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Currents Publications by HCNSO

Spring 2003

Spring 2003NSU Oceanographic Center

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NSUWorks CitationNSU Oceanographic Center, "Spring 2003" (2003). Currents. Book 30.http://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_currents/30

Spring 2003 • Volume XVII, Number 2

Culture Studies of Rare Seagrasses

Nova Southeastern UniversityOceanographic Center

For the past several years Bart Baca,Ph.D., and NSUOC students have beenculturing two rare seagrasses: Johnson’s sea-grass (Halophila johnsonii) and paddle grass(H. decipiens). Johnson’s seagrass wasplaced on the state of Florida’s endangeredspecies list in 1996 as a result of its rarity incoastal waters and following research on itshabitat and life history. It is currently feder-ally threatened for the state. Although notstate-listed, paddle grass is similarly a rarespecies, which grows in deeper waters. Bothseagrasses (albeit not true grasses) are beingstudied because of their protected status,their rarity, and threats from coastal devel-opment. The goal of this work is to deter-mine the feasibility and best methods forcultivation and transplantation in order toprotect and restore these species and tomitigate for their loss. Funding is providedby the Florida Department of Transportationand Boca Resorts, Inc.; aquaria were donatedby Pet Supermarket, Inc.

H. johnsonii was cultivated in 60 aquar-ia since the spring of 2001 and was firstplanted in the field in the fall of 2001.Cultivation in aquaria and the field contin-ues to the present with successes in bothlocations, but with several failures in thefield due to unstable (erosional) substratesand siltation (field tests objectively com-pared all substrates and methods).

H. decipiens was collected from a localmarina dredging project in October 2002and was cultured in 60 aquaria, plus tanks,for reproduction and later replanting asmitigation for dredging. Aquarium culturein the winter 2002–2003 months resultedin reductions in plant numbers, but this was

anticipated based on previous winter fieldand aquarium studies, and plant numbersincreased by summer in excess of initialstocking densities.

In the present study, paddle grass grownin aquaria is being transplanted at Bahia MarMarina, an old and historic marina in FortLauderdale. More than five acres will beplanted using pre-dredge plants collected inthe fall of 2002. More than 5,000 plants willbe cultured and transplanted for this project.

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Seagrass aquaria used for cultivation of Johnson’s seagrass and paddle grass, shown without heavy shade-clothcover (inset shows cover).

A comprehensive, over-wintering fieldstudy was also performed on both species asM.S. research by Adriana Sanchez-Gomez,and this showed that both species hadreduced numbers in the winter months(centered around January and February).Coverage fell by close to 50 percent andoccurrence in quadrants fell by about 40percent. These numbers returned to normalby the following spring.

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M.S. seagrass research is being con-ducted by students Greg Ward, AdrianaSanchez-Gomez, Brian Shepard, andIrene Arpayaglou. Jessica Craft, BrianBuskirk, Kara Baca, Corrine Anunziata,Ian Gibson, and NSU alumnus GayleStone (M.S. 1997, and Bahia Mar projectmanager) helped with culturing andtransplantation.

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NSUOC Alumnus Gayle Stone (M.S. 1997, seeinset) “raking” seagrass from tank for transplanting.

Typical paddle grass planting unit: five plants(10 leaves) secured by unfolded paper clip in thecapable hands of seagrass M.S. researcher GregWard (see inset).

Careful, underwater planting of seagrasses alongBahia Mar Marina transect by the skillful hands ofstudent Jessica Craft (see inset).

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Kathy Maxson (center) poses with two (semi) retired librarians—Kay Hale (left) formerly of the Universityof Miami’s Rosensteil School (RSMAS) and Jean McGuire of Mote Marine Laboratory.

People on the Move

The weekend of April 12–13 broughttwenty-five Broward high school scienceteachers together for a workshop on theFIO R/V Suncoaster. The workshop wasgiven by Charles Messing, Ph.D., on thedeep-water life of the Gulf Stream off FortLauderdale. Although the group lost onenet on the rugged bottom, they successfullytrawled up two rich hauls from a depth of200 meters that included deep-water electricrays, squat lobsters, flat fishes, crabs, andarmored sea robins. The teachers also had achance to collect and observe living plank-ton using one of the center’s microscopesconnected to a television monitor.

