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The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
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Photo by Collin Love: Rocky Shores, Appledore Island, July 2020 |
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Dear SML Community,
The other night, I found myself lying in the dark at the edge of the ocean to take in the Perseid meteor shower. Wow! It was a beautiful sight complemented by the sounds of the water and gulls. It felt like a celebration of both the wonder of nature and the end of our summer. With the collective efforts of our dedicated community of faculty, staff, and alumni, we brought marine science into the homes of over a hundred students, supported multiple research programs and undergraduate independent studies, built a diverse array of digital learning tools that will continue to serve students and faculty into the academic year, created a new online marine science seminar series, accomplished a variety of facilities projects, and thought about SML's future and how to approach it.
In a typical summer, I co-teach students about adaptive ecosystem management (AEM) as a method we should strive for in managing our natural resources. AEM is an iterative and robust decision-making process that reduces uncertainty over time via monitoring and learning. The emphasis on learning requires users to take action with humility and an open mind. It requires we engage our greatest tool, the scientific process, to assess our progress. Honestly, I cannot think of a more valuable lesson to teach our students and to remind ourselves, especially during times like these. COVID-19, the climate crisis, and systemic racism all require learning, action, assessment, and back to more learning so we can iterate our actions. As we close the island and our minds shift towards what is next, we will take time to pause and reflect. We will apply adaptive management principles as we prepare for the next chapter. We look forward to sharing our experiences and engaging with you during this process.
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With deep appreciation and warm wishes, |
Jennifer Seavey, Ph.D.
Kingsbury Executive Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
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SML's 4th Annual Research Symposium |
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Common Tern, White Island, New Hampshire, July 2020 |
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This summer, the lab was fortunate to have several students as a part of the Shoals Undergraduate Research Group (SURG), along with graduate students who worked with SML faculty and staff on a variety of independent research projects. These students will be presenting results from their research at SML’s 4th annual Research Symposium, next Friday, August 21st from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET. Learn about research topics ranging from tern provisioning behavior on White and Seavey Islands to diving behavior of sleeper sharks. You can register for the Zoom webinar using the link below. We look forward to seeing you on August 21st! |
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SURG Spotlight: Ingrid Ackerman |
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Meet Ingrid Ackermann! She is one of several students who are a part of the Shoals Undergraduate Researcher Group (SURG), a program designed to offer research experience to college students from institutions around the country. Ingrid is a rising sophomore at Stanford University pursuing a B.S. in Biology and a career in marine biology. Although her Intertidal Ecology internship on Appledore was canceled this summer due to COVID-19, she has been working on two data analysis projects from home.
Under the guidance of SML faculty and SURG mentor, Dr. Mike Sigler, her first project involves analyzing the connection between common terns (Sterna hirundo) and their prey, red and white hake (Urophycis sp). Using a long-term data set, she compares fish larvae abundances in the Gulf of Maine to the diet and reproductive success of common terns on White and Seavey Island, Isles of Shoals, NH. Although data exists for larvae and adult fishes, terns prey upon fish between these life stages. Analyzing fish larvae has bridged the gap in missing data and provides valuable insight into how prey availability affects tern reproduction. Early results suggest the availability of red and white hake in the ecosystem is positively correlated with tern reproductive success.
The second project involves data quality control under the guidance of SML faculty and SURG mentor, Dr. Kylla Benes. For over 25 years, SML has been conducting transect surveys of the rocky intertidal surrounding Appledore island. Ingrid is reorganizing recent years of data collection before combining it into the public database.
Having taken classes at Shoals the past two summers, Ingrid was dissapointed she was unable to make it to Appledore this season. However, these projects have allowed her to conduct meaningful research while connecting with fellow researchers and mentors.
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Photo from 2019 Academic Season |
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Appledore, View from Grasslab, oil on canvas
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We are thrilled to announce that all twelve paintings sold out by day six of the event. We are equally excited to share that Alastair Dacey, past SML Artist in Residence, has worked with us to continue the Art Fundraiser! We have added six new original paintings and extended the event until Tuesday, August 17th, at midnight.
We deeply appreciate our community members for supporting our mission and this talented local Seacoast artist.
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Night Class, Laighton Porch Sea Tables, oil on canvas
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Islands, gulls, and seals, oh my! Our new webcams are LIVE |
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If you miss Appledore's island views and curious inhabitants, you'll be excited to hear we have installed two new webcams on the island this summer, thanks to the support of a generous donor. Our gull colony webcam provides a live feed of gull behavior's on the southern point of the island, and our seal colony webcam pans Duck Island, where seals haul-out at low tide. These live-streams are both entertaining and offer valuable information for observational studies without disturbing animal behavior. Be sure to check them out! Please note: given its positioning and distance from Duck Island, the seal colony webcam quality is dependent on tides, air clarity, and sunlight.
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Join us for the End of Summer Online Viewing Party! |
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SML Multimedia Producer, David Brown, filming for courses, July 2020 |
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When: Thursday, August 20th, from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET.
This season, we took an adaptive approach to provide place-based education through live streams, guest lectures and engaging multimedia content. With the support and expertise of many, we have grown as an organization, and we are excited to share our accomplishments with you and our expanding SML community.
Gather your Dark 'N Stormy ingredients, line up your best SML swag, and register to save your spot for August 20th. We look forward to seeing you there!
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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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