Graduate School of Oceanography

Spring 2016 | gso.uri.edu

ABOARD GS

Graduate School of Oceanography

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Volvo Ocean Race PHOTO BY ALEX DECICCIO Because of the tremendous experience provided

by Sail Newport and the support for the Volvo Ocean Racing teams, the Volvo Ocean Race will return to Newport in 2018. GSO anchored the event's Exploration Zone, which saw over 60,000 visitors in 2015, and we look forward to again being a part of this spectacular international event.

b ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW CONTENTS 2

Message from the Dean

3 Beach Mystery 4

On the Job

5

Good Fellow

6

Kayak to Block Island

7

Educators at Sea

8

Facilities Update

9 Where's Endeavor?

10

Coastal Resources Center

11

Ocean Space

12

Watershed Counts

13

Alumni Awards

14

Alumni News

17

In Memoriam

18

GSO Happenings

22

Friends of Oceanography

24 Notes ABOARD GSO is funded by the GSO Alumni Association, Friends of Oceanography, and the Dean of GSO to keep friends, alumni, and the community informed of what is happening at GSO. For more information about the Alumni Association or Friends of Oceanography, contact Deb Coty at debicoty@uri.edu or 401.874.6841.

ABOARD GSO is published twice a year by the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography.

Send news and correspondence to Deb Coty, URI Graduate School of Oceanography, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02882-1197.

FRONT COVER: URI GSO BACK COVER: AYLA FOX ’11

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A new building to house tuna aquaculture research is under construction.

The Wind In Our Sails Message from the Dean

T

he bay is quiet on this bright winter morning, but there is

a great deal of activity at GSO as we look forward to the spring. A new building to house tuna aquaculture research is under construction and will be completed by the summer. The research focus is learning how to encourage yellowfin and bluefin tuna to spawn in captivity and to grow the fry to fingerling size. A local company, Greenfins, is funding the research, which is a joint effort between GSO and the College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS). Greenfins is constructing the new building, located across from the Ann Gall Durbin Aquarium Building and valued at $1.5 million. Once completed, the facility will be given to GSO. Construction is underway on Knauss Terrace on the Knauss Quad (see inside back cover), which will be the entrance to the Ocean Science and Exploration Center. And repairs and upgrade of the Endeavor dock should be finished this spring.

But the big news here is that we are in the middle of developing a new master plan for the Narragansett Bay Campus. With funding from URI’s president and provost, GSO and the College of Engineering, we have hired Ellenzweig, an architectural firm from Cambridge, Mass., to develop a plan for the next 40–50 years.

Ellenzweig has extensive experience with marine facilities, including 20 years of work at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. We began this effort last fall and plan for completion by May 2016. The planning process included a thorough review of the condition and use of existing buildings and facilities; discussions with faculty, staff, and students from GSO, Ocean Engineering, and CELS; an analysis of support facility needs, including marine operations that support Endeavor and our fleet of small boats; and discussions about teaching and laboratory space for undergraduate students.

These discussions have already been quite valuable in understand-

2 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

ing current activities and needs and are helping us focus on where we aspire to be in the future. The Narraganset Bay Campus Master Plan will be critical to our development over the next 50 years.

We look forward to developing a new campus for the Graduate School of Oceanography. We can feel the wind in our sails.

We were greatly saddened by the passing of Dean John Knauss, founding dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography, in November 2015. The next issue of Aboard GSO will focus on his life, career and accomplishments, and will include an overview of our future plans, which will be a fitting tribute to his legacy.

Best wishes,

Bruce H. Corliss Dean, URI Graduate School of Oceanography

Beach Mystery

GSO Scientists Piece Together Salty Brine Explosion

BY JUSTINE SAUVAGE AND KIRA HOMOLA

O

n July 11, 2015, Salty Brine Beach

in Rhode Island made national news when an unexpected explosion injured a woman and forced closure of the beach.

State police and explosion specialists were unable to identify the cause of the blast, so the state’s Department of Environmental Management (DEM) enlisted the Graduate School of Oceanography for help.

Professors John King, Arthur Spivack, and Brian Heikes responded immediately, taking a number of sediment cores in close partnership with a team of DEM scientists led by Eric Schneider. Samples were collected along a transect of sites extending from the blast spot to other locations on the beach. They were collected using a vibracorer, a device that liquefies the sand, facilitating penetration of an aluminum pipe.

Immediately after recovery, each core sample was divided and subsampled. A small volume of sediment from each core was extracted and inserted into gas-tight vials. Samples were left untouched for 24 hours to allow diffusion of the gases present in the sediment porewater into the surrounding air. A total of 300 samples were collected by GSO graduate students Justine Sauvage and Kira Homola and marine technician Dennis Graham to investigate if the explosion was caused by a buildup of methane or hydrogen within the sand.

The GSO team first measured hydrogen by gas chromatography, which revealed extremely high levels of hydrogen in the samples in the immediate vicinity of the blast. Concomitantly, duplicate samples analyzed for methane had concentrations near background levels or below detection.

The discovery of unexpectedly high hydrogen levels led the team to conclude that the explosion was caused by hydrogen buildup and subsequent mixing with oxygen in air, forming a very flammable cocktail that requires very little energy to ignite.

Witness reports of the incident corroborated this conclusion, as a loud noise was heard, no flames were observed, and no burns or explosive residues were reported; all characteristics of a hydrogen explosion.

PHOTOS: ALEX DECICCIO; URI GSO

Samples were collected along a transect of sites extending from the blast spot to other locations on the beach. Immediately after recovery, each core sample was divided and subsampled.

Prior to coring the beach, the RI DEM and state police recovered a relic Coast Guard cable that terminated near the blast site and extended up the beach. The GSO team hypothesized that differences in the chemistry of the upper beach and tidally inundated environment near the blast site could produce corrosion along the copper and steel cable. The theory is that the corrosion generated electrons that traveled along the cable and combined with the surrounding water, cathodically protecting the downslope end of the cable and producing hydrogen. The majority of the cable was heavily corroded, while the metallic end nearest the blast remained shiny despite 30 years of submersion in seawater, supporting the proposed explanation. The hydrogen produced could then diffuse upward into a layer of sand containing oxygen, generating a mixture of hydrogen

and oxygen at flammable levels.

Immediate removal of the relic cable ended the production of hydrogen at Salty Brine, and aeration of the sand by beach plowing remediated any future hazards at the blast location. This unusual confluence of events led to an exemplary collaboration between the DEM, RI State Police, and the GSO, where a quick response time and enthusiastic graduate faculty and student team were crucial to resolving a question of deep public concern.

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On the Job

Ketchum Award Recipient Candace Oviatt, Ph.D. '67

BY TODD MCLEISH

C

andace Oviatt avoids the spotlight.

She plugs away at her research day in and day out and appreciates the opportunity to shed light on the improving health of Narragansett Bay. She’s not looking for attention or accolades, but she's finding them.

Save the Bay recognized her in spring 2015 with its lifetime achievement award, and in August 2015 she made the front page of The Providence Journal for a story about the results of her 10-year study of water quality improvements in the bay. In October, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution presented her with the prestigious Ketchum Award, which honors an internationally recognized scientist who demonstrates an innovative approach to coastal research, leadership in the scientific community, and a focus on the link between coastal research and societal issues.

A group of her peers wrote in the nomination letter that her research was often ahead of its time and launched new lines of thinking. “Much of the work Candace has done has helped establish a known baseline in Narragansett Bay that has allowed subsequent generations of scientists to examine how the bay has changed with time. Her early work on the composition and abundance of fish in Narragansett Bay has allowed researchers to address changes in these populations through time,” they wrote.

The Ketchum Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by Woods Hole, includes a bronze medal and an honorarium. “It’s a huge honor,” Oviatt said, listing some of the past recipients, including the late Professor Scott Nixon. “I’m very pleased to stand with that group of people.”

Oviatt has been studying, teaching and conducting research at GSO for more than 50 years. She enrolled in the doctoral program in 1961, one of just 12 students at the time and the second woman ever to enroll.

“I didn’t really notice that I was one of the only women, though. I liked all the guys; they were friendly and helpful, and they looked out for me,” she said.

Her dissertation focused on the behavior of starfish, and after a job at Harvard School of Public Health, she returned to the Bay Campus to research salt marsh produc4 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

tivity with Professor Nelson Marshall.

That’s where she met Nixon, and together they pooled their lab start-up money to purchase equipment and began to study the ecological behavior of salt marshes and, later, various aspects of Narragansett Bay. “And I’ve been doing that for the rest of

Mark Abbott, president and director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, presented Candace Oviatt with the prestigious Ketchum Award.

my life,” she said. “I love the bay. It never has an average year.”

Oviatt calls herself a generalist. She often jokes that she is always just one step ahead of the specialists who try to kick her out of their territory once they catch up to her. But she’s hard to keep up with.

Her research has encompassed a variety of issues and factors affecting the bay and its inhabitants, from mussels, fish and eel grass to nutrients, algal blooms and climate change. Her biggest projects, and those that still get attention in the literature and at scientific meetings, involved the first use of the mesocosms at the Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory (MERL), where the ecology of Narragansett Bay was recreated.

“It took a while to set up the physical conditions so the light, turbulence and sediment were correct, so the water turnover was correct, but then it started to act like it was supposed to,” Oviatt said with a smile.