Sean Kennan, Ph.D., attended thefirst EGS/AGU/EGU (European GeophysicsSociety/American Geophysics Union/European Geophysics Union) JointAssembly in Nice, France, held April 7–11.He presented a talk “The NECC in theEastern Tropical Pacific” (J. Sprintall and P.Niiler, SIO/UCSD coauthors), and poster“New Estimates of the Tropical PacificCurrents as Observed by Drifting Buoys”(P. Niiler, SIO/UCSD coauthor). Themeeting was attended by more than 15,000scientists from across the world.Information about the meeting is availableat www.copernicus.org/egsagueug/index.html.

Kennan also attended the CLIVAR/PUMP (Climate Variability/Pacific Upwelling

and Mixing Physics) planning workshop inBoulder, Colorado, May 19–20. The meet-ing was organized by W. Kessler(NOAA/PMEL) and was attended byabout 27 oceanographers and atmosphericscientists from across the country.Information about PUMP can be viewed atwww.pmel.noaa.gov/~kessler/clivar/pump.html.

Kathy Maxson, center librarian,attended the Thirteenth Annual SAILConference 2003, held at Harbor BranchOceanographic Institution from May

14–16. SAIL is a regional group of marinescience librarians and informationmanagers. The conference was titled,“Navigating rough waters in a sea of infor-mation.” A tour of the facility was part ofthe agenda, and talks presented were a mixof library-related issues and information onscientific research being conducted atHarbor Branch.

Veljko Dragolovich, Ph.D., andstudent David E. Meede gave an oral pres-entation at the Florida Annual Meetingand Exposition 2003 held in Orlando,Florida, May 8–10, organized by theAmerican Chemical Society. The presenta-tion was titled, “Catalytic RutheniumTetroxide Oxidation of Ethers in DimethylCarbonate/Water.”

Edward O. Keith, Ph.D., attendedseveral symposia and conferences. February1–5 he attended the Miami WinterSymposia in Miami Beach, Florida. Thesesymposia honored James Watson andFrancis Crick on the 50th anniversary oftheir elucidation of the structure of DNAand celebrated the 50th anniversary of thefounding of the University of MiamiSchool of Medicine.

March 12–14, Keith and graduate stu-dent Ryan Goldman attended the fifthannual Conference of the Florida Chapterof The Wildlife Society, held March 12–14,2003, in Vero Beach, Florida. Goldmanpresented some preliminary results of histhesis project studying the rodent fauna ofJohn U. Lloyd Beach State Park.

Back: Ryan Goldman and Jamie Hilliard. Front: Milan Manasijevic, Jennifer Scharnitz, Sarah Maurer,Susan Zaretsky, and Rebecca Walker and friend, Kris Naleszkiewicz.

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Keith and a large contingent of M.S.graduate students attended the Southeastand Mid-Atlantic Marine MammalSymposium (SEAMMAMS) held March28–30 2003, in Newport News, Virginia.Several of Keith’s students presented at thismeeting: Milan Manasijevic, D.V.M.,gave an oral presentation on some prelimi-nary results of his thesis project examiningthe histopathology of the cardiovascularsystem in rough-toothed dolphins (Stenobredanensis) that were necropsied afterthree mass stranding events in the FloridaKeys during 1997, 1998, and 2001.Rebecca Walker, in an oral session, pre-sented the results of her thesis researchexamining the seasonality of cetacean massstrandings in Florida over the past 25 years.Jaime Hilliard and Ryan Goldman pre-sented a poster about Hilliard’s thesis proj-ect in which she is monitoring the seasonaloccurrence of Florida manatees (Trichechusmanatus latirostris) in Port Everglades. Alsoattending this conference were M.S. studentsSarah Maurer, Jennifer Scharnitz, andSusan Zaretsky.

