MIT Sea Grant College Program
Newsletter: January 2011
Vol 1, Issue 3
Banner pics only
In This Issue
MITei Energy Conference in Monaco
Invasive European Shrimp Discovered
Sea Grant Week 2010
Jess Thornburg, Hollings Scholar
Ig Nobel to Eric Adams
Greg Booma & MITSG's Geospatial Database
Sea Perch at Boy Scouts Jamboree
Award to Long-term MITSG PI
Staff Promotion: Nancy Adams
New Staff: Rachel VanCott
New Staff: Kathryn Shroyer
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Greetings!
ChrysHere at MIT Sea Grant, our goal is to support the research that results in real world solutions for policy makers, coastal residents, fishermen, shipbuilders and others who work with, on, or near the ocean in Massachusetts and beyond.

That "beyond" has been a central theme in MIT Sea Grant in recent months. We have been invited to bring our programs, ideas, and know-how to forums around the country and around the world. Read below for details about our travels, research, new staff and much more.

Very best wishes for a safe and productive winter.

Chrys Chryssostomidis
Director
MIT SEA GRANT AT MIT ENERGY INITIATIVE CONFERENCE, MONACO
Monaco Ocean Mu

MIT Sea Grant director, Chrys Chryssostomidis, participated on a panel, Ocean Ecology and Oil Production, at the Energy Futures Conference in Monaco. The conference, organized by the MIT Energy Initiative in late September, took place at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. At the panel, Chryssostomidis unveiled a a global challenge for citizens to aid in regular local monitoring of the oceans by which they live.

MITSG research engineer, Mike Soroka, and marine educator, Sarah Hammond, were also at the conference to provide multiple demonstrations of Sea Perch, MITSG's small, remotely operated vehicle used in education programs. Soroka also demonstrated Reef Explorer II (Rex II) via internet with the help of MITSG colleagues overseeing the vehicle's deployment in Gloucester, MA . Rex II is an autonomous robot submarine that streams real time video data and controls across the internet, enabling a remote user to interact with a sub sea telepresence experience.

EUROPEAN SHRIMP, PALAEMON ELEGANS, FOUND IN MASSACHUSETTS COASTAL WATERS
Rock pool prawn

An international team of scientists, including Dr. Judith Pederson of the MIT Sea Grant College Program, discovered the first European shrimp to invade North American waters. Known as Palaemon elegans, the shrimp was discovered first on July 31 in Salem's Hawthorne Cove Marina 17 miles north of Boston. A group of scientists returned on August 9 to Salem and found a large population, collecting over 70 shrimp at Hawthorne and at near-by Palmer's Cove Yacht Club. The species was discovered during a week-long Rapid Assessment Survey of marine invasive species along the New England Coast. The shrimp's identity was first identified by Dr. James Carlton and confirmed by Dr. Sammy De Grave of Oxford University's (Oxford, England) Museum of Natural History.

SEA GRANT WEEK 2010 IN NEW ORLEANS
SGWk 2010

MIT Sea Grant was well represented at this year's Sea Grant Week, which took place October 15-20, in New Orleans, Louisiana. 
 

MIT Sea Grant social scientist, Madeleine Hall-Arber, presented a brief introduction to the "Identification of OCS Renewable Energy Space-Use Conflicts and Analysis of Potential Mitigation Measures" project in a session on Marine Spatial Planning organized by Flaxen Conway and Kaety Hildenbrand of Oregon Sea Grant. With Jennifer McCann of Rhode Island Sea Grant, Hall-Arber talked about Massachusetts' approach to alternative energy in a second workshop organized by Hildenbrand and Conway that was specifically focused on marine renewable energy. 
 

Ben Bray, MIT Sea Grant's electronic media specialist, unveiled eSG, our sophisticated electronic proposal and reporting management system, at the Information Management Systems for Tracking and Reporting session. Also attending were MIT Sea Grant director, Chrys Chryssostomidis, assistant director, Tim Downes, and members of our Advisory Group, Julie Simpson (coastal ecologist), Madeleine Hall-Arber (social scientist), and Sarah Hammond (marine educator). The work of the entire advisory group was presented in a poster session.

 

AUV/ROV MONITORING OF EELGRASS: JESSE THORNBURG, NOAA HOLLINGS SCHOLAR
Jesse Thornburg

This study took place during the spring and summer of 2010 and aimed to observe eelgrass in multiple sites along the Massachusetts coast, especially focusing on the effects of boat mooring chains in naturally grown shallow-water eelgrass beds. In collaboration with dive teams from the EPA and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, a hybrid Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was used along with a standard ROV to monitor Atlantic eelgrass by recording color video, taking GPS coordinates of the bed edges and mooring scars, and measuring the depth and temperature of the vehicle's current location. Jesse's poster presentation was awarded first place in the ecosystems division.


 

IG NOBEL PRIZE AWARDED TO MIT SEA GRANT'S ASSOC. DIR OF RESEARCH, ERIC ADAMS
Eric Adams

MIT Sea Grant Associate Director of Research, Eric Adams, along with his colleagues Scott Socolofsky of Texas A&M University, Stephen Masutani of the University of Hawaii won the 2010 Ig Nobel prize in Chemistry for "disproving the old belief that oil and water don't mix."  Adams and his colleagues shared the prize with British Petroleum, one of the funders of a research project completed in 2000 that demonstrated that most oil from a spill in the deep ocean would in fact mix with water, rather than rise directly to the surface.