She and the other MERL researchers began by studying what had been one of the worst issues facing the bay in the 1970s,

oil and other hydrocarbons seeping into the water from roadway runoff and other sources. These experiments were the first to demonstrate how toxic those hydrocarbons can be to the estuarine environment, but she was surprised to learn how quickly the ecosystem could recover from that toxicity.

In what she calls our “most famous experiment,” they used the mesocosms in a similar way to conduct the first studies of eutrophication in the bay. The results— which demonstrated how nutrient loads eventually lead to hypoxia, even in a wellmixed ecosystem like Narragansett Bay— provided the scientific foundation for the state to require reductions in nutrient discharges from sewage treatment plants.

“The mesocosm studies were really a career highlight,” she said. “They were such a fantastic tool to unravel the impact of pollution on the bay. It was a very powerful approach.”

Despite these career achievements, Oviatt is not ready to retire. Although she enjoys spending time at her 45-acre farm in Richmond and second home in Nova Scotia, she still has plenty to do on campus.

She will continue to maintain the buoy network in Narragansett Bay that monitors water quality for RI DEM, a project she said has provided a “gorgeous” data set.

But she is looking forward to avoiding her least favorite part of conducting research— writing grant proposals.

Her favorite part, on the other hand, has been working with a never-ending stream of enthusiastic graduate students. “They’re fabulous, wonderful people who work extremely hard and are highly motivated,” Oviatt said. “It’s been a pleasure to work with each and every one of them.”

In summing up her career so far, Oviatt said she has been “very happy working quietly in the background trying to figure out what was good and what was not so good” for the health of Narragansett Bay. “I’ve enjoyed being in the trenches and trying to understand the ecology of the bay,” she said. “That’s been very rewarding for me. I’m going to keep my hand in it for as long as I can, and then just fade away slowly.”

Good Fellow

Former Grad Students and Postdocs Honor Randy Watts

BY MEGHAN CRONIN, PH.D. ’93 AND KAREN TRACEY

Above, Randy Watts. At left, alumni gathered near their former desks in 219 Watkins Lab: (clockwise from left) Hyun-Sook Kim, Amy Cutting, Karen Tracey, Harris Kontoyiannis (seated), Chris Meinen, Jim Manning, Stephan Howden, Libby Johns, Magdalena Andres, Bill Johns, JaeHun Park, Andy Greene, Stu Bishop, Meghan Cronin, Yuguang He, Byron Willeford, and Randy Watts.

O

n April 10, 2015, former students,

postdocs, colleagues, and family arrived at GSO from three continents for a daylong symposium to honor GSO Professor Randy Watts, who was recently inducted as an American Meteorological Society Fellow for his significant contributions in developing the Inverted Echo Sounder (IES), and for his contributions to our understanding of the major current systems of the world’s oceans. Less than 0.1% of all AMS members are elected to be fellows each year. The induction ceremony was held in Phoenix, Ariz. at the AMS annual meeting in January 2015.

Meghan Cronin opened the GSO symposium with a tribute to Randy, describing his career and his team’s achievements in developing and using the IES to study major current jets in the world’s oceans.

Randy’s good friend, colleague, and former postdoctoral advisor, Tom Rossby, spoke about his current research in the North Atlantic and Randy, who currently holds a research position at GSO, spoke about his active field programs in the Southern Ocean as well as new ambitious projects he hopes to do in the coming years. Throughout the day, former students and postdocs spoke about their current research or professional experience, demonstrating how PHOTOS: MICHAEL SALERNO; URI GSO ; MEGHAN CRONIN

the formative training in the Watts lab provided a launching pad for a broad range of successful careers in academia, government research, and operational oceanography.

While some Watts alumni work together frequently or reconnect regularly at science conferences, some hadn’t seen each other in years or decades. For some, this was their first time back at GSO since they graduated. The symposium was sprinkled with reunion gatherings, including a luncheon at the Mosby Center, a dinner at the Mettatuxet Yacht Club, and get-togethers at the Watts’ home. It was truly a heartwarming celebration.

Above, the April 2016 Watts Symposium attracted speakers and guests including (from left): Charlotte Watts, Magdalena Andres, Susan Watts Buchanan, Stu Bishop, Kathy Donohue, Maureen Kennelly, Jae-Hun Park, Andy Greene, Hyun-Sook Kim, Jim Manning, Barbara Sullivan Watts, Randy Watts, Stephan Howden, Karen Tracey, Byron Willeford, Scott Lindstrom, Meghan Cronin, Tom Rossby, Pete Cornillon, Chris Meinen, Yuguang He, Bill Johns, Libby Johns, Harris Kontoyiannis, Mark Wimbush, Sarah Watts, and Amy Cutting.

Meghan Cronin is an oceanographer with NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and Karen Tracey is a GSO Marine Research Specialist.

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Kayak to Block Island. Wait—Where???

BY RICH HITTINGER, M.S. ’75

Y

es, on Friday August 21, 2015 I joined

two other guys—my friends Dane and Al—and kayaked from Point Judith to Block Island. It was crazy for sure and not without a few issues, but we made it. This is something that I have wanted to do ever since I was a student at GSO in the 1970s.

Back then a couple of the more outdoorsy grad students did the paddle and I thought it sounded great. My conclusion now is that I should have done this many years ago when I was younger and in better shape.

Anyway, for our trip we left from George’s of Galilee Beach (right next to Wheeler State Beach) after some soul searching regarding the weather forecast for the crossing. The wind was 5 to 10 knots out of the southeast with two- to three-foot seas out of the southeast, but the forecast included a chance of thunderstorms. In addition, the wind had been blowing out of the southeast for a few days, so there was a decent swell from that direction.

Well, we looked at everything carefully and decided to go, so we were underway at about 9 a.m., two hours after our planned 7 a.m. departure.

In addition to selecting the date because it was between the new and full moon, when tidal currents flow the least, we chose the time so that we would miss the strongest tide at North Rip and miss the strongest of the northerly current along the east side of the island. The first hour-and-a-half were great and we were closing in on the northern tip of Block Island when we stopped for a snack and a quick on-water break. For some unknown reason, when I was not paying attention, a wave turned me right over and I found myself upside down in the water. I was soon out of my boat yelling to my buddies to help so I could get back in. Of course I had never practiced getting back into the kayak in two- to three-foot waves and boat wakes near the North Rip of Block Island. With Dane’s help, I got back in, pumped the water out, and noticed that my sunglasses had disappeared. In addition, my iPhone—in that nifty waterproof pouch—didn’t seem to be

6 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

L E S S ON S L E A R N E D I was not adequately prepared for the five-hour duration, especially the last two hours of fighting a strong current.

My 6-mile test runs in Narragansett Bay were not sufficient preparation.

Never try this unless you have done significant training in similar conditions and for similar distances.

This trip is a serious endeavor and requires a full complement of safety gear and navigation equipment. Two of us had compasses on our boats and navigation electronics. We had VHF, safety flares, etc.

We used 16.5-foot ocean kayaks with skirts. This style boat is the only way to go and skirts are absolutely necessary.

Be sure that everything is tied to you or the boat and is waterproof—not

giving me navigation information anymore.

(I found out later that the phone was fried and had to be replaced.)

We were back to paddling and we made it to a spot due east of Sandy Point, the very northern tip of Block Island, in about twoand-a-half hours. But then the fun began.

Although we were close to the island, we could not land on the beach at Clay Head because of large waves (four- to six-foot breakers) and submerged rocks. Also, because we had a delayed start, we were now battling a current of over 1 knot on our nose the entire time down the east side of the island—to say nothing about the exhaustion of all that paddling to this point.

It took almost as long to get from Sandy Point to Ballard’s Beach (next to the ferry terminal) as it did to get across from Point Judith to Sandy Point. When I landed on the beach I was totally spent. The distance was 15.6 miles, but we probably paddled through another two or three miles of water

water resistant; and practice overturning and recovering in the ocean with waves.

Although we planned the timing of the trip to account for tidal currents, we varied from our own plan. Create a plan and don’t change your plan. Be sure that you account for the current on the east side of the island as well as at the North Rip. Mylar balloons tied to the kayak handles get pushed down by the wind and, once wet, they just drag behind the boat.

At that point they are not useful to improve visibility of the kayaks.

If you ever consider this trip, go with a minimum of three or more people who are all properly trained and experienced.

I should have done this when I was 25 years old! I now understand that I am not indestructible!

that pushed under our boats as we paddled south along the eastern side of Block Island.

We spent five hours paddling. After two pitchers of ice water, one pitcher of beer, a few $20 hamburgers at Ballard’s, and a change of clothes, we carried the kayaks to the terminal to catch the 5:30 ferry to Point Judith.

Educators at Sea

A Three-Day Research Cruise for Teachers

BY FRANK BAKER

I

n August 2015, eight educators from

across Rhode Island had the opportunity to experience what few people have— they participated in an oceanographic research cruise aboard R/V Endeavor. The educators accompanied chief scientist Chris Roman, professor of oceanography and ocean engineering; and principal investigator David C. Smith, professor and associate dean at GSO, as a part of the Rhode Island Teacher at Sea (RITAS) program. The RITAS program began 10 years ago under the umbrella of the Rhode Island Endeavor Program, which is supported by the state of Rhode Island. RITAS is the educational component of the RI Endeavor Program, designed to establish sustainable partnerships between ocean scientists and educators who live and teach in Rhode Island.