From April 11-15 Keith and a numberof undergraduate students from theFarquhar College of Arts and Sciencesattended the annual meeting of theFederation of American Societies forExperimental Biology held April 11–15,2003, in San Diego, California, where theypresented two posters describing the resultsof their investigations of tear protein adhe-sion to different types of contact lenses.Nine different students traveled to themeeting, thanks to support from the deanof the Farquhar College and NSU’s Officeof Student Activities and LeadershipDevelopment.

Peggy VanArman, Ph.D., presented aposter session at the Greater EvergladesEcosystem Conference held in Tampa inApril. The poster was based on her disser-tation topic “Biology and ecology ofepigean crayfish that inhabit Evergladesenvironments Procambarsu alleni (Faxon)and Procambarus fallax (Hagen).

Publications

Soloviev, A. and Lukas, R. 2003:Observation of Wave EnhancedTurbulence in the Near Surface Layerof the Ocean During TOGACOARE, Deep-Sea Research Part I, V.50, 371–395.

Soloviev, A.; Lukas, R.; andMatsuura, H. 2002: Sharp FrontalInterfaces in the Near-Surface Layer ofthe Tropical Ocean, Special Issue ofJournal of Marine Systems (Elsevier) onOcean Fronts V. 37(1–3), 47–68

Soloviev, A. and Klinger, B.2002: Convection: Convection in theOcean. In: Encyclopedia of AtmosphericSciences, Academic Press, UK. (In press)

Shay, L. K.; Cook, M. C.; Peters,H.; Mariano, A. J.; Weisberg, R.; An,P. E.; Soloviev, A.; and Luther, M.2002: Very High-Frequency RadarMapping of Surface Currents, IEEEJournal of Oceanic Engineering, V.27(2), 155–169

Keith, E. O.; Cruz, S.; Gedeon,L.; Latif, K.; Patel, S.; Qadeer, S.;Sabogal, M.; Zaman, M.; and Janoff, L.E. 2003. Lysozyme adhesion to thefour major types of contact lensmaterials. Am. Biotechnol. Lab. 21(2):60–61.

from the Consejo para el Desarrollo delPapaloapan (CODEPAP) and the Instutitopara Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB) withthe University of Veracruz and made sever-al trips into the major rivers of the ALS toobtain water samples for mercury contami-nation analysis. They also purchased a vari-ety of fish from the fish market in Alvarado,Mexico, and brought these fish back forsubsequent analysis as well.

On May 21, four of the center’s facultywere the recipients of NSU’s President’sFaculty Research and DevelopmentGrants, each for $10,000.

Edward O. Keith, Ph.D., was therecipient of two grants. The first will supporta research project examining the homerange of selected small cetaceans in thesouthern Tañon Strait, located in the centralPhilippine Islands. Lemnuel Aragones,Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor at theUniversity of Miami’s Rosenstiel School ofMarine and Atmospheric Sciences, is aco-investigator on the project. He hasextensive experience working with cetaceansand other marine mammals in thePhilippines. The second presidential awardwas entitled “Exploring Bioinformatics at

Grants and Awards

Alexander Soloviev, Ph.D., received agrant of $12,495 from Bermello, Ajami &Partners, Inc. “Environmental Conditionsat the Library and Cargo Port locations/Grand Turk, T.C.” The purpose of the grantis to study multi-year wave climatology onthe shelf off Grand Turk Island forconstruction of a port terminal.

NSUOC’s Sea Turtle ConservationProgram was funded for another year byBroward County’s Department of Planningand Environmental Protection (DPEP) inthe amount of $137,375. The PI is CurtisBurney, Ph.D., and the project manager isStefanie Ouellette.

On January 11, Edward O. Keith,Ph.D., was notified by Charles Messing,Ph.D., chair of the FCAS faculty develop-ment committee, that his request for $1000to support a preliminary study of mercurycontamination in the Alvarado LagoonSystem (ALS) in Mexico, was approved.Subsequently, from February 27 throughMarch 9, Keith traveled to Mexico, accom-panied by his collaborator, Jane Guentzel,Ph.D., from Coastal Carolina University inConway, South Carolina. During this trip,Keith and Guentzel met with collaborators

Nova Southeastern University: IntegratingBiology, Computer Science andMathematics. Co-principal investigators(Co-PI) on this project were Ph.D.’sMatthew He and Emily Schmitt from theDivision of Math, Science, and Technologyin the Farquhar College of Arts andSciences and Junping Sun from theGraduate School of Computer andInformation Science.

