The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
Photo by Dr. Jennifer Seavey, Appledore Island
October 2020
Dear SML Community,

Standing on the shores of Appledore last weekend on a post-season day trip, I could spot clear signs of fall on the island. From the humming of fall warblers in the shadbush to the glorious red leaves of the poison ivy. Community members often ask what happens at SML as we transition off the island for the winter. During the off-season, our staff is hard at work to further our mission and prepare for the future. This winter is no exception.

At SML, we engage in education, research, and outreach year-round. From writing manuscripts, hosting seminars, and planning academic operations, to attending scientific conferences and collaborating with fellow field stations. Although it is not quite a summer on Appledore, it is an exciting and important time for the organization.

In this newsletter, you will read about some of our current activities. We hope you can tune into a Rock Talk seminar this fall or will share our new educational resources with a teacher in your life. We are grateful to our community who have helped SML rise to the challenge during COVID-19 and enhance our abilities to provide for our students, science education, and ocean conservation.
With deep appreciation and warm wishes,
Jennifer Seavey, Ph.D.
Kingsbury Executive Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
Building a Better Future for Science Education
Screenshot from The Virtual Field website
SML is proud to present a Live from the Field Event taking place today, October 13th from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET. This presentation is an example of many educational resources being produced by The Virtual Field – a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project made up of 50+ field stations and marine laboratories around the globe. This collaboration is an ongoing effort to create virtual teaching materials that help instructors introduce students to field research and teach them to observe evidence of ecological concepts.

The Virtual Field is exploring multiple avenues in delivering educational content, including their Live from the Field events and Ecosystem Exploration videos.

Today, October 13th at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET, SML faculty Dr. Jarrett Byrnes and Dr. Jennifer Dijkstra will be presenting on Climate Change at the Land-Sea Interface. This hour-long event offers students an opportunity to meet informally with researchers in the field. If you are interested in joining this presentation, you can tune into the live event shared via our Facebook page at 2:00 PM ET.
Interested in hearing from our 2020 Shoals Undergraduate Research Group (SURG)? Tune into the RARGOM 2020 program this Wednesday, October 14th - Friday, October 16th.
Founded in 1991, the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM) is an association of institutions that are actively involved in research, management, and stewardship activities related to the Gulf of Maine and its watershed.

Our SURG program has been attending RARGOM for several years, and we are thrilled our 2020 cohort will have the ability to share their research at a professional conference. It is a wonderful opportunity to hone their career-building skills and enhance their network. To view the full list of abstracts and register for the event, please visit the RARGOM website. Although we encourage you to enjoy other presentations, the SURG lighting talks will take place at the following times: 

Yasamin Bayley: Thursday (10/15) at 3:20 PM ET - Influence of the Alaska Coastal Current on near bottom ice algal blooms in the Chukchi Sea

Ingrid Ackermann: Friday (10/16) at 11:45 AM ET - Ichthyoplankton abundances impact common tern (Sterna hirundo) diets & reproductive success in the Gulf of Maine

Olivia Smith: Friday (10/16) at 11:55 AM ET - Effects of climate-mediated changes in the diet of a threatened Gulf of Maine seabird

Anna Kieffer: Friday (10/16) at 12:00 PM ET - Periodic vertical movement of Pacific sleeper shark in the Gulf of Alaska
Rock Talk Seminar Series Fall Lineup
We're excited to continue our Rock Talk Seminar Series through the fall! Rather than taking place every Tuesday night, the seminars will now occur biweekly on Thursdays from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET. Feel free to join us during your lunch hour! You can view the schedule of speakers on our Seminar Series page. We hope to see you at a future talk!
NH Sea Grant Graduate Student Feature: Aliya Caldwell
Meet SML researcher and University of New Hampshire graduate student, Aliya Caldwell. For the past three summers, Aliya has investigated the diverse community of nesting seabirds surrounding the Isles of Shoals and how they serve as valuable indicators of ecosystem processes and health.

Her current research focuses on the White Island tern population, and more specifically, how tern diets could inform fisheries population estimates and management. Although COVID-19 delayed some of her research efforts, we were grateful to have Aliya back on White Island this summer operating under quarantine conditions approved by our parent institutions and partners.

To learn more about Aliya and her fascinating research background, check out her full Graduate Student Feature written by New Hampshire Sea Grant Science Communication Specialist Tim Briggs.
Roseate tern chick
Sand lance
This work is funded by New Hampshire Sea Grant and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, with additional support from New Hampshire Fish and Game through the SML Tern Conservation Program.
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Shoals Marine Laboratory is a joint partnership between
Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.