A pre-cruise briefing and a few onboard lectures were designed to prepare the educators for upcoming oceanographic data collection. The majority of the three-day cruise was hands-on, with educators participating side-by-side with oceanographers.

A typical day began at 6 a.m. with educators deploying a conductivity/temperature/ depth sensor (CTD) for the morning ocean sample. Although supervised, the educators were responsible for properly preparing the Niskin bottles on the CTD and tending lines as it was lowered over the side, and later retrieved. Jennifer Pietros, a science teacher at Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School in Coventry noted, “The CTD went down to 2,000 meters (6,561 feet)! I still cannot get over how vast the ocean is. It is over a mile down to get to the bottom!”

Jennifer also had a bona fide “only in Rhode Island” moment when she met a former student, Kurt Rethorn, who is now an assistant engineer on Endeavor.

Professor Roman told the group about one of the main purposes for the cruise: engineering testing of the “wire flyer,” an ocean sensing system that is towed by the ship but is designed to quickly slide up and down a wire in the water column, taking measurements en route. A 2,000 lb. weight

CHART: COURTESY WIKIPEDIA.COM; PHOTO: FRANK BAKER

Back row, from left: Meredith Ashworth, Nick Terry, Jenn Pietros, Joe Bartoshevich, Aman Malik. Front row, from left: Alyssa Wood, Trisha Garland, Jess Grant

called “the clump” holds the wire taut, and the operator “flies” the towed body by issuing commands to the fins. Nick Terry, from the Gordon School in East Providence, assisted. “My most proud moment of the day,” Nick said, “I actually got to help Chris Roman and his team of scientists retrieve the wire flyer! My job was to operate the A-frame—the enormous structure on the fantail that actually lifts the wire flyer and clump weight from the ocean and places it on deck. My role consisted of operating this crane as well as communicating with the bridge to let them know exactly what was going on. It felt really great to help out and assist them in their important work.”

Professor Smith led the group in conducting plankton sampling, followed by analysis in Endeavor’s wet lab. “We’re trying to determine whether the same bacterial communities live at different depths of the water column,” said Trisha Garland of the Paul W. Crowley East Bay Met School in Newport, R.I. Alyssa Wood of Sophia Academy, Providence, went on to explain, “Communities of organisms will give a characteristic reaction pattern called a metabolic fingerprint on a test bed called an EcoPlate.”

Garland and Wood also assisted in testing telepresence technology recently installed on Endeavor. High-definition cameras transmit video and audio via

satellite to GSO’s Inner Space Center for worldwide distribution. The two educators narrated a launch of the wire flyer, while Meredith Ashworth of Narragansett High School operated the camera. The test was successful, with the Inner Space Center livestreaming the broadcast to YouTube.

In addition to the high-tech aspects of the cruise, the educators had an opportunity to learn some time-honored deck seamanship. Professor Roman offered a short class in celestial navigation. Everyone tried his or her hand at determining Endeavor’s location. Joe Bartoshevich of Bristol/Warren Middle School said, “There was a fierce but friendly competition to use a sextant to see who could come closest to our present location by finding the sun’s highest position in the sky and the time it occurs.”

Jessica Grant of Blackstone Valley Prep summed up the RITAS cruise: “When looking back at the past four days at sea, it’s hard to believe how much I have learned in such a short time. Marine research is a never-ending job, but the results are so rewarding! I now have a sense of how small we are in this great planet and how we are even tinier in this immense universe. Just one little speck, sailing along, doing some pretty amazing scientific research. It is so beautiful out here and I feel so lucky to have been selected for this experience.”

Cruise the blog at gso.uri.edu/rieducatorscruise

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Endeavor's rebuilt pier boasts reinforced piles and a new concrete deck for increased loading capacity.

Facilities Update

Welcome back to your “new” home, R/V Endeavor!

I

t is great to see R/V Endeavor tied up

at GSO again. Over a year since the pier was demolished nearly to the mudline and rebuilt with reinforced piles and a new concrete deck, it was finally ready for service. The contractor is still finishing up a few remaining items, but the ship’s crew is already taking advantage of the deck’s increased loading capacity to offload heavy equipment directly onto the pier.

As the pier project wrapped up, construction of the Large Pelagic Fishes Laboratory got underway. The building site on Aquarium Road has been excavated, the foundation poured, and construction of the 112,000-gallon seawater tank has been completed. The contractor is currently working to get the building envelope sealed up and the filtration system up and running.

Two other projects kicked off this winter. First, a contract was awarded for construction of the John A. Knauss Terrace, named in honor GSO’s first dean. Located adjacent to the Ocean Science and Exploration Center, the terrace will provide students and faculty a large outdoor gathering area overlooking the quadrangle and Nar-

8 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

ragansett Bay. Meanwhile, since December 2015, members of the campus community have been meeting routinely with planners and architects from Ellenzweig Associates to help create a Narragansett Bay Campus Master Plan that outlines our facility needs for the next twenty years. Both projects are on schedule to be completed by May 2016.

Above, a new building located across from the Ann Gall Durbin Aquarium will house tuna aquaculture research.

Where's Endeavor?

Letter from the R/V Endeavor

BY TOM GLENNON, DIRECTOR OF MARINE OPERATIONS

L

ast year was one of our most robust

years ever with over 250 operating days. In 2015, Endeavor and her crew safely and successfully completed 16 science cruises, sailing over 25,000 nautical miles in support of federal, state, and private ocean research programs.

In April 2015, Endeavor set out and, in particularly challenging weather conditions, successfully retrieved 30 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) off the midAtlantic coast. Next was the Mid-Atlantic Hydrate Project with Carolyn Ruppel, USGS; the Activity Gradients Project with Carol Arnosti, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the Acoustic Network Project, with Steven Means of the Naval Research Laboratory.

In June, Endeavor headed to the Gulf of Mexico for ECOGIG2 to study natural Above, the Endeavor; at left, crew deploying a multi-corer at night.

seepage of gas and oil from the ocean floor in the Gulf and to monitor the impact on the ecosystem from the Maconda/BP blowout. On July 6, Endeavor departed for Reykjavik, Iceland with William Hodgkiss of Scripps Institute of Oceanography to investigate the mid frequency noise range for the Navy by deploying a 128-element vertical line array of hydrophones.

In August, we held our second Rhode Island Endeavor Program (RIEP) cruise

PHOTOS: ALEX DECICCIO; URI GSO

with co-PIs David Smith and Chris Roman.

This Teacher-at-Sea cruise included eight K–12 teachers and four graduate students and allowed the educators to work alongside GSO researchers learning various techniques for studying the biology, physics, chemistry, and geology of the sea.

Professor John King gathered a diverse group for our next RIEP cruise, including a high school educator, three graduate and four undergraduate students, scientists, several technicians, and observers from both the Narragansett and Shinnecock tribes. King and his group obtained a suite of long vibrocores for paleoenviromental studies in waters adjacent to Rhode Island in an area that may have been inhabited by the ancestors of the Narragansett tribe prior to sea level rise. These cores will be researched as a source for potential offshore sand deposits that may be needed for future beach replenishment projects along the south coast of Rhode Island.

We continued our RIEP cruises with Professor Tom Rossby and Dwight Coleman, who collaborated to research

fish tags and explore wrecks off the coast of Block Island. These activities were live streamed through Endeavor's newly installed telepresence technology.

In September, Endeavor headed south for a Navy/ONR acoustics cruise, then to Florida to assist Bill Johns of the University of Miami with his multi-decadal monitoring of the meridional overturning circulation at latitude 26.5˚ N. Upon her return to Rhode Island, Endeavor prepared for her last cruise of 2015 with PI Melissa Omand. The crew on this RIEP cruise researched particle export and sinking rates utilizing a wire walker, sediment traps, and CTD casts. The crew included graduate and undergraduate students and telepresence was used to increase outreach to students and educators.

Finally, December found Endeavor at the Senesco Repair Yard in North Kingstown for some much needed maintenance after a particularly challenging cruise year.

We hope for more of the same in 2016!

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 9

Coastal Resources Center I

Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP)—launched its successful MSP training program upon receiving numerous requests from an international array of coastal and ocean managers seeking an MSP education. Recently, CRC hosted its third annual MSP learning symposium for more than 150 practitioners from around the world, and is planning an update of its training manual with new science and case study information.

In the last year, CRC also—with a $23.9 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the largest grant ever made to URI—continued its innovative work in supporting improved governance of fisheries and coastal resources in Ghana. The Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP) is engaging fishermen in creating fisheries policies to enhance critical species and improve food and employment for tens of thousands of coastal people.

