidFlorida Event Center. During the event, Cara Perry, associate vice president of FAU Research Communications, gave remarks on FAU Harbor Branch's 50th Anniversary events, historic ocean science highlights and exciting projects on the horizon.

FAU Harbor Branch has partnered with MANG® as a tribute to the institute’s key research areas. The special FAU Harbor Branch apparel collection features three exclusive designs honoring ocean and human health; aquaculture innovation and food security; technological innovation and national defense; and marine ecosystem conservation.
 
As part of this, MANG® will donate 10 percent of collection sale proceeds to benefit FAU Harbor Branch’s mission: Ocean Science for a Better World®.
 
We encourage you to share photos of you and your tribe wearing gear from the Ocean Science collection! Be sure to tag FAU Harbor Branch on social at @HarborBranch and #HBOI50 and MANG® at @MANGGear!

Winners have been announced for the 2021 Art of Science photography contest, hosted by FAU's Division of Research. This contest was open to members of the FAU community – students, faculty, postdoctoral fellows and staff – to showcase the cutting-edge research, scholarship and creativity⁠ happening at FAU.⁠ See the winners here. 

Florida Board of Governors spotlighted FAU Harbor Branch and the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing in a recent #MoreThanJustANumber campaign post on Facebook. The post highlighted FAU's research on health effects of harmful algal blooms on Floridians. ... Learn more
In the News
Seagrass Restoration and Manatee Population Decline
Dennis Hanisak, Ph.D., research professor and director of education at FAU Harbor Branch, spoke to CBS correspondent Ben Tracy, to discuss FAU Harbor Branch's creative solutions to restore lost seagrass beds in the Indian River Lagoon and offers perspective on Florida's manatee population decrease... Learn more

FAU Harbor Branch recently hosted Florida's state-wide Blue-Green Algae Task Force meeting in the Johnson Education Center on campus. During the meeting, task-force panelists proposed bringing in experts from other parts of the U.S. and around the world to offer additional perspectives on the toxic algal blooms plaguing Lake Okeechobee and other Florida waterways... Read more
Mission: Ocean Discovery
FAU Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Visitors Center to Close for Holiday Break

The FAU Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Visitors Center will be closing for FAU's holiday break beginning Dec. 19, 2021, and will reopen on Jan. 3, 2022. For more information, please visit FAU Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Visitors Center.
 
During the University's break, we invite guests to visit the Celebrating 50 Years of Ocean Science for a Better World® exhibit featuring the first public display of the historic, world-renowned Johnson-Sea-Link (JSL) II submersible at the Elliott Museum in Stuart. For more information on 50th Anniversary events, visit here.

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. Each site has sensors that can measure different parameters such as temperature, salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll. You can access this data by visiting irlon.org. Stay tuned over the coming weeks to learn more about the project and data being recorded.
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. Please note the visitors center will close for the holiday break on Dec. 18 and will reopen on Jan. 4.⁠
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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!