Rising Tides Newsletter - August 2022
Welcome to the fall semester, CMS faculty, staff and students! And an extra warm welcome to our new student cohort. We are so glad you are here.

I hope you all enjoyed your summer and are ready to participate in what I know will be a productive and fun semester. COVID is not going to go away, unfortunately, so let’s stay healthy, respectful of each other, and work together to build a safe, inclusive, and dynamic environment. I look forward to seeing more of you in the hallways and out and about on our beautiful campus -- speaking of which, if you can literally spare one minute (well, 1:18), check out this FUN VIDEO of some unexpected visitors we had off the seawall this summer.

I look forward to seeing you at our welcome back gathering on September 9th, 4-6pm. More details in the Events section below. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me any time if I can be helpful in any way. Let’s make it a great year!

Sincerely,
Tom
Dean, USF College of Marine Science
Advancing our understanding of small but mighty forage fishes
Graduate student Jon Peake led a study published in Ecosphere that takes a unique approach to better understanding baitfish, the unsung heroes of the Gulf ecosystem. 
On the hunt: where do phytoplankton get their food in the nutrient-starved Gulf?
Kristen Buck and Tim Conway are part of this 3-year NSF study to investigate how submarine groundwater discharge contributes to nutrients in the Gulf, along with better known sources like the atmosphere, submarine volcanoes, and more.
Thank you, LSP!
The Clam Bayou Marine Education Center was chosen as the class project for the Leadership St. Pete® (LSP) Class of 2022. A ribbon-cutting was held June 14th and included remarks from Chris Steinocher, President and CEO of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, and others. Enjoy this video of thanks. 
CMS alums changing the world
We recently sat down with Christin Murphy, who runs the Navy’s Bio-Inspired Research and Development Lab, and Erica Ombres, who serves as a program manager for NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) in Washington, DC. Enjoy learning more about their inspiring work in our Q&A stories.
Sargassum in the news
ICYMI: It’s been hard to keep up with all of the interviews Chuanmin Hu has done with reporters about the record-breaking amounts of stinky seaweed piling up on shorelines. Keep up the great work, Chuanmin! 
Breitbart lab paves new avenues in virus research
“This is the first step to start learning how viruses affect (freshwater) macrophytes,” said Karyna Rosario, who led the new study in PeerJ. Makenzie Kerr worked up the story. Great teamwork!
Image of the month
Graduate student Jill Thompson-Grim snapped a picture of the C-BASS, developed at CMS as a tool to estimate fish abundance, on the first leg of the Greater Amberjack cruise involving Steve Murawski’s team.

FACULTY

  • Congrats, Frank Muller-Karger, who was appointed by Dr. Richard Spinrad, the NOAA Administrator, to serve as a member of the Ocean Exploration Advisory Board (OEAB). 


STUDENTS



  • Congrats to Alyssa Andres (recent PhD, Brad Seibel’s lab) and Sophia Emmons (Seibel’s newest student), who were interviewed by National Geographic for episodes of Shark Fest!

MORE CONGRATS & AWARDS

  • Congrats, Brian Barnes, who was involved in this new study about resilient coral reefs. We included it as part of our new series, “One on One,” where we highlight a publication with a single summary quote from the CMS author. 



  • Faculty, students, and staff: Don’t forget to attend the welcome back party on September 9th (4-6 pm, MSL Student Lounge) and round two of our headshot photo-shoot beforehand (KRC Lobby: 1-2:30 for individual students, staff, faculty and group shots from 2:30-3pm).


  • Save the date: We will hold the annual Fellowship & Awards Ceremony on November 17th. Stay tuned for more info!
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