A part of the program, led by the Boats in the crowded harbor in Tema, Ghana, where URI Fisheries Center with support the CRC is working for improved governance of fisheries from CRC, GSO and the URI Coland coastal resources. lege of the Environment and Life enhance marine resources or make best use Sciences (CELS), has enabled a group of commercial fishermen from Ghana to take of them for the coastal communities they part in a study tour focused on Rhode serve—with science and research playing integral parts,” said Anton Post, CRC direc- Island and New England trawling practices and fisheries. The leaders from Ghana are tor and URI GSO researcher. examining issues and solutions from New Projects, from local efforts to overseas, England with the aim of developing a suite drew on CRC’s expertise in infusing GSO’s of realistic practices that can be implemost current science into the practical mented with government, industry and strata of community planning and ecocommunity supports at Ghana home ports. nomic development. One ongoing project At the crux of the program is the effort to has focused on building an international ensure that the industry adopts modern network of ocean and coastal practitioners trawling best practices that are beneficial to who are knowledgeable in marine spatial the fishermen’s livelihoods and responsive planning (MSP) tools and techniques. to coastal Ghana’s need for environmental Marine spatial planning is a planning approach that enables varied constituencies protection and social equity. to collaborate on allocating and sharing the ocean’s finite resources and enhancing economic opportunities while promoting existing use and protecting natural resources. CRC—which facilitated R.I.’s milestone 2010 MSP project, the Rhode n 2015, the URI Coastal Resources

Center (CRC) provided significant assistance to coastal and ocean practitioners and professionals in marine business and government, through targeted technical assistance based on science and in accordance with the needs of these audiences. “The CRC greatly assisted people who are working on a daily basis to either

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GSO graduate student Caoxin Sun guides a Metcalf Institute Fellow in collecting water samples to measure marine pollutants.

A

Metcalf Institute

s the presidential election heats up

along with rhetoric about climate change and other environmental issues, it becomes much more challenging for news consumers to cut through the sound bites and discern fact from spin. Metcalf Institute continues its mission to expand accurate news coverage of environmental issues through science training for journalists from around the globe and communication training for researchers and other science communicators.

In 2015, Metcalf responded to researchers’ growing need for science communication training with workshops and seminars on a variety of issues including tips for improving scientific posters, strategies for interacting with journalists and the public, visual storytelling techniques, and information on what legislators are looking for in scientific testimony.

The unprecedented number of applicants for Metcalf ’s weeklong Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists, held annually at GSO, highlights growing demand for Metcalf training. Waiting lists for one-day climate change science seminars for journalists held across the nation further underscore journalists’ need for the off-deadline interactions with scientific sources provided by Metcalf Institute.

Ocean Space

Notes from the Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium

BY MEREDITH HAAS, RHODE ISLAND SEA GRANT

S

ince early July 2015, Narragansett Bay

and Rhode Island Sound have been abuzz with barges, tugs, and supply vessels carrying steel pilings and jacket foundations, each weighing up to 450 tons, to build what will be the country’s first offshore wind farm.

“There are a lot of lessons to be had from the fact that our project made it to this moment and others didn’t,” said Jeff Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind, in his keynote address at the Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium on marine spatial planning (MSP), which brought practitioners from across the nation and globe to GSO to discuss the needs and challenges of this emerging field. “At the end of the day, marine spatial planning was one of the principal reasons why.”

The Block Island Wind Farm, which will be located 3 miles southeast of Block Island and will consist of five 6-megawatt turbines that could provide energy for an estimated 17,000 homes, was not conceived overnight. Rather, it was the result of years of intensive research in the field to examine seafloor sediments and habitats, whale and bird migration patterns, as well as the fishing, recreation and cultural landmarks in Rhode Island’s offshore waters. It was also the result of dozens of technical and public meetings with planners and stakeholders, and hours of conversation, debate, mapping and data analysis to better understand

PHOTOS: COASTAL RESOURCES CENTER; GRETHEN ERTL; URI GSO

existing uses, where they overlapped and where potential development could be.

“What’s most important isn’t the plan, but the process,” said Grybowski, explaining that the process helped start conversations with key stakeholder groups, which would’ve been a very challenging undertaking for a private company, or anyone else on their own, to achieve. The process helped lay the groundwork for the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP), which helped identify areas that would be best suited for a wind farm.

“Other proposals failed mostly because the developer would come in and just say they wanted to build somewhere. But this process invested research and input to identify areas that people would be comfortable developing,” Grybowski said, explaining that “engaging meaningfully” with various stakeholders, specifically fishermen, was important to identify potential user conflicts in an area and find common ground. “It’s often a discussion about who has the right to be there, and that’s really not the right conversation. It’s ‘How do we make a variety of conflicting interests work together?’”

“The idea behind marine spatial planning, as with all planning, is that the thinking is in the future, long-term, with specific focus on the use and development of offshore marine waters,” he said, praising the

Jeff Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind

Ocean SAMP for being “invaluable” in bringing stakeholders together to generate dialogue and gather data, which ultimately sped up the permitting process for the wind farm. “My best guess is that the Ocean SAMP planning process probably saved us two years.”

The Ocean SAMP, spearheaded by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, was developed with the assistance of researchers from GSO, URI, and elsewhere, and with leadership by Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Coastal Resources Center at GSO and contributions from many partners. To learn more about the Ocean SAMP, visit seagrant.gso.uri.edu/ oceansamp. To learn more about the Baird Symposium, visit seagrant.gso.uri.edu/ special-programs/baird.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 11

Watershed Counts

Coastal Institute 2015 Annual Report

T

he Coastal Institute released the

annual Watershed Counts Report in November 2015. Watershed Counts is a coalition of over 60 nonprofit entities, government agencies, academic institutions, and other organizations who work together to report regularly on the land and water resources of the Narragansett Bay watershed, providing indicators that consider the region’s interwoven economic and environmental assets. It is facilitated by the URI Coastal Institute in its role as chair of the Rhode Island Environmental Monitoring Collaborative and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, working together to evaluate the conditions and trends of the land and waters of the Narragansett Bay region.

In recent years, each report has focused on a spotlight issue; the 2015 spotlight issue was urban waters.

Watershed Counts highlights the work being done to protect and restore the bi-state Narragansett Bay watershed. The 2015 report focuses on the urban areas of the upper bay, where major challenges remain, but features local, site-specific efforts to address urban water quality that are seeing progress.

More than half the state’s residents live in urban communities. They are the hubs of business, commerce and government.

They have flourishing arts and music scenes, and a vibrant restaurant and tourist industry. Added to that, they have stunning views of beautiful Narragansett Bay and its watershed. But this combination of urban area abutting the natural environment poses a conundrum: you can dive into the scenic view of the upper bay, but you cannot dive into its waters.

Upper Narragansett Bay is impacted by cities throughout the Narragansett Bay watershed. Whether it is Taunton or Fall 12 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

The Coastal Institute's 2015 Annual Report focuses on the urban areas of upper Narragansett Bay.

River, Providence or Pawtucket, all drains lead to the bay. And there are difficult challenges coming down the pipeline in the future. Water quality is impacted by runoff that carries pollutants and harmful bacteria, which prohibits many urban waters from being safely fishable or swimmable. Development patterns have led to increased flooding, beach closures, and limited access to waterways, with escalating climate change serving to exacerbate these impacts.

It will take significant, comprehensive, and well-coordinated investments to tackle these challenges if we hope to ensure that in the decades to come beaches are open to residents and tourists, fish are thriving and safe to eat, and water-based economies are protected. Unfortunately, this scale of effort is not currently in development, but partners in the watershed are making small investments that have large local impacts.

Local projects at locations such as Sabin Point in East Providence and Festival Pier in Pawtucket have benefited local communities by improving water quality, increasing access to urban waters for fishing and kayaking, or have reduced environmental threats to lives and infrastructure. These

are significant accomplishments and serve as models to other communities. But local isolated efforts will not solve big challenges like climate change.

The 2015 Watershed Counts report highlights challenges to and improvement in urban environments of the Narragansett Bay watershed, cutting across priority areas such as marine life, beaches, and climate change. Working together with a long-term vision, the environmental health, economic health, and community health of urban waters and the people who depend on them can be protected for generations to come.

The 2016 Watershed Counts report will be supported in part by an EPA Southeast New England Program grant awarded to the RI Department of Environmental Management, the Coastal Institute, and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program.

This support is part of a larger endeavor to launch a multi-partner effort, focused on building the foundation for key environmental indicators meaningful to the public.

For downloadable copies of the 2015 Watershed Counts Report, past reports, and further information, go to watershedcounts.org.

A LUM N I AWA R D S Qianqian Liu, Ph.D. ’15

I received my Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Oceanography in May 2015 and I am pursuing further training as a postdoc research associate at the University of Maine. My dissertation within the physical oceanography group, under the mentorship of Professor Lewis Rothstein, focused on understanding the fundamental physics of important processes in Rhode Island coastal waters used by the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). It included an investigation of the seasonally varying circulation in Rhode Island Sound and the buoyancy-driven flow in the Connecticut River-influenced regions, mainly the Connecticut Riverfront and the Block Island Sound estuarine plume front.

In 2015, I was granted a GSO Alumni Award enabling me to participate in the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and Gordon Research Conference (GRC) at the University of New England; I gave poster presentations at both conferences. As a unique forum for graduate students and postdocs, GRS provided me a great opportunity to communicate with other earlycareer scientists; GRC gathers experts in coastal ocean modeling from around the world, allowing me to network with and get advice from other scientists, and exchange cutting-edge ideas. I am so grateful to GSO and the Alumni Fund for this travel that enhances my academic experience and encourages me to advance my career.

The GSO Alumni Fund helped McManus advance his research and career goals.

Katie Coupland, M.S. ’15

I am very appreciative to have received an award from the GSO Alumni Fund. With this money I was able to travel to the national Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) conference, in Portland, Ore. I presented the research from my GSO master’s degree and networked with other oceanographers. This conference is very important to attend as a young scientist because there are over 1,200 attendees from all over the country, studying many different aspects of coastal oceanography.

Conor McManus

Liu networked at the Gordo Research Seminar and Conference with other scientists from around the world.