Richard Spieler, Ph.D., received hisgrant for his project titled “A New Modelfor the Study of the Vertebrate Cerebellum:The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis.”Co-PI for this study is Robin Sherman,Ph.D., and the student-PI is Jeremy Barnes.They are doing the study because the func-tion of the cerebellum in vertebrates,including humans, is poorly understood inpart because of the conflicting dataobtained from the common vertebratemodels (mice and rats). Fish, in general,

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large, complex, three-lobed cerebellum.However, in the yellow stingray, these lobesare completely separated. The potential forthese animals as vertebrate models of cere-bellar-controlled behavior will be exam-ined in this research.

Ph.D. Veljko Dragolovich’s researchwas titled, “Catalytic ruthenium tetroxideoxidations of idoalkanes, ethers andplychlorinated biphenyls.” In the course ofresearch supported by the previousPresident’s Faculty Scholarship Award(2001/2002), Dragolivoich and his studentsdeveloped an environmentally friendlyprocess for a catalytic ruthenium tetroxideoxidation. Broad, long-term objectives ofthis project are to further develop thismethodology and apply it on catalyticruthenium tetroxide oxidation of iodoalka-nes, ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls.Two centers (Oceanographic Center andFarquhar College of Arts and Sciences) will

have several advantages as vertebratemodels for basic brain function and a num-ber of neurological and endocrine functionsrelevant to human health have been origi-nally worked out in fish models. Fish arephylogenetically closer than mammals tothe basic vertebrate blueprint and thusallow behavioral and neurological studiesof fundamental brain systems without theinteraction of more recently evolved func-tions. Further, the absence of a highlydeveloped telencephalon allows readyaccess to many structures without cerebralinterference. However, a disadvantage ofworking with most fish is the relativelysmall size of the brain that often hinders orprecludes the use of many standard neuro-logical techniques. In contrast, a group ofchondrichthians (the stingrays), has a brainsize rivaling mammalian rodent models. Ofparticular interest to their research arestingrays, which like mammals, have a

be involved in this project. The results willbe reported at conferences and in peerreviewed journals.

Jim Thomas, Ph.D., received anaward for his research titled, “Phylogenyand biogeography of the commensalamphipod families Anamixidae andLeucothoidae Gammaridea).”

The objective of his research projectwill be to conduct basic scientific researchof the commensal amphipod superfamilyLeucothoidae, primarily the familiesAnamixidae and Leucothoidae, which areendocommensals in sponges and tunicates.Specimens and data acquired from theseactivities will be incorporated into biogeo-graphical analysis. The results will be appliedto conservation efforts for coral reef biodi-versity at both local and global scales.

Other News

Along with graduate studentBrian Walker, Edward O. Keith,Ph.D., developed a brochure to be dis-tributed to the public at John U. LloydBeach State Park. The brochure con-tains a map of the offshore reefs in thepark and the major features of thepark. There is also some informationabout coral reefs and sea turtles toinform the public about these impor-tant, and threatened, naturalresources.

David Gilliam, Ph.D., recentlyreceived an appointment to the CoralAdvisory Panel of the South AtlanticFisheries Management Council. TheSouth Atlantic Fishery ManagementCouncil, headquartered in Charleston,South Carolina, is responsible for theconservation and management of fishstocks within the federal 200-milelimit of the Atlantic off the coasts ofNorth Carolina, South Carolina,Georgia, and east Florida to Key West.Council members are citizens fromeach of these southeastern states whoare knowledgeable of some aspects ofthe fisheries. They serve three-yearterms and are appointed by the secre-tary of commerce from lists of nomi-nees submitted by the governors of thestates. Regular meetings of the panelare held in Charleston.

