N E W S F R O M T H E R O S E N S T I E L S C H O O L O F M A R I N E & AT M O S P H E R I C S C I E N C E SPRING 2019
R E S EARCH Unique Immunity Genes in One Widespread Coral Species A recently published study shows one species of coral may be better prepared for environmental change than others. Roughly 30 percent of the cauliflower coral’s (Pocillopora damicornis) genome is unique compared to several other reef-building corals. This diversity of genes related to immune function may be important for the long-term survival of coral reefs as climate change and ocean acidification continue to alter
the environment to which corals are adapted. “This coral is traditionally thought of as a weed, and yet it may be one of the last corals to survive environmental changes such as climate change,� said senior author of the study Nikki Traylor-Knowles, an assistant professor
of marine biology and ecology at the Rosenstiel School. READ MORE
Waters West of Europe Drive Ocean Overturning Circulation, Key for Regulating Climate A new study shows that most of the overturning and variability is occurring
not in the Labrador Sea off Canada, as past modeling studies have suggested, but in regions between Greenland and Scotland. The warm, salty, shallow waters carried northward from the tropics by currents and wind, sink and convert into colder, fresher, deep waters moving southward through the Irminger and Iceland basins.
The North Atlantic has the largest reservoir of anthropogenic carbon. Overturning circulation carries vast amounts of this carbon deep into the ocean, helping to slow global warming. It also transports tropical heat northward, meaning any changes to it could have an impact on glaciers and Arctic sea ice. Understanding what is happening, and what may happen in the years to come, is vital to better understanding long-term climate change. READ MORE
Searching for the Lost Ships of Cortes In July of 1519, in a brazen act that would upend history, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés ordered his men to sink all but one of the 11 ships they sailed from Cuba to Mexico on a supposed exploratory mission. Nearly 500 years later, the fleet’s final resting place remains unknown. But members of an international team of underwater archaeologists who are conducting the first modern-day search for the scuttled vessels, as well as 16 others that Cortés sank a year later, have found an anchor that provides the first compelling clue to the location of the lost ships. They made their discovery by combining archival and historical data about Spanish conquistadors and the Aztec empire with the best available science, technology, and local
community knowledge to survey the seafloor for remains of his fleet. “Cortés had two mutinies to quell from men who wanted to return to Cuba, so scuttling those ships was his way of sealing their fate and forcing
Hernán Cortés ordered his men to sink all but one of the 11 ships they sailed from Cuba to Mexico
their allegiance,” said Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann, director of underwater archaeology at the Rosenstiel School. “So we know why. But how and where would he do it? Would he just float them offshore and say, ‘Oh the ships are gone?’ Or would he make an object lesson of it, and do it in plain view?” READ MORE
Study Offers New Approach to Assess Sustainability of Reef Fish Researchers from the UM Rosenstiel School and NOAA Fisheries tested their newly developed fishery risk assessment method on groupers and snappers in the Florida Keys to determine if these tropical reef fish are being sustainably managed. The new risk analysis framework can evaluate the sustainability status of tropical reef fish stocks when traditional catch data are not reliable or available and provide a frame of reference to help balance sustainability risks with management decisions. READ MORE -2-
Study Explores Impacts of Marine and Freshwater Predators on Ecosystems and Society
A recent study from a team of leading scientists reports on the diverse ways that aquatic predators, such as sharks and alligators, can impact ecosystems and also indirectly benefit human society. The study shows how these important ecological processes and ecosystem services to humans can be
broken and restored from population losses and recoveries of aquatic predators. The study highlights that many research priorities remain, outlining a set of scientific questions for guiding future research on the ecological role of aquatic predators and the services they provide to humans in a changing world. “Aquatic predators such as sharks, alligators, orcas, and dolphins can influence their ecosystems in numerous ways, including keeping
prey populations in check, regulating the flow of nutrients, and even creating new habitats for other species,” said lead study author Neil Hammerschlag, a research associate professor at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School and Abess Center for Ecosystem Science & Policy. “What is clear from our review is these important processes can be lost as a result of population declines of aquatic predators due to human-associated stressors.” READ MORE
D EVELOP M ENT Robert Nathan Ginsburg Endowment Announced Professor of marine geology Robert N. Ginsburg dedicated the better part of his professional life to the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Now, thanks to his generous bequest, the School will underscore Ginsburg’s commitment in the form of two endowed chairs and an endowed fellowship. Ginsburg’s gift will endow a post-doctoral fellowship in sedimentary geology, to be awarded annually, and two chairs in the Department of Marine Geosciences. Attorney John Admire, executor of Ginsburg’s estate and a personal friend, remembers him as a unique and wonderful individual. “Bob was first and always a gentleman who loved life and loved the sea. He loved to teach, and taught by example.”