PHOTO: AYLA FOX ‘11, WATERSHED COUNTS; URI GSO

I am a doctoral student at GSO studying fisheries oceanography with Professor Jeremy Collie. My research focuses on Atlantic mackerel larvae population dynamics, including their connectivity to older life stages, habitat preferences, and changes with climate. In August 2015, a GSO Alumni Award provided me support to present my doctoral research at the 145th American Fisheries Society (AFS) meeting. Held annually, this conference brings together scientists from across the country to share their research with each

other. At the meeting, I presented materials from the first chapter of my dissertation, which looks to construct a larval index for Atlantic mackerel of the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf. This index will ultimately be evaluated to determine if such information can provide insights into the status of the stock, either for spawning stock biomass or recruitment.

Being a part of this conference allowed me to interact with other leading scientists in the field from around the world and receive feedback from them about my research that I would otherwise not get.

Additionally, attending AFS gave me the opportunity to present my data and analyses, and contribute to the session and our knowledge of the influences on fish earlylife-stage survival and recruitment success.

I was able to make new connections with both senior and early-career scientists, and discuss potential pathways for future collaboration. I am grateful for the award, and thank the GSO Alumni Fund for making this experience possible and helping me progress towards my research and career goals.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 13

A LUM N I N E WS Leslie Bulion, M.S. ’84 Here’s photos of the covers of Leslie’s three science poetry books (a few more are reportedly on the way). The most recent, Random Body Parts: Gross Anatomy Riddles In Verse came out in March 2015.

Allison Cleary, M.S. ’10, spent fall 2015 as a postdoc at the University Centre in Svalbard, studying trophic interactions in polar zooplankton.

Books by Leslie Bulion

Allison Cleary in Svalbard

14 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

Lee Cone, M.S. ’74, has retired from a 41-year stint of teaching (36 years AP biology, 5 years biology 101 and 102) and is devoting time to his passion of collecting fossils from Southeastern coastal regions. As current president of the Friends of the Aurora Fossil Museum, he has had the opportunity to link with the myFOSSIL Program at the University of Florida (UF) Department of Paleontology. The FOSSIL Program (a National Science Foundation Grant Program) seeks to unite the professional and amateur communities in a synergistic working relationship. He’s been involved with a number of the UF myFOSSIL programs and has written several articles for its Friends Newsletter, and has had articles reprinted in other publications with permission.

He had an opportunity to travel to the Nebraska Badlands in August 2015 with Professor Bruce MacFadden of the Florida Museum of Natural History, and was involved in two Eocene-Oligocene sites.

“This past August, myFOSSIL offered a fossil collecting trip to amateur club members and educators, as part of the FOSSIL Project. The project’s purpose is to unite profes-

sional and amateur collectors, educate teachers and collectors in best collecting practices, stimulate intellectual conversation, and promote STEM learning in school systems across the country. This was a unique and exciting opportunity to become involved in collecting with totally different objectives than what I have experienced in the past.”

Lee is also a diver and collects from South Carolina’s Cooper and Edisto Rivers.

Most of the fossils recovered are of the Miocene to Pleistocene, but occasionally Eocene fossils are found. A few of the sites are of Cretaceous age. He is especially interested in marine mammals and their relationship to C. megalodon.

His largest specimen is a partial associated baleen whale skeleton recovered from the Yorktown Formation at the PCS Mine (formerly Lee Creek Mine) in Aurora, N.C. Collecting is no longer allowed in the mine. He has made an initial contact with URI GSO as a possible recipient of this fossil for a display.

For more about Lee’s trip to the Nebraska Badlands, contact Deb Coty at debicoty@uri.edu.

Robert Dwyer, Ph.D. ’80 sends this news: The International Copper Association, Ltd. (ICA) organized a booth at the Guangzhou International Aquaculture Expo 2015. The theme of the booth was “Copper Alloy Cage and Copper Weir Helping China to Achieve Healthy Aquaculture.” Wieland, Mitsubishi Shindoh, Luoyang Copper, China Fishery Associa-

tion, East China Sea Fishery Institute, Weihai Zhengming, Taizhou Xinglang, and Dachen Hengsheng co-exhibited in the ICA booth. The two copper solutions for aquaculture (cage and weir) were introduced to the South China aquaculture market. Fish farmers, industrial experts and authorities indicated that the copper solutions were attractive and would be considered seriously.

A training seminar on the copper alloy cage was held during the Expo and more than 50 fish farmers from the region attended. Most of the farmers recognized the premium performance of copper alloy cage and showed high interest. In addition, the premier of Vanuatu, accompanied by the provincial governor of Guangdong province, visited the ICA booth and listened to the introduction of copper alloy cages.

Adria Elskus, M.S. ’85 and Larry LeBlanc, M.S. ’89, moved to western Massachusetts in September–October 2015! Adria’s one-person field station position for the U.S. Geological Survey at the University of Maine, Orono, was transferred to the USGS “home lab” in Turners Falls, Mass. where there are several other principal investigators doing fish-related work. She is the toxicologist; the others work on fish physiology, movement, fishways, behavior and ecology. Larry is finishing up environmental chemistry work at the University of Maine, and is in the market for both new musical partners and chemistry-related jobs. Anyone who has any work or musical contacts in the area (Greenfield to Springfield, basically), should feel free to get in touch with him: laleblanc@msn.com.

Mary Fabrizio, Ph.D. ’85, of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science was named a fellow of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) at the society’s 145th annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, in August 2015.

Fabrizio is part of the inaugural class named under the new AFS fellowship program, which recognizes members who have made outstanding or meritorious contributions to the field of fisheries science.

Contributions can include— but are not restricted to— efforts in leadership, research, teaching and mentoring, resource management and/or conservation, and outreach or interaction with the public.

Fabrizio, who has been a member of AFS since 1984, has actively engaged in committee, section, and other governance units of the society since 1986, including serving as the society’s president in 2008 and vice president from 2005–2007. She has received several AFS honors including Best Paper Published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, and the Oscar E. Sette Award for Outstanding Marine Biologist in 2014. “It’s a great honor to be recognized

by AFS, which represents multiple and diverse interests in fisheries,” says Fabrizio. “AFS has provided me with many opportunities to grow as a professional.”

Miles Furnas, M.S. ’75, Ph.D. ’82, writes, “After 32 years of service, I retired from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in June 2015. It’s been a terrific experience, working across the broad sweep of northern tropical Australia. Australia has very few oceanographers relative to its marine estate, so the generalist knowledge and skills in all disciplines of oceanography that came from the GSO experience has been a big advantage. Over the years, I’ve worked on oceanic picoplankton, Kimberley estuaries, oil platform discharges, oceanic reefs, ocean color remote sensing, upwelling, nutrient and sediment runoff from monsoonal rivers, and nutrient budgets for the Great Barrier Reef. After considering all my displacement activities, I decided it was time to turn pro. I plan to keep professionally active by writing up my backlog and lecturing at James Cook University. Bad knees forced me to give up ice hockey (yes) a decade ago, but my daughter got me into rowing.

My wife, Grace, will continue for the while as a practicing small animal veterinarian.

We plan to stay in Townsville— with its unbeatable climate and terrific lifestyle. Our two daughters are now living in Brisbane, pursuing careers and relationships.

BOOK COVERS: COURTESY LESLIE BULION; PHOTO: ALISON CLEARY

Perry H. Jeffries, M.S. ’55, above, found something bigger than a copepod!

Bill Johnson, Ph.D. ’81, said, “All is well here in Newport at CCRI. Retirement is another 30 or 40 years away for me, God willing. I finished first in the Canada Region of the Porsche 944 Cup series this year. Racing my car is awesome and the reason I won’t be retiring anytime soon.”

Karen Johnson-Young, M.S. ’82, is retiring from Battelle Memorial Institute after 26 years. Her last day was October 31, 2015. She’ll be leaving the environmental field but staying in project management. Karen is starting a new job as the Discipleship Project Manager at Christ Fellowship (gochristfellowship.org), which is one of the largest churches in the United States. She will be working with staff on nine of their campuses supporting discipleship projects. Should you want to contact Karen, her email address is kjoceans@comcast.net.

Kelly Kryc, M.S. ’98, recently started a new job at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where she is a senior policy analyst for energy, water, and ocean sciences. She also was recently profiled in the June 2015 issue of Oceanography magazine— the article came out just before she switched jobs.

Michael Ledbetter, Ph.D. ’78, is semi-retired and living closer to the ocean than he has in decades. He’s been enjoying a lot of visitors now that they live in a resort area; imagine that! Still teaching online climate and oceanography courses to cover golf expenses for the 20+ courses on Hilton Head Island.

Jerry Miller, M.S. ’82, became the director of the Science and Technology for Sustainability program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He’s enjoying delving into the three pillars of sustainability—social, economic, and environmental sciences—to develop useful policy-relevant advice. This role allows him to interact with many colleagues in government, industry, NGOs, and academia, many of whom hail from GSO. Allen C. Myers, Ph.D. ’74, writes, “My formal teaching career in the Maine community college system (geology and marine science) came to an end this year as more and more students opt for online courses, and fewer and fewer can or want to commit to the rigidity of face-to-face classes.

The time has been more than taken up by my activities as a reed organ (aka pump organ, parlor organ) restorer and researcher. I just finished a large 1890s instrument for a church near Woolwich, Maine.