Aquariums Donated

Two 180-gallon saltwater fishtanks were donated to the center by Edison Irvine,owner of Strataglass. Along with the tanks, Irvine also provided inhabitants for the tanks.The marine creatures are all native to the Pacific, including purple tangs, clownfish,Japanese wrasse, mandarinfish, anemones, and coral. The two prizes in the tanks are theTridacna clams that rely on photosynthetic algae, much like corals do. (See back page forpicture of aquaria.)

Irvine helped set up the tanks and generously provided supplies they would need fortheir upkeep. M.S. student, Heather Halter is in charge of maintaining the tanks, but shewill rely on other OC students volunteering to help out on a daily basis.

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Tridacna clam

Clown fish and their favorite anemone

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MASTERCURRENTSINSTITUTE OF MARINE AND COASTAL STUDIES

M.S. degree specialties are marine biology, coastal zone management, and marineenvironmental science. Each course carries three credit hours or may be audited.Tuition is $499 per credit hour (50 percent less for audit). Classes meet once a weekfrom 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Oceanographic Center (unless otherwise specified).The summer term runs from July 7–September 17, 2003, (unless otherwise specified).Registration ($25 nonrefundable fee) is June 16–July 11. Teachers may take coursesfor recertification credits for $800 (nondegree-seeking status). For further information,call Andrew Rogerson, Ph.D., or Melissa Dore at (954) 262-3610 or 800-396-2326,or email imcs@nova.edu. More information can be found at the Web sitewww.nova.edu/ocean/.

Summer Term ClassesJuly 7–September 17

DISTANCE EDUCATIONCOURSES

Marine Mammal ManagementOCMB-6330, (5994)The course is designed to serve as a sourceof information and ideas providing anintroductory awareness of a diversity ofissues including the morphology, physiolo-gy, adaptation, and behavior of thesespecies and their interaction with humansand other predatory mammals. A secondaryobjective is how marine mammal speciesare interconnected to the rest of the natu-ral environment. A third objective is tohelp the student to begin to consider thelinkages between the ways in which weregard marine mammals and our actionstoward them. Two papers are required.Instructor: Keith Ronald

Environmental GISCZMT-0645 (6067)Increasingly, work in coastal zone manage-ment requires at least a passable knowledgeof Geographic information systems (GIS)and remote sensing. This course provideshands-on training with the latest GIS andremote sensing techniques. This Web-based course includes interactive hands-oncomputer training and lesson-based Webinstruction. Areas covered by the Environmental GIScourse includes GIS theory, importing GPSpolygons, establishing database and multi-media hot links, importing tables, joining,building queries, creating arcIMS sites,charting, and map creation. Class instruc-tion will focus on application of these toolsand techniques to actual environmentalcase studies/projects. The course curricu-lum also uses ESRI Incorporated’s VirtualCampus tutorials. Instructor: BuddyRobson

Marine Geology (for CZM only)OCOR-5604 (5995)Marine Geology provides an overview ofthe major formative processes of the earth’ssurface, such as plate tectonics, seafloorspreading, and sedimentary processes in the

shallow and deep sea. It also provides studentswith a brief history of the oceans borderingNorth America and touches on some of thetools used by marine geologists. At the endof the course, students will have a basicunderstanding why the earth looks as itdoes, why the oceans are where they are,and where to go to learn more. The courseis richly illustrated and provides numerousWeblinks. Instructor: Bernhard Riegl

Water: Cross-cultural, Scientific, andSpiritual PerspectivesCZMT-0710 (6066)This course will introduce students to theexpanding international dialogue regardingwater and the coastal zone that is nowoccurring amongst the scientific, interfaith,and policy communities. We will considerand evaluate whether this may result innew understanding and a greater commit-ment toward our stewardship of water andparticularly the coastal environment.Instructor: O. P. Dwivedi

CORE CLASSES

Marine ChemistryOCOR-5605 (5986)Mondays, 6:30–9:30 p.m.This course is one of the five core coursesrequired for all master’s specialties. Theclass will review the properties and compo-sition of seawater and the importance, dis-tribution, relationships, and cycling ofmajor nutrients, dissolved gasses, trace met-als, and organic compounds. A self-pacedlaboratory is included in the course activi-ties. Problem solving is supplemented withinteractive microcomputer work. $50LAB FEE. Instructor: Curtis Burney

