The University of Georgia Marine Institute At Sapelo Island
McIntosh Life recently published an article “UGA Marine Institute undergoes a structural revival” in their Summer 2019 magazine. In the article, Dr. Merryl Alber is interviewed about the changes that have taken place in the last six years since she took over as director. You can read more about these changes by clicking the image below. The article starts on page 46.
“Dissolved organic matter supports aquatic food webs and holds as much carbon as the atmosphere. A new study tracks which sources and processes play the biggest role in coastal systems.”
Medeiros lab work on the dissolved organic matter dynamics in the Georgia coast (“Dissolved organic matter composition in a marsh‐dominated estuary: Response to seasonal forcing and to the passage of a hurricane” by Letourneau and Medeiros) has been highlighted in Eos – Research Spotlight. Read more here:
Several field courses are set to kick off at UGAMI. Just as most university campuses are winding down for the summer, UGAMI is shifting into overdrive. UGAMI’s research and teaching activities peak in summer. We are excited to meet this year’s students and immerse them in the Sapelo Experience!
Maymester courses include Geography of the Georgia Coast, where students will learn about the historical-geography of the Georgia Coast, the ongoing pressures felt through increased development and property politics, community conservation efforts, and sustainable agriculture. Students will be on Sapelo Island for two weeks starting May 19th. Other Maymester courses that visit Sapelo for a shorter period of time are the Georgia Fishes Field Study and the Parks, Environmental Education and Tourism Management Field Camp.
UGAMI hosts three field study programs during summer session. Students in the Coastal Summer Semester spend four weeks at UGAMI. This program introduces students to field techniques in marine ecology and culminates with students undertaking their own research project. Similarly, students in the Colonial and Native Worlds Field School are introduced to archaeological field and lab techniques and the methods and approaches by which archaeology and heritage are interpreted. These students will split their time between Ossabaw and Sapelo Islands. In addition, the Interdisciplinary Field Program, a 10-week traveling course, will spend its first week at UGAMI learning about the ecology and history of Sapelo Island.
Students at UGAMI work hard and play hard, often at the same time. For many students, participating in a field study program at UGAMI is a life-changing experience. For information on all of the undergraduate field study programs available at UGAMI, go to our Education web page.
Congratulations to 2018 Coastal Summer Semester students Sadneya Ghag, Danielle Jenkins, and Bailey Reins who presented the results of their independent research at UGA’s CURO Symposium (Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities). The annual CURO Symposium highlights excellence in undergraduate research at the University of Georgia through students’ oral and poster sessions.
The history and future of UGAMI is being told as a feature article in UGA Research. Click below to check it out!
Ever wonder what it would be like to work as a field research technician studying coastal ecology? The real-life adventures of “Jacob The Technician” are now chronicled in a comic book. The story was written by Professor Steve Pennings, who is the field director and co-principal investigator of the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research program (GCE). The story’s characters have an uncanny resemblance to Jacob Shalack (GCE’s field research coordinator and UGAMI’s assistant director for operations), Dontrece Smith, and Alyssa Peterson (both of whom are field research technicians with the GCE). The comic is part of GCE’s education offerings. Copies will soon be available at the visitor center of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve in Meridian/Darien, and can be ordered from Steve Pennings (spennings@uh.edu) for $5 each.
The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems – Long Term Ecological Research project (GCE-LTER), a research program based at the UGA Marine Institute, has been renewed by the National Science Foundation for another six years. The GCE-LTER first started in 2000 and will continue investigating long-term change in coastal ecosystems, including the salt marshes surrounding Sapelo Island and the tidal freshwater forests of the Altamaha River estuary. For more on the GCE-LTER, see this article in UGA Today.
The GCE-LTER is now accepting applications for their 2019 undergraduate summer internships. There are seven projects total with 4 based on Sapelo Island; one in Athens, GA; one in Bloomington, IN; and one in Savannah, GA. GCE will start reviewing applications February 15th; the deadline for all applications is 05:00 PM EST on March 1, 2019.
For more information, please visit http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/employment/summer_internships_2019.asp. Please share with any interested students!
UGAMI now has a Facebook page where you can keep up to date on research, available courses, visitors, and general happenings on site. Please “like” our page and share with your colleagues and friends!
A familiar occurrence is happening again at UGAMI: another infrastructure improvement project is getting underway. The process begins with the arrival of a barge loaded with equipment and construction materials. Then the workers arrive on the ferry, many of whom are now our old friends; veterans from previous construction projects at UGAMI.
The current project is the second phase of renovations on the Main Lab building, which focuses on the utility systems in the southern half of the Main Lab Building. This phase will significantly upgrade the HVAC, potable water, sewer, and electrical systems. The results may not be immediately obvious to first-time visitors, but lab users who have been coming to UGAMI for a while will surely notice the improvements in indoor air quality & temperature.
There have been many investments made in infrastructure improvements at UGAMI over the past two years, including: installing a new pumping and water distribution system for our seawater labs; creating new outdoor seawater tank facilities; renovating the ground floor of the Main Lab (visitor labs, a shared equipment lab, and a new teaching lab); consolidating the Maintenance Department’s shop facilities; creating a new lab space with fume hoods in what used to be the old electrical shop; renovating the administrative offices and creating a museum exhibit space in the north carriage house building; creating student recreation facilities, housekeeping facilities, a video conference room, and offices in the south carriage house building; and replacing the boat docks in South End Creek and Post Office Creek.
Living amid a major construction project can be inconvenient. But UGAMI users and staff are excited to see the progress taking place. These investments by the University System of Georgia and external funding agencies are proof of the value placed on UGAMI and the work that goes on here.