I was also fortunate to spend a month as the minister for the Isle au Haut Community Church this past summer, living out on the island, and visited by various members of my family. I got to participate in a Maine Geological Society

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 15

A LUM N I N E WS field trip on the island, studying a volcanic sequence that combines both granitic and basaltic intrusions/eruptions.

And, there are 14 reed organs on Isle au Haut—so I got to dabble in all my life interests!”

Autumn J. Oczkowski, Ph.D. ’09, was awarded the 2015 Cronin Award. The Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) Cronin Award Committee selected Autumn, who is a research biologist at the EPA’s Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett, R.I., for her work as a classical estuarine scientist whose strong interdisciplinary background has enabled her to make major contributions to our understanding of anthropogenic impacts on coastal ecosystems, particularly the effects of nutrient loading.

Autumn has applied her understanding of nutrient dynamics across the estuarine landscape to include coastal bays, lagoons, salt marshes, and oyster reefs over two continents. She has effectively used a variety of tools, including stable isotopes, mesocosms, and intensive field monitoring to address questions on the drivers and mechanisms that affect estuarine food webs. Her work has profound societal effects and, as one letter of recommendation states, “has direct implications for understanding the productivity, resilience, and management of coastal ecosystems.”

Since Autumn’s arrival at EPA, her scientific leadership, positive personality, and boundless energy have resulted in numerous seniorand co-authored publications as well as many invited and

16 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

contributed presentations. Her research continues to produce significant contributions and fundamental new knowledge about the role of nutrients and climate on estuarine function that are important for resource management. Recently she has begun working with scientists in Puerto Rico to address complex nutrient loading problems that have profound socioeconomic and health implications for local communities. The selection committee noted that her curiosity, ability to work collaboratively, and productivity made Autumn an ideal choice for the 2015 Cronin Award.

Myron Peck, Ph.D. ’02, was recently appointed associate editor-in-chief of Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS). He’s doing this alongside his fulltime job as a professor of biological oceanography at the University of Hamburg. It has been particularly rewarding for him to see all the great manuscripts submitted from GSO students, faculty and alumni. Professor Ted Durbin, Ph.D. ’76, has served for quite some time as a contributing editor at MEPS. Hence, GSO has strong ties to the journal.

Naturally, Myron would welcome feedback from the GSO community on their experiences publishing in MEPS. Some recent articles published in MEPS from GSO authors include: • Fields et al. 2015 (Vol. 535) Comparison of surface chlorophyll, primary production, and satellite imagery in hydrographically different sounds off southern New England • McFarland et al. 2015 (Vol. 531) Impact of phytoplankton size and physiology on

particulate optical properties determined with scanning flow cytometry • Bell et al. 2014 (Vol. 501) Stability in marine fish communities Anna Pfeiffer-Herbert, Ph.D. ’12, started a new position as assistant professor of marine science at Stockton University in fall 2015.

Neil Savage, Ph.D. ’75, writes, “Retirement IS a busy, interesting, and rewarding time. I now find myself dabbling in cruise directing. Nothing big, mind you: just organizing Girl Scout visits to Shoals Marine Laboratory, which is seven miles offshore from Rye, N.H. I also coordinate one cleanup site for the N.H. Coastal Cleanup that happens in conjunction with the Ocean Conservancy’s international effort involving nearly 100 nations on the third Saturday in September.

I have four adult children (three married, one engaged) and five grandchildren, all living within 15 miles of my home in Exeter, N.H.” Julie Snow, M.S. ’98, Ph.D. ’02, was promoted to full professor in the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment at Slippery Rock University in fall 2015. She has been there for 11 years and continues to teach courses related to oceanography, air quality, and climate change and conduct research on the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants and their impact on air quality and climate change.

And—news relevant to Rhode Islanders—she has authored a book called The Rhode Island Family Hiking Guide and Jour-

nal: 42 Strolls and Treks for All Ages Throughout the Ocean State that was released in late September 2015. This is the culmination of a 3-year project with Jeanine Silversmith, director of Rhode Island Families in Nature, and Mary Walsh, a Rhode Island artist. Julie was responsible for making all of the maps in the guide, which is designed to encourage R.I. children and their families to get outside and hike. It is for sale in many Rhode Island stores (i.e. Wakefield Books, URE Outfitters, Kettle Pond Visitor Center, REI Cranston) and on the web at rifamiliesinnature.org/hiking-guide. When she’s not in Slippery Rock, Pa., or in the field, She’s in Wakefield, R.I., where she lives with her husband, Scott and daughter, Gabriella.

Robert Thunell, M.S. ’76, Ph.D. ’78 recently started his 37th year at the University of South Carolina and continues to serve as senior associate dean for science. On the research side of things, he’s been involved in two longterm (nearly 25 years) time series studies in the Santa Barbara Basin and the Cariaco Basin. He has really enjoyed the GSO alumni get-togethers at the Fall AGU meetings.

I N M E M OR IA M David Julius Erickson, III passed away peacefully on November 16, 2015 after a courageous battle with cancer.

David received his B.S. in chemistry from the College of William and Mary and his Ph.D. in atmospheric science from URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography. He had a distinguished career in computational atmospheric studies and gained international recognition for his contributions to climate science. David cherished traveling with his wife and family. He loved watching and supporting his children in all their endeavors. David is survived by his wife, Caroline, and his two children, Galen David Mahatma Erickson and Erin Kristin Mariah Erickson.

Mimi Fox passed away on January 20, 2016, after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis. Mimi received her B.S. in chemistry from the College of Mount St. Josephs and her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from URI in 1976. Mimi began her career at GSO in 1977. Her research focused on trace metal and nutrient distribution in both natural and polluted environments and she collaborated with many GSO scientists. After her MS diagnosis in 1987, Mimi immersed herself in learning about satellite data and modeling of meso-scale transport mechanisms in northeastern coastal waters. She was an inspiration to the entire Bay Campus as she continued working well into 2015 with great courage and fortitude. Mimi leaves behind her spouse, Eric Klos, and two children, Christopher Brown and Frances Plaisted.

PHOTO: MICHAEL SALERNO

John A. Knauss, founding dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography, undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere in the Department of Commerce, and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1989–1993, died peacefully on November 19, 2015 in Saunderstown, R.I. He was 90 years old. As founding dean of GSO, he created an oceanographic institution that was nationally and internationally recognized for its breadth of oceanographic and marine programs. In partnership with Senator Claiborne Pell and Athelstan Spilhaus, he was instrumental in the formulation and development of the National Sea Grant Program in 1966. The program has had a major impact on marine science policy and management in the U.S. He was an international leader in oceanography and marine policy throughout his long and productive career.

Read Dean Knauss’s full obituary at gso.uri.edu/ blog/gso-bids-farewellto-dr-john-knauss.

Donald Phelps passed away on April 5, 2016. He was the husband of the late Anna T. (Ricciardi) Phelps. He earned his B.A. in 1951, M.S. in 1958, and Ph.D. in 1964, all from URI. He was a scientific director for the EPA, Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett for many years before retiring. He was integral in the conception of the International Mussel Watch Program in 1986. He was a URI master gardener, board member of the Corliss Institute, a volunteer for the R.I. Independent Living Council and co-founder of West Greenwich Baha'i. He learned the cello at age 40, performed in the URI Orchestra, and was an amateur actor. He was the father of Mark Phelps, Anthony Phelps, and Judy Ogg. James J. Griffin passed away March 14, 2016. He received his B.S. from Tufts University In 1951 and was a pioneer in the aerospace industry as program manager of AtlasThor/Delta Engine Systems at Rocketdyne Division, North American Rockwell Corporation in California. He followed his passion for the ocean, moving his family to Rhode Island and earning his Ph.D. in biological oceanography from GSO in 1979. He remained at GSO as director of facilities until his retirement. He is survived by his wife, Nancy (Knox) Griffin, his daughter, Jennifer Griffin, and son, Mark Griffin.

James Ralph Fraher passed away on March 16, 2016.

James received his B.S. from Colby College in 1985 and his master's in chemical oceanography from GSO in 1992. His master's thesis focused on measuring atmospheric nitrogen input to Narragansett Bay. He worked for T. H. Bayliss Company, Thielsch Engineering, Global Remediation Services and Analytics Environmental Lab. Jim's passions were traveling, fishing and cooking. A great day for Jim was fishing with friends and family on Narragansett Bay, returning home to prepare a feast. He was the beloved son of Patricia Fraher and the late Jeremiah Fraher, brother of Tara Fraher Hathaway and her husband, Douglas Hathaway, and devoted uncle to Raeburn, Jacob and James Hathaway.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 17

G S O HA P P E N I NG S GSO Anchors Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover

GSO anchored the Exploration Zone (EZ) at the Volvo Ocean Race Newport stopover May 9–17, 2015. Over 60,000 people of all ages from around the world visited the EZ, taking full advantage of the interactive ocean science exhibits and activities. GSO’s exhibits were staffed by over 100 volunteers from GSO and URI (students, faculty, marine research scientists and staff).

Additionally, since race participants attested to the growing volume of trash in the ocean, a catalyst was formed for a summit focused on ocean debris. GSO’s Dennis Nixon, director of Rhode Island Sea Grant, orchestrated Ocean Summit 2015, which the Volvo Group will use as the template to gather local interest for future summits in ports worldwide.

This unique opportunity brought thousands of people with interests in sailing and the sea to our backyard, providing an opportunity to highlight GSO’s expertise and capabilities with a global audience.