BiostatisticsOCOR-5606 (5987)Tuesdays, 6:30–9:30 p.m.The purpose of this course is to introducestudents to the fundamentals of statistics.More specifically, this course is designed toteach students:1. how statistics relates to science and life

in general 2. basic terminology and notations used in

statistics 3. techniques for describing and summariz-

ing large amounts of data 4. methods for using a limited set of

observed data (sample) to make infer-ences about a broader set of data (popu-lation)

5. techniques for conducting statisticaltests of scientific hypotheses

At the end of this course, students shouldbe able to identify appropriate proceduresfor examining different types of data, ana-lyze data and interpret results, use statisticalresults to draw reasonable conclusionsabout data, and evaluate the appropriate-ness of statistical tests conducted by others.Instructor: Patrick C. Hardigan

ELECTIVES

Marine MammalsOCMB-6340 (5988)/MEVS-5017 (6064)Wednesdays, 6:30–9:30 p.m.This course provides an overview of theanatomy, biomedicine, evolution, husbandry,natural history, pathology, and physiologyof the cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, andallies. The course consists of lectures, labo-ratory exercises, field trips, and a researchpaper. Instructor: Edward Keith

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Current theories on distribution and abun-dance will be discussed in addition to eco-logical theory. Field work will take place atthe Keys Marine Laboratory, Long Key,

FIELD COURSES

Marine BotonyOCMB-6070 (5989)/CZMT-0808(5990)/MEVS-5115 (6065)Thursdays, 6:30–9:30 p.m.Field trip dates tentatively scheduled forJuly 27–August 1, 2003$450 LAB FEEAll marine biologists should know theirmarine plants (algae, seagrasses, man-groves, marshes), and this is the hands-oncourse where you can do that. This is a fieldcourse where introductory lectures are fol-lowed by one week in the beautiful andthinly populated island of Grand Bahamas(tentatively scheduled for July 27–August1). Transport is by Discovery Cruise Line,using the best group rates obtainable for theweek, depending on class size and roomoccupancy. Daily Bahamas schedule beginswith field collections where plant groups tobe studied that day are collected throughwading or snorkeling. They are transportedto the laboratory at College of the Bahamaswhere they are separated into pans. Then alecture is given on the particular group, fol-lowed by lunch. The afternoon is spent in alaboratory examining and learning liveplants, which are returned to the sea at theend of the day. Microscopes and lab equip-ment are provided. Daily field trips includethe beautiful Lucayan National Park andParadise Cove, where snorkling or wadingto pristine coral reefs, abundant mangroves,and algal and seagrass beds begins on someof the most beautiful beaches in theBahamas. Instructor: Bart Baca

Taxonomy of Marine InverebratesOCMB-6085 (5991)Trip Dates: August 3–9,Lectures July 25 and August 1Limited to 15 Students.$350 Lab FeeThis course will cover the taxonomy andecology of marine invertebrates (emphasizingshallow tropical western Atlantic species)and train students in their identification.Field work and a self-paced laboratory areintegral to the course. Class includes aweek-long field trip to the Keys. Instructor:Charles Messing

Tropical Marine Fish EcologyOCMB- 6120 (5992)/CZMT- 0690 (5993)Trip Dates: July 20–July 26Limited to 20 students.$375 Lab FeeThis course will cover the ecology of tropicalfish, including coastal, estuarine, mangroveand pelagic fish. Emphasis is on identifica-tion and natural history of local species.

Florida. On return to the OceanographicCenter, self directed and self-scheduled lab-oratory study will be required. Instructor:Richard Spieler

Seminars and Dissertations

On February 19, Edward O. Keith, Ph.D., spoke to the NSU Institute forLearning in Retirement. His title was “Manatee conservation in Mexico” and hedescribed his collaboration with Mexican biologists to establish a conservation pro-gram for the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in the AlvaradoLagoon System in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.

M. James C. Crabbe, Ph.D., pre-sented a talk titled, “Modelling coralcolony growth; indicators of reef healthin the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific” onMay 9. Crabbe was visiting from theSchool of Animal and MicrobialSciences University of Reading, UnitedKingdom.