Ginsburg began his career as a research assistant at UM’s Marine Laboratory, then left to join Shell Development Company, where he created a research and training program. After nine years with Shell, Ginsburg returned to academia as a professor of geology at Johns Hopkins University. He rejoined UM in 1970 to teach sedimentology, and devoted more than 50 years to the University of Miami before retiring in 2010 at the age of 85. He passed away in 2017. Particularly inspiring in light of his long service to UM, the endowments created by Ginsburg’s bequest
will provide vital support to future generations of marine geologists at the School. Roni Avissar, dean of the Rosenstiel School, said, “The legacy of Dr. Ginsburg will live on through his extraordinary gift and provide a benefit to the School for generations to come. Thanks to his foresight, care, and love for our school, the resources to support and recruit the most talented faculty will remain in perpetuity. We are truly grateful.”
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Linda Farmer Student Research Award Winner Announced In 2016, a broad group of devoted colleagues, alumni, family and friends pooled funds to establish the Linda Farmer Endowed Student Research Award Fund. Farmer’s legendary care for her students inspired an alumnus from the class of 2000 to honor her by offering a significant matching gift which in turn inspired the Rosenstiel School community to come together to ensure the success of this endowment. The award supports an undergraduate student who is selected by the Rosenstiel School’s Marine Science Program Awards Committee.
Nowotny of La Canada Flintridge, California, is a senior pursuing marine science and biology, with minors in chemistry, math, and philosophy. Nowotny works in the Cnidarian Immunology Laboratory of Nikki Traylor-Knowles, assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology. The lab uses integrative biology to study immunity, resilience, and stress response in cnidarians which are corals and sea anemones. Nowotny plans to use the Farmer Fund to develop cell culture techniques for the starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) and use these cell cultures to characterize cnidarian cell types.
2019 Farmer Award recipient James
Cornelia Louisa Keane Lowerre Endowment Scholarship Created Cornelia Louisa Keane Lowerre, M.S. ’14, loved the years she spent in Miami—loved the food scene, the blend of cultures, and the energy of the Magic City. For Cornelia, who grew up in New York and Vermont, Miami was new and fresh. She was elated to
discover that she could see manatees in the waters of Biscayne Bay from the balcony of her Brickell apartment. “This was endlessly fascinating for her, to be surrounded by all of this wildlife and opportunity to engage in the international flavor of the place,” recalls her father, Paul Lowerre. Cornelia was happiest when she was underwater, pursuing her passion for marine ar-4-
chaeology as a graduate student at the Rosenstiel School. She was proud of her contribution to the maritime historical record. Her thesis documented the excavation, cataloguing, and reburial of HMS Fowey, a British warship that sank in 1748 in what is now Biscayne National Park. Tragically, Cornelia passed away in March 2018 at age 30, from a cardiac condition. The Cornelia Lowerre Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund has been created in her honor. The need-based scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduate student, preferably female, attending the Rosenstiel School. Colin G. Brennan, Cornelia’s cousin, was the catalyst for the scholarship in her memory. A photographer, he had visited the Rosenstiel School to attend a lecture about underwater photography. With the suddenness of Cornelia’s passing, he said, “Something just clicked: I’m connected already to this
school she loved. It’s a perfect fit.” He raised the idea of an endowed gift with his mother, Diane Garthwaite, who agreed that it would be a fitting way to remember Cornelia. Garthwaite’s AlGar Foundation provided the initial funding for the endowment. Cornelia’s sister, Lavinia Lowerre Kleitmann, who provided the illustrations for Cornelia’s thesis, said that Cornelia had particularly enjoyed an internship at Stiltsville with the National Park Service. Lowerre Kleitmann recalled that Cornelia spoke about morning dives with her team leader and crew, and “how good it felt to get into the water and be with these people she trusted.” “We are very grateful to receive and steward the Cornelia Lowerre Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund honoring her memory and love of the Rosenstiel School,” said Dean Roni Avissar. “This endowment will have a profound impact on future students.” To make a contribution to the Cornelia Lowerre Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund, please call 305-284-4443.
New Endowment Benefits Three Students Mastriani Endowment Honors Students In Marine Biology The Lou and Chosun Mastriani Endowed Scholarship provides scholarship assistance to undergraduate students,
Sam Purkis, professor and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences.
