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The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
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Dear Shoals Community,
As the leaves on the seacoast are transforming into a brilliant
kaleidoscope
of reds and yellows, we at SML are feeling a bit reflective as we zip up our operations and write up our reports to close out the 2018 season. We were so lucky to have had so many wonderful and engaged students at SML over the season- they fill us with hope and excitement about the future of marine science and informed citizenry.
Among the hundreds of undergraduates we had in courses or internships this summer, so many of them stand out in my mind! Jesiree, a first year Animal Science major from Cornell, who enrolled in the SML Semester via a Cornell CALS scholarship, wowed us with her enthusiasm and passion over four courses from Marine Mammals to Investigative Marine Biology Laboratory. She was a valued member of our SML community all summer and she taught us about dedication to learning! Kadie from the University of Montana, who through a wonderful Atlantic White Shark Conservancy funded scholarship got a once in a lifetime chance to dive into shark biology, reminded us of how special these experiences truly are. We witnessed the transformation of students to scientists this summer as exemplified by Aliya from Rutgers, who studied seabirds and plastics with Dr. Craig and I. Just yesterday, she submitted a paper proposal to a special topics edition of a peer-reviewed journal. We are crossing our fingers here that this paper is requested. This is an amazing and career building experience for an undergraduate! Well done Aliya!
These students are typical of the amazing students we worked with this and every summer. They shine with what SML can bring out in students- a passion for learning and science. We look forward to meeting many more like them, engaging them in an immersive learning experience, and helping them move forward towards their bright futures!
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With deep appreciation and warm wishes,
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Jennifer Seavey, Ph.D.
Kingsbury Executive Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
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Our 2019 Academic Calendar is Now Available!
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Although operations are closing down, we are already looking ahead to next summer. Our academic staff has been hard at work, and we are pleased to announce that our 2019 calendar is now available! Check out our
undergraduate
and
high school
offerings on our website.
Highlights
:
- Shark Biology and Conservation returns for a second season after its first wildly successful run! Enrollment in this course filled several months before its students ever set foot on the island, and the enthusiasm shows no sign of slowing this year!
- Sustainable Fisheries students get the experience of a lifetime onboard commercial fishing vessels, learning the ins and outs of the fisheries management in the Gulf of Maine. This unique course showcases the wonderful place-based education that SML is all about!
- Marine Parasitology & Disease boasts not only a course devoted to the topic, but an internship as well! Taught by SML alumni Dr. April Blakeslee and Dr. Amy Fowler, students examine parasite life cycles, their impact on the marine environment, and how humans impact parasites in marine communities.
There is more to come from our academic staff. Stay tuned for internship announcements, scholarship information, and more!
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Sustainable Fisheries students on commercial vessel
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Parasite Ecology intern Hyjoo Ro
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Intersection of Conservation and Education
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Dr. Liz Craig wears many hats at SML, both literally and metaphorically! As an academic coordinator, Dr. Craig works during the winter to recruit students for cour
ses out at SML.
As a co-lead with Dr. Jennifer Seavey on the Tern Conservation Program, she lives on White Island during the summer to protect and observe the colony of threatened and endangered seabirds there.
Students at SML visit the colony as part of their
educational experience. Dr. Craig writes more about her student interactions below:
While we are not alone in conducting seabird conservation in the Gulf of Maine, SML’s focus on undergraduate education contributes a unique dimension to our program at Shoals.
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Students from Coastal Habitat Field Research Methods visit Seavey Island
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We work strategically with SML faculty to integrate the Tern Program into course curricula, particularly by providing guest lectures and guided field trips to the nesting colony. I always enjoy the challenge of framing our work through the lens of each course’s subject matter, whether that be a focus on research methods for Investigative Marine Biology Laboratory, on behavioral ecology for Field Animal Behavior, or on species-specific conservation issues for Field Ornithology. Regardless of the course topic, we facilitate interactions with these threatened and endangered species in a context that is informative for the students, productive for the Tern Program, and safe for the birds.
Personally, I love sharing this wild side of Shoals with students because it allows me to experience the raucous nesting colony from the students’ perspective, with all the thrilling and overwhelming emotions that entails. After studying these birds for over a decade, working with students offers me the rare opportunity to see this familiar system with fresh eyes, which often leads to new and surprising insights. The terns also benefit from this interaction, as with every passing summer SML prepares a new cohort of informed citizens and stakeholders of marine science and conservation. For the survival of conservation-dependent species like the Isles of Shoals terns, this type of support can make all the difference.
-Dr. Liz Craig, SML Academic Coordinator and Tern Conservation Program Manager
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This past weekend, associate director Dr. Dave Buck hosted an end-of-season BBQ at his home in Durham. In the spirit of pig roasts of the past, Dr. Buck provided a spread that included pulled pork with homemade BBQ sauces. Attended by alumni from 2015-2018, faculty, staff, and friends of the lab, guests especially enjoyed a special contribution by Dr. Jessica Bolker! Keeping with the theme, she made a wonderfully creative pig cake, featured below. Thank you to Dr. Bolker for the cake, and to Dr. Buck and his family for hosting!
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Join SML in the Portsmouth Halloween Parade!
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Grab your red beanies! SML's staff and supporters will be marching in the 2018 Portsmouth Halloween Parade as Team Zissou from
The Life Aquatic
, and we want you there with us! Dress in a light blue shirt/jacket, light blue pants, and a red beanie and share your love of marine science! (Check out
this gallery
for further reference images.)
Not interested in marching? We'd still love to see you in the crowd! You can find a map of the parade route
here
.
Parade begins at 7 PM on Wednesday, October 31. Email us at
shoals.lab@unh.edu
for our pre-parade meeting time and location.
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Still accepting applications!
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For more info about the SML Communications & Community Relations Coordinator position, click on the graphic above!
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Follow us on social media:
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Shoals Marine Laboratory is a joint partnership between
Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.
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