Kirtida Oza, Ph.D., presented a talkon May 8 titled, “Nonviolent strugglesfor environmental change in India:with a particular focus on the role ofwomen.” Oza is an international visit-ing professor at Randolph-MaconWomen’s College.

PH.D. DISSERTATIONPeggy VanArman, “Biology and Ecology of Epigean Crayfish that Inhabit

Everglades Environments Procambarus Alleni (Faxon) and Procamarus fallax(Hagen).” Committee members: Bart Baca—chairman, Patricia Blackwelder, CurtisBurney, and Frank Jordan. April 11.

VanArman was a judge for the Science Panel-Pathfinder Scholarship Awardsand is a recipient of the Environmental Volunteer Recognition Award from theArthur R. Marshall Foundation in March.

THESISRebekah J. Walker, “The Seasonality of Mass Strandings: Implications for

Cetacean Stranding.” Committee members: Edward Keith, Daniel Odell, andAlexander Yankovsky. April 17.

Amy Lynne Paine, “Investigating Thermal Infrared Imaging Technology forPassive Marine Mammal Detection.” Committee members: Edward Keith, RobinSherman, and John E. Reynolds II (Mote Marine Laboratory). May 30.

Aaron Hartz, “The Effects of Physical and Biological Parameters on theSurvival of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Beach Sand and Seawater in a Sub-TropicalEnvironment. ” Committee members: Andrew Rogerson, Don McCorquodale, andScott Schatz (NSU Health Professions Division). July 10.

CAPSTONE REVIEWAlicia Beltran, “Intraspecific and Interspecific Sound Variations in Cetacea,

with Special Reference to Megaptera novaeangliae and Tursiops truncates.” Committeemembers: Keith Ronald, Curt Burney, and Michael Bryden. April 30.

Christa Jewett, “The Recovery of Scleractinian Corals Following NaturalStresses.” Committee members: Joshua Feingold and David Gilliam. April 17.

Jane Dougan, Kirtida Oza, and student, MichaelHoke, after the seminar.

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Student Awards

NSU Oceanographic Center studentRebekah Walker has been awarded one offive Coastal Management Fellowships fromthe NOAA Coastal Services Center.

The Coastal Management Fellowshipwas established in1996 to provideon-the-job educa-tion and trainingopportunities incoastal resourcemanagement andpolicy for postgrad-uate students andto provide projectassistance to state coastal zone manage-ment programs. The program matches post-graduate students with state coastal zoneprograms to work on projects proposed bythe state and selected by the fellowshipsponsor, the National Oceanographic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA)Coastal Services Center.

From the nominations submitted bySea Grant directors, 12 semi-finalists areselected according to the criteria outlinedabove by a panel appointed by the Branchchief of Coastal Management Services atthe NOAA Coastal Services Center. Theselection panel includes representationfrom Sea Grant, the NOAA Office ofCoastal Resource Management, StateCoastal Zone Management (CZM)Programs, current and former fellows, andthe executive director of the Coastal StatesOrganization. A workshop to match stateswith fellows took place in Charleston,South Carolina, in April 2003. Of the 12semi-finalists selected in 2003, five wereplaced with a host state.

Walker will be working in Charleston,South Carolina, on a molluscan shellfishmanagement plan with Steve Moore atSouth Carolina’s Department of Healthand Environmental Control and BillAnderson at South Carolina’s Departmentof Natural Resources. She will be

• evaluating state laws, policies, and theshellfish management framework todetermine if adequate protection ofSouth Carolina’s shellfish resources exist

• investigating methods and incorporat-ing stakeholder expertise to restore theresource

• producing a document that illustratesmanagement issues related to the shell-fish resources

More information on the CoastalManagement Fellowships can be found atwww.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html.

Ph.D. candidate Paul Arena wasnominated for NSU Student of the Year,representing the center at the fourth annualStudent Life Achievement Awards. Arenawas the student body president from1998–2000. He has excelled academically inhis studies and research and has shoulderedresponsibility as an undergraduate teachingassistant as well. Arena has representedNSU at several international meetingswhere he presented results of his research.The awards ceremony was held on April 15.