“ This is real science, not a work experience.”
For the research project, Nichole is performing advanced geochemical - Nichole Lopez, sophomore, Mastriani scholarship recipient analysis to date the seafloor, working on seabed samples collected from the with preference given to those pursuing the study of marine remote, low-lying coral reef system of the Chagos Archipelabiology, ecology, and coral reefs. One of this year’s Mastriani go in the Indian Ocean. The specific purpose of the research scholarship recipients is sophomore Nichole Lopez of Virginia is to gauge the time lag between reefal sediment production Gardens, Florida. Nichole is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in and incorporation into the island system. marine and geological sciences and conducting research with The second recipient is Corrine Allen of Jupiter, Florida, a sophomore studying marine science and biology, with minors in chemistry and political science. Corinne is working in the Coral Reef Futures Laboratory of Andrew Baker, associate professor in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology. The laboratory focuses on the biology, ecology, and conservation of corals, and how stressors such as increasing ocean temperatures and acidification affect the types of symbionts that they host.
Corrine is investigating mechanisms to improve survival, fitness, and resilience in juvenile Caribbean corals as they face anthropogenic changes such as global warming. Recently, she has focused on two species of coral larvae, Mountain Star Coral (Orbicella faveolata) and Brain Coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) in testing how temperature and local symbiont availability influence early algal communities.
Brian Walters of Mundelein, Illinois is the third Mastriani scholarship recipient. Upon receiving his award, Brian was a senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine science and biology, with minors in chemistry and mathematics.
“This gene family is incredibly important for immune response, and my lab is interested in understanding its function in corals,” Traylor-Knowles said.
Brian is working in the Cnidarian Immunology Laboratory of Nikki Traylor-Knowles, assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, on the phylogenetic analysis of the MPEG-1 family of proteins in scleractinian corals.
Brian led the first steps of the project—identifying what corals have this protein and how redundant it is in stony corals—by performing BLAST searches of different coral genomes, and analyzing the protein sequences that have been identified. He is hoping to go to graduate school next year.
Charlie Diamond’s Latest Fish Story is His Best One Yet Born and raised in Miami, Charlie would spend his childhood weekends in the Florida Keys with his family. For college, his top choice was always UM, where he was a three-year letterman and starting tackle for the Hurricanes. Upon graduation, Diamond played in both the Canadian and American football leagues, including stints with the Dallas Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, he still enjoys fishing and diving in the Florida Keys. His love of fishing is reflected in his recent decision to support sustainable fishing by bequeathing his entire estate to the Rosenstiel School of
Marine and Atmospheric Science. His interest was initially piqued when he learned about the research going on at the Rosenstiel School. Intrigued by the work, he visited the school and took a tour of the experimental fish hatchery. Environmental preservation is very important to Diamond, who believes the school is doing incredible work to ensure the safety and sustainability of fish populations around the globe. Learn more about how you can create a legacy by visiting miami.edu/planned giving or contacting Development, at
jsdillon@miami.edu or 305-421-4373.
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Uniforms Auctioned to Benefit “Research at Sea” Our University of Miami Hurricanes, in collaboration with adidas, unveiled new environmentally conscious alternate uniforms for the 2018 season opener at LSU. The uniforms were made from repurposed and upcycled materials created in partnership with Parley for the Oceans. When adidas signed the University of Miami to an athletic apparel sponsorship deal, the general consensus was that the apparel brand would be positioning The U at the forefront of their jersey and shoe technology, as well as giving UM athletes an opportunity to make a difference in promoting
sustainability efforts on campus, across the globe and especially for students at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. After the game, the uniforms were auctioned, with proceeds going to the Rosenstiel School to launch a fund for educational research. Each fall, the school welcomes 100-plus undergradu-
ate students who are eager to dive into their studies. To enhance the student experience, auction proceeds provided the resources to support a one-day “research at sea” cruise for all first-year students aboard the F.G. Walton Smith research vessel.
Thanks to Yellowfin, Research has a Bigger Boat When Neil Hammerschlag met Wylie Nagler at the 2018 Miami International Boat Show in February, the talk— unsurprisingly—centered on boats. Hammerschlag, director of the shark research program at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School, expressed his lab’s and the Rosenstiel School’s need for a boat to support vital marine research projects. Nagler, founder and CEO of Yellowfin Yachts, was listening. As a result of that conversation, Yellowfin generously donated a 36’ center console with twin Yamaha 300HP to the School’s fleet of research vessels. Hammerschlag’s shark program, Rescue a Reef Program, scientific dive training and underwater archeology program, and other academic departments and research groups will use the boat for cruises in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The new vessel will provide a much-needed platform for conducting ongoing marine, coastal, and conservation-related research and training activities.