G S O E X H I B I T S I N C LU D E D :

• What’s in a Drop of Bay Water?

• Carbon, Oxygen and our Breathing Ocean • Climate Change—Eyes on the Storm: Hurricanes and Society • Climate Change and What You Can Do • Oceanographic Research, People and Platforms • Ocean Exploration

18 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

Taking GSO to the Newport Boat Show

GSO established its presence at the Newport International Boat Show held September 17–20, 2015. Bordered by a full spectrum of power boats and sailboats, marine product dealers, and the waters of Newport Harbor, members of the GSO community engaged with show-goers to talk about sea-level rise, the breathing ocean, autonomous vehicles, and graduate and undergraduate opportunities offered at GSO and URI. The weekend was highlighted by beautiful September weather that brought large numbers of visitors from around the world.

University of the Azores Visits GSO

A delegation from the University of the Azores visited GSO on September 2, 2015 to discuss common research areas as well as opportunities for collaboration. Located 972 miles directly west of Lisbon, Portugal, the Azores comprise nine volcanic islands.

Presentations by Dean Corliss, Igor Belkin, Matt Wei, Art Spivack, Karen Wishner, Jon Alberts, Anton Post and Elin Torell addressed many areas of common interest. A university-level memorandum of understanding was fully executed between the two institutions in early March 2016.

David Smith and Marta GomezChiarri (CELS) hosted members of the Luso-American Foundation (FLAD) and the University of the Azores, as well as R.I. State Senator Daniel Da Ponte at GSO on November 14, 2015, furthering this growing relationship. Discussions primarily centered on research opportunities and European Union funding availability in the area of aquaculture.

GSO, with assistance from CELS, plans to provide a summary of potential collaborative research efforts to FLAD and the University of the Azores for consideration.

GSO/URI and DHS, New Strategic Partnership

In April 2015, URI’s GSO was notified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that three projects proposed

by URI and GSO (listed below) were selected to be funded through the DHS Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence: Disaster Dynamics “Modeling the combined coastal and inland hazards from high-impact hypothetical hurricanes” led by Professor Isaac Ginis (GSO) with support from Professor Christopher Kincaid (GSO), Professor Tetsu Hara (GSO), Professor Lewis Rothstein (GSO), and Professor David Ullman (GSO) Building Resilient Communities “Overcoming barriers to motivate community action to enhance resilience” led

by Professor James Opaluch (CELS) with support from Professor Austin Becker (CELS), Donald Robadue (CRC) and Pamela Rubinoff (CRC) Building Resilient Communities “Communicating risk to motivate individual action” led by Professor James Prochaska (Cancer Prevention Research Center/CPRC) with support from Professor Andrea Paiva (CPRC) and Pamela Rubinoff (CRC) As a direct result, GSO/URI is now one of two primary partners in the DHS Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence, which is led by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. GSO/URI investigators will initially receive $500,000 a year for two years to initiate the Disaster Dynamics and Building Resilient Communities projects. Based on satisfactory performance, funding will continue over a five-year period for a minimum contract value of approximately $2.5 million.

This new relationship opens the door for expanding funding opportunities within the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence, as well as within DHS and other federal and state agencies. Already, new relationships are burgeoning with the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center and FEMA.

Cape Verde Ambassador Visits GSO

was to find ways to work cooperatively with URI. Noting the similarities between Cape Verde and Rhode Island, including that both are ocean states, he said, “Now we are linked by Cape Verde Airlines as well. It is important that we take stock of the airline coming here to strengthen the relationship between Cape Verde, Rhode Island and URI.”

Corliss summarized some of GSO's research, education and outreach and highlighted possible starting points for collaborations with Cape Verde, especially the coastal management and marine spatial planning initiatives at URI's Coastal Resources Center.

“I see a vast opportunity for cooperation,” Ambassador Rocha said. “I would like to add Cape Verde to your list of international collaborators. I’m sure my government would be very interested in sending a group of officials on a fact-finding mission to learn how we can integrate the activities of our Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Maritime Affairs with your university.

“Now that we have a direct flight from Cape Verde to Rhode Island, we should take advantage of it,” he added.

“We are delighted to begin this conversation and look forward to ways we might collaborate with Cape Verde and your institutions in the future,” concluded Dooley.

Rear Admiral Girrier, M.M.A. ’90, Visits GSO During Navy Week

Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Center. Girrier then traveled to the Bay Campus for briefings with Bruce Corliss, dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography, and a group of faculty and staff. He learned about the sensing systems and seafloor mapping methods being developed by Assistant Professor of Oceanography Chris Roman, discussed underwater acoustics research with Ocean Engineering Professor Jim Miller, heard about GSO outreach initiatives from Inner Space Center Associate Director Gail Scowcroft, and learned about the University’s Blue MBA program from Oceanography Professor Brad Moran.

“The technology of the systems you’re talking about, whether it’s robotics, or whether it’s autonomous underwater vehicles, and the like, those things don’t just happen,” Girrier said. “Clearly, you’re the ones that are developing them, using them, being innovative. The Navy relies on them.”

The admiral also toured the Inner Space Center with Oceanography Professor Robert Ballard and Center Director Dwight Coleman. And he reflected on his time as a

graduate student at URI. “The real relevance of what I learned here is how I apply it in the naval profession,” he said. “Whether it was the law of the sea, the business of shipping, or admiralty law, all of that coursework built the foundation for what I do today. And it has made me a more effective leader.”

Girrier recalled fondly his thesis advisor, the late Marine Affairs Professor Emeritus Lewis Alexander, as well as Professor Dennis Nixon, who now serves as director of Rhode Island Sea Grant. “I learned a great deal about the law of the sea from Dennis,” Girrier said. “And we shared great camaraderie sailboat racing together on Narragansett Bay. “The Marine Affairs Program is a great program, and I use what I learned there all the time,” he added.

When Cape Verde Ambassador Jose Luis Rocha visited Rhode Island to celebrate the first direct flights from his nation to T.F. Green Airport, he visited URI's Graduate School of Oceanography to explore possible collaborations.

During his visit, he met with URI officials, including President David Dooley, Vice President for Research and Economic Development Gerald Sonnenfeld, and GSO Dean Bruce Corliss, to learn about URI’s research and academic capabilities and tour the Inner Space Center.

“Rhode Island and Cape Verde have a long history together, and we have many people here who consider Cape Verde their homeland and are strongly connected to both locations,” said Dooley. “That gives us a tie we can Ambassador Jose Luis Rocha met with URI President build upon in the future.”

David M. Dooley to explore possible collaborations Ambassador Rocha said his goal with Cape Verde.

When Rear Admiral Robert Girrier visited the University of Rhode Island for Navy Week on May 27, 2015, it wasn’t his typical university visit. He was coming home.

Based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet, who earned a master’s degree in marine affairs from URI in 1990, has family in Tiverton and formerly taught at the Navy’s Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport.

Girrier spent the day meeting with faculty to learn about research that may have implications for the Navy. In Kingston he met with Chemistry Professor Jimmie Oxley, director of the URI Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response; and Mechanical Engineering Professor Arun Shukla, whose research examines how underwater implosions affect submarines. He also had a detailed meeting about cybersecurity with Professor Victor Fay-Wolfe, director of the URI

PHOTOS: ALEX DECICCIO; NORA LEWIS

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 19

G S O HA P P E N I NG S Testing R/V Endeavor’s Telepresence to Deliver Sea-to-Classroom Ocean Science Experiences

For a week in September 2015, the team at the Inner Space Center (ISC) conducted detailed testing of the new telepresence capability that was installed on Endeavor in fall 2014. Between September 2–5, 2015, Endeavor and ISC crews tested the equipment by diving on the German submarine, U-853, that was sunk in 130 feet of water during the Battle of Point Judith on May 5, 1945.

A state-of-the-art remotely operated vehicle (ROV) transmitted footage to the Endeavor, and Endeavor delivered the footage via satellite to the ISC, where the telepresence mission was being evaluated and guided by ISC personnel. Additionally, in partnership with Rhode Island PBS, the ISC streamed real-time video of the wreck site, and developed educational programming that was delivered to the RIPBS viewing audience.

Between dive operations, ISC crew on the Endeavor talked to local divers, maritime archaeologists, and oceanographic scientists, resulting in special segments that aired on September 3–5.

The live feeds from Endeavor and the underwater ROV were also broadcast to the ISC website.

The testing and evaluation of the telepresence equipment was successful and as a result the capabilities have been used on multiple recent Rhode Island Endeavor Program (RIEP) cruises, linking scientists, teachers and the sea with classrooms throughout Rhode Island.

20 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

GSO Explores Research, Education Partnerships in Cuba

During several visits to Cuba in the last year, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse made contact with the marine science community in the island nation and encouraged leaders there to explore collaborations with the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.

Those initial conversations are now leading to research and education partnerships that will engage Cuban scientists and students with their colleagues at URI. “Cuba is facing many of the same environmental concerns that we are—climate change, sea level rise, erosion of beaches, ocean acidification, hurricanes—and we have expertise in all of these areas,” said Bruce Corliss, dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography, who visited Cuba in July to meet with officials at the University of Havana, the National Aquarium of Cuba and the Cuban Institute of Oceanology.