Tina Qwaltney formally began herPh.D. research on June 1with funding fromNOAA’s National Estuarine ResearchReserve Graduate Fellowship Program. Herproposed research is titled, “Role of micro-grazers in the microbial degradation ofmangrove leaf litter and the possible influenceof anthropogenic inputs.” She has been rec-

ommended for three years of funding andhopes to complete her degree by May 2006.As part of the NERRS program, she willconduct her research within the RookeryBay Reserve in Naples, Florida.

Andrew Rogerson (left), Director of the Institute ofMarine and Coastal Studies and Paul Arena at theawards ceremony.

Tina Gwaltney in the marine microbiology laboratory

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The Huaorani in traditional dress from the village of Bameno with students (L-R) Greg Foster, Kristi Foster, Jessica Craft, Brian Shepard, Amy Hall, Arlo Hemphill,Lauren Shuman, and Greg Ward. Friend and guide, Moi Enomenga is far right. (Photo courtesy of Brian Shepard).

Taking a giant leap away from marineecosystem studies in order to attempt tounderstand the complex cultural andresource management issues that indige-nous people face in the depths of theworld’s greatest river system, eight NSUOCgraduate students undertook an independ-ent, student-led journey into the heart ofthe Huaorani Territory. For the first twoweeks of February 2003, Jessica Craft, GregFoster, Kristi Foster, Amy Hall, ArloHemphill, Brian Shepard, Lauren Shuman,and Greg Ward journeyed first to Quito,Ecuador’s capital in the Andean highlands,and then on into the Amazonian lowlands.

Departing from Quito, the journey toBameno consisted of three days of travel by

taxi, bus, ranchero (a local open-aired busbuilt on the back of a flat-bed), motorizedcanoe, and foot. The greater portion of thejourney consisted of cruising through back-water tributaries of the Napo River (itselfan enormous tributary of the Amazon), onthe border between the chartered HuaoraniTerritory and the immense green expansesof Yasuni National Park. The journey was anaturalist’s dream and the students wereable to closely observe such remarkableAmazonian faunal species as piranhas,anaconda, capybara (the world’s largestrodent), and a vast array of other enigmaticbirds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and arthro-pods as well as plants.

Three days were spent with theHuaorani, an indigenous people that occu-py a vast track of territory in one of themost remote regions of the EcuadorianAmazon. While there, the students partici-pated in the Huaorani’s everyday life,learning how to hunt for caiman andpeccary with lances, how to craft and useblowguns, how to prepare the sacredayahuasca beverage as well as dart poisonfor hunting, how to weave baskets andother household goods from plant fibers,how ceremonial dances are conducted, andwere even allowed the ultimate privilege ofparticipating in a clandestine shamanicceremony.

Living Among the “Savages”

Belize Independent Study

After having previously done an internship for TIDE (Toledo Institute forDevelopment and Environment) for her undergraduate degree, M.S. studentNicolle Cushion was contacted again about participating in the PHMR baselinestudies. TIDE co-manages Port Honduras Marine Reserve (PHMR) with the localcommunities, working toward sustainable fishing practices. Cushion worked out anindependent study under the supervision of Dave Gilliam, Ph.D., and has been aidingin the establishment of permanent coral reef monitoring transects and sites anddoing fish censuses. The marine reserve has different zones, including general use(sustainable fishing allowed), conservation (no take, but tourism and catch andrelease fishing permitted), and a preservation area (off-limits). The informationgained will be used to aide management decisions and view the effectiveness of thediffering zones. TIDE’s Web site is www.tidebelize.org.

06-091/03 DBB

Published quarterly byNova Southeastern University3301 College AvenueFort Lauderdale, Florida 33314-7796

Editor: Kathy Maxson

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NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITYOceanographic Center8000 North Ocean DriveDania Beach, Florida 33004-3078

Currents, Spring 2003

A survivor! The U.S.S. Cole arrives in Fort Lauderdale for Fleet Week,April 28–May 2.

The Center thanks Edison Irvine for the gift of the aquariums now set up in the lobby.