Cruisin’ with new grad students

The class of new graduate students in the joint Skidaway Institute-Georgia Tech program went on their first, two-day, research cruise this week. The weather was a little windy so we didn’t stay off-shore very long. On Monday, we took water samples in the Savannah River and cruised offshore to the sea bouy, about 3 miles. Then we headed south, along the coast to the entrance channel to Wassaw Sound. Since we were so close to home, we came on back to the Skidaway dock and tied up to spend the night. I took as many pictures as I needed on Monday, so I bade them farewell and stayed on dry land on Tuesday, while they gathered more samples in the Wilmington River and Wassaw Sound. Here is a small photo album.

The "Gumby" survival suit.

Going under a draw bridge on the ICW.

Taking sample water from the CDT array.

Working in the wet lab.

Watching the CDT data.

Recovering a CDT array.

We were not alone.

Collecting more samples.

More new grant $$$$

Marc Frischer (left) and Gustav Paffenhöfer (below right), along with Deidre Gibson from Hampton University, recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study doliolds on the South Atlantic Bight continental shelf.

Doliolids are a species of gelatinous zooplankton and are one of the most poorly understood inhabitants of our continental shelf waters. However, observations of their global abundance on the continental shelves suggest that they have the potential to greatly influence the biology of our oceans, particularly on the world’s continental shelves. The research will focus on determining what doliolids eat: who eats doliolids: and the processes that control their populations.

The research will combine novel state-of-the art molecular methods with proven oceanographic techniques and will provide research training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, particularly students from underrepresented groups from Savannah State University and Hampton University.

The project will rely heavily on the use of the UNOLS research vessel the R/V Savannah and involve active partnerships with colleagues in Scandinavia. The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will receive $608,820 to conduct the three-year research project starting in January 2009.

The walls are up!

..well sort of. Work is progressing on the new laboratory building here at Skidaway Institute. Work is moving along swimmingly and actually under budget. When did that ever happen?

Now if TS Hanna or Hurricane Ike don’t blow down the house of sticks, we’ll be in good shape.

New grant $$$

Jim Sanders and Bill Savidge are co-PIs for a $145,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for the construction of two flowing seawater laboratories in which air temperature, seawater temperature, and light can be controlled to modest tolerances. The grant will also cover the purchase and installation of two walk-in environmental rooms that will provide tightly regulated environments for more demanding experimental work.

The new facilities will be housed in the yellow “crab barn” on the main quadrangle.