AWARDS & AC C O L ADE S Grosell Receives Award of Excellence in Fish Physiology Martin Grosell, professor of Marine Biology and Ecology received the Award of Excellence in fish physiology from the American Fisheries Society. The award was presented to Grosell during the 13th International Congress on the Biology of Fish for his outstanding career contributions to the study of fish physiology. Grosell was appointed as the Maytag Chair, a fully endowed professorship of ichthyology at UM, in 2014. Read more here. Martin Grosell, Ph.D.
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AWAR D S & ACCOLADES cont . Ben Kirtman Named American Meteorological Society Fellow Professor Ben Kirtman has been named a 2019 fellow of the American Meteorological Society for his outstanding contributions to weather, water, and climate. Kirtman is a professor of atmospheric sciences and director of the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the Rosenstiel School. Read more here.
Professor Hansell Named AAAS Fellow Professor Dennis Hansell has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his leadership and service in the assessment of global carbon cycling processes. Hansell was elected a fellow for his transformative insights into the biogeochemistry of marine-dissolved organic matter and his leadership and service. Read more here. Dennis Hansell, Ph.D.
A L UMNI NEW S Meet-ups December 2018 Over 70 Rosenstiel School alumni gathered for a cocktail reception to connect with faculty and staff at the 2018 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington D.C.
January 8 , 2019
scientists, educators, students, and other professionals from across the weather, water, and climate community to share, learn, and collaborate.
March 8, 2019 At the Aquaculture Conference 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Alumni and faculty gathered to discuss the latest research in the aquaculture industry.
More than 50 alumni attended the American Meteorological Society’s 99th meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. The annual meeting is attended by fellow
Spotlight: Ryan Kramer, Ph.D. Ryan Kramer enrolled at the Rosenstiel School in 2013 from the undergraduate meteorology program at Penn State. During a weekend recruitment visit to the Rosenstiel campus, Ryan discovered an enticing atmosphere, where ongoing research aligned with his interests. One aspect that set the Rosenstiel School apart for Ryan, was faculty support for students quickly jumping into research. While at UM, Ryan was a member of the Meteorology and Physical Oceanography program, studying climate feedbacks and the hydrological cycle
with Brian Soden, professor of atmospheric sciences. Ryan received a University of Miami graduate fellowship and, later on, a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, giving him the flexibility to form valuable collaborations and attend scientific conferences that were atypical of the normal grad school experience. Not only did UM give him academic skills to succeed, it also helped him build the personal and professional tools that make for a successful scientist. Today, Ryan is a NASA
Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in the Washington, D.C.
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U PCOMIN G EV ENTS April 2, 2019 Big Science and Big Ideas Sea Secrets with Dr. Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Vice Chancellor for Marine Science, University of California, San Diego. RSVP rebrand.ly/SeaSecretsLeinen April 8, 2019 –UM Giving Day – Join us for the University of Miami’s first-ever day of giving. Our goal is to reach 5,000 donors and to raise $500,000 in a 24-hour period. The whole campaign will take place over social media beginning at 12:01a.m. until 11:59 p.m. EST. To make a gift to support the Rosenstiel School Fund please go to ONEDAYONEU.com. For gifts to count in this challenge event all gifts must come through the UM Giving Day link. Every gift makes a difference no matter the size. You can
also help us unlock challenges throughout the day. Check out our progress toward reaching and exceeding our goal for the University of Miami. Go CANES! April 22, 2019 Premier of Changing Seas – Toxic Waters Screening followed by expert panel discussion 5:30 p.m. at the Rosenstiel School Auditorium. RSVP rebrand.ly/toxic-waters
May 9, 2019 Commencement Graduate Ceremony May 10, 2019 Commencement Undergraduate Ceremony Save the Dates: Family Weekend - October 3-6, 2019 Homecoming - November 7-9, 2019
April 30, 2019 Challenges and Achievements in Hurricane Forecasting Sea Secrets with Dean Roni Avissar, UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. RSVP rebrand.ly/SeaSecretsAvissar *Winners of 2019 Rosenstiel School Underwater Photo Contest Announced
www.rsmas.miami.edu I giving link https://giving.rsmas.miami.edu I 305.421.4373