Those meetings, which included URI Associate Dean of Oceanography David Smith and Assistant to the Provost Nancy Stricklin, laid a foundation for formal agreements that will be completed in the near future. Corliss envisions student and faculty exchange programs, research collaborations, and oceanographic expeditions in Cuban waters aboard the R/V Endeavor.

Corliss and several other GSO (Pam Rubinoff, Don Robadue, and Gail Scowcroft) and College of the Environment and Life Sciences (Rick Rhodes) staff took the next step in building relationships with Cuban oceanographers by attending Cuba’s biennial marine and coastal science research conference, Mar Cuba, in November 2015.

Each member discussed specific projects further advancing the establishment of a formal agreement between URI and the Cuban government.

While Corliss believes that the Graduate School of Oceanography can bring a great deal of insight, expertise and equipment to bear on issues in the marine environment around Cuba, he said it would not be a oneway relationship.

“There is a great deal we can gain from the relationship, too. It will be true collaboration that will be fruitful for both parties,” he said. “There are new areas of research in their region that we can learn about, there are environmental issues there that we are very interested in, and we would like to help shape the evolution of environmental policy there.”

Corliss believes that normalization between the two nations will result in new funding opportunities from U.S. agencies that will target research in Cuba.

He also noted that establishing a relationship with Cuba, along with the recently announced partnership with the University of Southampton in England, helps to achieve the University’s goals of enhancing its international activities.

The first trip to Cuba coincided with the July 20 opening of the U.S. embassy in Havana, an event that generated considerable excitement and enthusiasm among the local people.

“Many people came up to us on the streets and told us how happy they were and how hopeful they are for the future,” Corliss said. “As one man told us, ‘You have the 4th of July to celebrate, and now we have July 20 to celebrate.’ It was exciting to be in Havana and witness the reaction of the Cuban people.

“I really loved it there,” he added.

“The people were very friendly, and I think the U.S. can have a real impact.

There is a real opportunity for the U.S. to foster a strong relationship going forward, and the people there are very open to that. We could do so much to boost their economy and connect them to the modern world.”

C&M Marches On

GSO’s long-running student organization, Chowder and Marching, was busy in fall 2015! The group wrapped up its Summer Reactor Movie Night series in late September after a successful run of popular oceanography favorites, including The Life Aquatic and The Core. Boat Burning was a raging success, with second-year students building a beautiful bier around an aged wooden canoe.

Professor Rainer Lohmann gave the opening speech, and Chowder and Marching introduced the large incoming class to GSO’s favorite student tradition.

Chowder and Marching also welcomed a new cabinet in fall 2015. The organization’s elected officials include Kira Homola (president), Casey Hearn (vice president), Colin Jones (treasurer), and Austen Blair (social media coordinator). Kellen Rosburg, president emeritus, stepped down in style by establishing a new event, the Whaler’s Brewery Takeover. Over 90 GSO faculty, staff, and students enjoyed an evening of live music, beer tasting, and a cornhole tournament at the local brewery.

Halloween was a particularly high point this year, with 23 current students enjoying a hayride and corn maze adventure at a local farm, and families coming in for pumpkin carving in Mosby’s. A full house of GSO faculty, students, friends, and family enjoyed the 2015 Halloween Spooktacular. Winning costumes included Rebecca Robinson as Mary Poppins and an ensemble of Ghostbusters (Christina Wertman, Mary Dzaugis, Victoria Treadaway, and Ashley King), complete with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (Geoff Wertman) in an inflatable suit. The evening was topped off by an incredible dance-off for best overall costume between TwoFace (Jacob Balcanoff) and Black Swan (Clarisse Sullivan).

The twice-monthly Chowder Hours are going strong, with board game adventures and origami lessons, and the group continues to participate in outreach events held on campus. Closing out the 2015 season was yet another successful Chili Cook-Off, the sixth annual event, held this year at Whaler’s Brewery.

PHOTOS: CHOWDER AND MARCHING

From top: students enjoying the 2015 Halloween Spooktacular; hayride at a local farm; annual Boat Burning.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 21

Friends of Oceanography

Graduate School of Oceanography Donors, July 2014–June 2015 We proudly recognize each donor to GSO as a Friend of Oceanography. Many thanks to our individual, corporate, foundation, and organizational donors. Your generous contributions support student scholarships and awards, the Pell Marine Science Library, faculty development, and other projects undertaken to enhance GSO’s research, outreach, and academic programs.

TRIDENT SOCIETY All donors to GSO with annual gifts of $1,000 or more are members of our Trident Society.

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Ms. Kathleen I. Gremel Dr. James P. Kennett Ms. Dianna M. Kennett Dr. John A. Knauss Mr. Karl M. Knauss Mr. William A. Knauss Dr. Michael T. Ledbetter* Mr. and Mrs. Robert Leeson, Jr. Dr. Margaret S. Leinen* Dr. John T. Merrill Ms. Lucy D. Metcalf The Estate of Dr. Theodore A. Napora* Dr. James E. O’Reilly, II* Mr. and Mrs. Christopher T. H. Pell Mr. and Mrs. Carl E. Peterson Dr. Steven R. Ramp* Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ray Dr. Henry M. Rines* Dr. Jan E. Rines* Mr. and Mrs. Jackson W. Robinson Mrs. Janet Lynn Robinson Mr. and Mrs. Christopher du P. Roosevelt Dr. Jeffrey Rosen*

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UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 23

NOT E S

GSO Alumni Honored

A Heartfelt Thank You FROM DEB COTY, ALUMNI LIAISON

I

would like to thank Doug Cullen, M.S. ’83 and

Walter Berry, Ph.D. ’87 for all their incredible support and dedication to the GSO Annual Fund.

They have been co-chairs for at least 17 years, and have been actively involved in raising money and helping to support GSO for at least 13 more! Their 30-plus years of loyalty and dedication have made the GSO Annual Fund one of the healthiest at URI. They certainly have made my efforts—keeping track of alumni, reaching out to them at the phonathon, and sending them letters—one of the most joyous parts of my job.

Walter and Doug’s writings touch both older alumni and new. Doug has delighted fellow alumni with his flowing, descriptive and sometimes lengthy letters of GSO days gone by—days that new students can look forward to and fellow alumni remember well.

Walter’s cheery thank you notes and special recipes from friends, family, and from his own trial and error have helped make some delicious alumni dinners.

Plus, Walter and Doug’s sense of humor is boundless and makes even tedious tasks fun.

Whenever I need a helping hand, a good ear or just a shoulder, I know I can turn to them. In a pinch, I can count on them to help or lead me in the right direction. And for advice and guidance, they are unsurpassed at giving excellent suggestions and solutions.

So thank you Walter and Doug for making my job such a pleasure, for all your support and great ideas, for all the wonderful letters and recipes, but most of all for being the wonderful co-workers and friends that you are. Working with you is not work at all; feels much more like play. I couldn’t have done this without you. GSO is a better place for having graduated two such fine men.

24 ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

T

wo Graduate School of

Oceanography alumni were honored at the URI Distinguished Achievement Awards ceremony on October 17, 2015. The awards honor alumni and friends of URI who have brought distinction to themselves and the University through their professional achievements, outstanding leadership and/or community service.

The Graduate School of Oceanography Dean’s Award was presented to Barclay Collins, M.S. ’74, Ph.D. ’78, general manager, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., who has led successful oil and gas exploration and production and business development projects for Anadarko Petroleum in Africa and the Middle East for more than 20 years. He is based in Mozambique, where Anadarko is developing one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas projects. His previous overseas assignments included Eritrea and Qatar. Prior to Anadarko, he led research and exploration programs for British Gas, Tenneco Oil and Gulf Oil. He began his professional career in the late 1970s as a research geo-

physicist, using his expertise in seismic processing and interpretation to develop and apply innovative analytical techniques and technologies for oil and gas exploration. He lives in Houston.

The URI President’s Rising Star Award was presented to Robinson Fulweiler, M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’07, associate professor, Boston University, who holds appointments in both the Biology Department and the Earth & Environment Department at Boston University, where she has also served as associate director of the university’s Marine Program. Her research focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and other nutrients in aquatic systems like Narragansett Bay and other watersheds in New England.

She has already published more than 40 research papers, including one based on her doctoral dissertation, which appeared in the prestigious journal, Nature.

She lives in Cambridge, Mass.

PHOTOS: BOB SAND; NORA LEWIS

Under Construction The Knauss Terrace construction is underway and scheduled for completion

by June 2016. The terrace will capitalize on the beauty of Narragansett Bay and offer a setting for gatherings of all kinds.

A dedication ceremony honoring former Dean John Knauss will take place in September 2016.

RENDERINGS: BETA GROUP, INC.

Graduate School of Oceanography University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Campus Narragansett, RI 02882-1197

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Wakefield, R.I. Permit No. 19

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

U P C OM I NG E V E N T S May 13–14 GSO Dean's Advisory Council Meeting The Dean's Advisory Council will meet to review current activities and plan future efforts.

May 21, 1 p.m.

Graduate Commencement 2016

For more, visit gso.uri.edu/events

d ABOARD GSO SPRING 2016

June 21–22 NSF Inspection of the R/V Endeavor The National Science Foundation undergoes a biannual inspection of the R/V Endeavor for ship condition and operations.

September 10 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

R/V Endeavor Open House Celebrate Endeavor's 40th anniversary at GSO. Activities include tours, a touch tank for kids, exhibits, and food trucks.

Free and open to the public.