 

The Ig Nobel prizes have been awarded annually, for 20 years, by Improbable Research whose goal is "to make people laugh, and then make them think," and asks the question, "How do you decide what's important and what's not, and what's real and what's not - in science and everywhere else?

 

Eric Adams is a lecturer and senior research engineer in the MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). For more details, please see the CEE article on Adams' prize.

PRESENTATION BY MITSG'S GREG BOOMA AT THE MAINE MARINE INVASIVE SPECIES WORKING GROUP
Didemnum_USGS

MIT Sea Grant geospatial analyst, Greg Booma, gave a presentation at the Maine Marine Invasive Species Working Group (MMISWG) in Portland, Maine on October 5th. The MMISWG is a group of individuals from governmental, academic, and non-governmental organizations whose mission is to coordinate efforts to study and manage marine bioinvasions in Maine's coastal waters. Booma's talk, entitled "Mapping and Monitoring Didemnum vexillum: Activities at MIT Sea Grant," outlined new and ongoing projects aimed at understanding the extent, spread, and influence of the invasive sea squirt Didemnum vexillum. In addition, Booma demonstrated the Marine Invader Tracking and Information System (MITIS), a Web-based service for reporting and viewing information on invasive species occurrences throughout the Gulf of Maine.

Photo credit: Page Valentine and Dann Blackwood, U.S. Geological Survey.

SEA PERCH AT THE BOY SCOUTS JAMBOREE IN VIRGINIA
SeaPerch w brochures

MIT Sea Grant was invited to demonstrate Sea Perch at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia celebrating the Scouts' 100th anniversary.The Sea Perch exhibit, coordinated by Daryl Davidson of the AUVSI Foundation with the help of MIT Sea Grant, the Office of Naval Research, and Seaperch.org, introduced Sea Perch to thousands of scouts age 12-17, their parents, and troop leaders. MIT Sea Grant AUV Lab engineer, Mike Soroka, built joy stick podiums used by thousands of visitors to drive the Sea Perches at the exhibit. Summer AUV Lab employee, John Davis, and temporary technical assistant, Kyle Lewis, were on site to assist with the exhibit and interact with the scouts eager to try out Sea Perch.
 

LONG-TERM MIT SEA GRANT PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR RECEIVES NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING FOUNDERS AWARD
Robert Langer

MIT Professor Robert Langer, a nine-time recipient of MIT Sea Grant research awards, received the Founders Award from the National Academy of Engineering on October 3, at the Academy's annual meeting.

Langer was chosen for the honor for "the invention, development, and commercialization of methods and materials for drug delivery and tissue engineering, mentoring of young scientists, and the promotion of the nation's health." The award recognizes outstanding professional, educational and personal achievements to the benefit of society, and it includes $2,500 and a gold medallion. 
 

MIT SEA GRANT'S NANCY ADAMS PROMOTED TO COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Nancy Adams Nancy Adams, who has served as Assistant to the Director at MIT Sea Grant for three years, has been promoted the position of Communications Specialist. Nancy will be responsible for public and press relations and special outreach programs, as well as collecting and distributing research publications. She will oversee content for the MIT Sea Grant website and expects to unveil a brand-new, upgraded site next month. She comes to the job with over 20 years of experience in public relations, program management, graphic design, and special events. Nancy has produced a considerable body of work as a performance artist and is the mother of two young children. She has facilitated the collaboration of MIT Sea Grant with working artists in several innovative joint projects and hopes to establish an Artist-in-Residence program at MITSG, as well as an annual fellowship in ocean science journalism.
 
RACHEL VANCOTT JOINS MIT SEA GRANT STAFF AS EDUCATOR & OCEAN LITERACY COMMUNICATOR
Rachel VanCott

MIT Sea Grant would also like to welcome Rachel VanCott to our Marine Advisory staff. Rachel has joined our Education group as our new Educator and Ocean Literacy Communicator. She'll be developing our algae biofuels education program and working to further our outreach and ocean literacy goals. Rachel received her B.S. in Biology (with a second major in English) from SUNY Geneseo in 2007, and completed an S.M. in Science Writing at MIT in 2008. Before coming to Sea Grant, Rachel worked on the PBS science documentary series NOVA. In her free time, Rachel studies martial arts and plays guitar. 

KATHRYN SHROYER JOINS MIT SEA GRANT STAFF AS ASSISTANT ENGINEERING EDUCATOR
Kathryn Shroyer

MIT Sea Grant welcomes Kathryn Shroyer to our staff. Kathryn is our new Assistant Engineering Educator for the Marine Advisory group, leading work on the Sea Perch outreach program. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2009 and has a strong interest in stimulating student and community, interest in, and exposure to, science and engineering. Outside of work, Kathryn enjoys playing her French horn and ceramics. Welcome to Kathryn!

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MIT Sea Grant e-Newsletter designed and edited by Nancy Adams.